I always talk with the kids (4-6 year olds) before our baseball games. After my talk, I always lead our team in prayer... something to this effect (in my most kid-friendly voice):

Dear Jesus, we would like to thank you for allowing us to be able to play baseball today. We ask for Your mercy and safety. Jesus, help us to be good sports and never to laugh at any other player. Thank you Jesus. We love You... AMEN!

Then we either take the field with enthusiasm or get our helmets on with smiles and anticipation.

This past Wednesday night at our game, something a little different happened. We had finished warming up and it was time for the coach's talk. After my spiel, I said, "Take your hats off and lets pray." Then it happened! The stuff dreams are made of... I hear a kid's voice... Gage said,  "Coach Chris... Can I lead us in prayer?"

Boy... that's a no-brainer.  I told him, "Sure, I would like that a lot!"

Dear Jesus, thank You for letting us play baseball today. Please let us be safe and not let anyone get hurt. Help us not to laugh at anyone. We love You Jesus... AMEN!

Oh yeah Jesus... Help us to have FUN!!! AMEN!

Sometimes we think kids are not listening to us... we tell them how to throw the ball, hold the bat, swing, and stop the ball from rolling between their legs...

Well, let me encourage all those investing in the lives of our kids... They are learning from you! What are you teaching them?

My hope and prayer, more than anything else, is that I show them the love of Jesus!

Susanne took a picture of this fella after he came running though the house.

In case you don't recognize him... here are a couple of hints:

• If you follow me on twitter, you will know by the movie we watched last night
• He is wearing a rope to represent his whip
• "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?"
• "You want to talk to God? Let's go see him together, I've got nothing better to do."
• "Didn't any of you guys ever go to Sunday school?"
• He's got a new movie coming out in less than two weeks... can't wait!

Don't you just love a kid with a great imagination!

That's right... The Reeder family now has a garden.

It's not much of one yet... but it will be!

Emilee, Sam, and I planted it yesterday. Where was Jake? In the house sick. :-(

Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Squash, Zucchini, Dixie Lee Peas, Watermelon, and Sunflowers.

Tomorrow is a very special day here at the Reeder house. Emilee, Jacob, Sam, and I get to celebrate the most wonderful woman in the world!

So who is that woman? Her name is Susanne.... and she is...

• da' bomb!
• my beautiful bride!
• an awesome mother to our children!
• my help mate!
• my joy this side of Heaven!
• the woman I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with!
• the best pastor's wife EVER!
• my hero!

Susanne, you really are Truly Captivating!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Christopher Ruppe: http://www.chrisruppe.com
Lead Pastor: North Rock Hill Church in Rock Hill, SC
Personal Notes: I met Chris while at Intensive Church Planter's Training earlier this year. Chris is a fun, super energetic guy that is very intentional about reaching those far from God. In just 10 short years as a church planter, Chris & his church have planted 3 churches locally, 3 in Costa Rica, and 9 in Cuba. Thanks Chris for your enthusiasm. 

What advice would you give to a guy that has been called into church planting, but sometimes feels that he has no idea what he is doing?

Chris' Answer:

I am not sure I am the best to give advice on church planting from personal experience. I know more about what not to do. I think my legacy will be how God takes crap and uses it. Why? So that I can not take credit for it.

So let’s look at what not to do.

Don’t build “A” Kingdom

I think what I have noticed is how Church planters are no different than churches of the past, other than they are cooler. They are still trying to grow a church rather than join God in expanding His Kingdom. The Gospels only mention “Church” twice… However, Christ talked about the Kingdom… A LOT!

Don’t Forget to Hang Out with People Far from God!

Am I the only one tired of the phrase, “I want to start a church for Lost people!” Please! give me a break… As Neal McGlohon says all the time, “If Lost people wanted to be in Church where would they be? In Church.” People far from God are not waiting for our cool churches to launch. Please do us all a favor and do not start a church unless you are currently hanging out with a “butt load” of people who are far from God. (Yes, I said Butt Load. I am not sure how much that is exactly… but I know it is a lot.)

Don’t Be Just Another Pastor in the city… Be a Missionary!

We don’t need another pastor… we need missionaries. Find out what the needs are in your city and begin meeting those needs. Look to see where God is at work and join Him. Spend 75% of your time and resources in reaching your city… Not planning another service. Use this to find your core people and weed out those “Church” people!

Don’t Lead until you are Led.

Find Mentors. The best advice I received after planting was from Glenn Smith in Houston who is a brilliant Church Planting Strategist (http://newchurchinitiatives.org). He told me to find areas where I was weak and find mentors who could coach me in those areas. For example… I needed some help with leadership development, so I found a successful leader in the community and met with him and picked his brain on leadership principles. I also needed a personal spiritual mentor, a church planting strategist, etc… You can have lots of Mentors. Simply meet and agree on how often, what you will accomplish, and how long will this relationship last. It is hard to lead when you are not being led.

Don’t… Et cetera Et cetera.

Let me use this last section to hit on some stuff others have said… Don’t Plant A Church!!!!! If I can’t talk you out of it… then Don’t do it alone! Including without your wife. Don’t begin gathering for “Services” too soon. It will be a terrible distraction from the most important which is hanging out with those people who are far from God. Don’t sacrifice Vision and Mission for more people and more money. Don’t forget that your best still pales in comparison to what God can do. Don’t try and be someone else… God made you just the way you are.

Wow! I can go on and on… I did not realize what an absolute loser I am. I have a ton more, but I doubt anyone wants to read a book, so I will end with this last piece of advice… Don’t forget to have fun! Don’t take yourself so serious and miss out on the greatest adventure you can possibly imagine. (If you are really called to plant that is.) I honestly wake up many mornings and say, “Wow! I get paid to do this!” By the Way… that is a good place to be.

Brad Martin: http://www.bradmartin.org
Lead Pastor: RiverPoint Church in Halstead, KS
Personal Notes: I have never met Brad in person, but have been following his blog for some time. He sent this in the other day, and I thought it was TOO RICH not to share!  Thanks, Brad!

What advice would you give to a guy that has been called into church planting, but sometimes feels that he has no idea what he is doing?

Brad's Answer:

Don't Be Afraid To Let People Go From Your Team

This is a big one, and one that has helped from day one. From the very beginning of our church planting journey, I have always struggled with this. I know people are important to church planting, but not all people. When we first began searching for our launch team, we were looking for the right people. The right people were people who were passionate about reaching lost people! But just like every other church plant, the devil sent us some of the wrong people to trip us up! The wrong people wanted their agenda, their way, their leadership, etc. They wanted us to adopt their vision from what they liked.

I was told by my mentors, "Don't be afraid to let people go!" They were so right. If I would've kept those few people that were so far off our page and drowning in committees and crap. Having the freedom to let people go have been great for us. If we meet people and they are not sold out to the vision of RiverPoint Church, then they don't belong at RiverPoint Church. And that's OK! We're never mean to the people, just ok with letting them go.

Dustin Willis: http://dustinwillis.com
Pastor: Midtown Fellowship in Columbia, SC
Personal Notes: See first post.  Dustin sent in such great stuff, I had to give him two slots!

What advice would you give to a guy that has been called into church planting, but sometimes feels that he has no idea what he is doing?

Dustin's Answer:

CHURCH PLANTER or DOMESTIC MISSIONARY

If you were to go on a mission trip to Rwanda, Africa tomorrow, what would you do?

The Facts

There are 8 million people. They speak a Bantu language. AIDS is the leading cause of death among adults. Dirty Water kills more children than anything else. There are millions of children living life as orphans. What would you take? Where would you live? Who would you serve? What needs would you meet? What language would you speak?

The Plans & Results

You would build wells, learn their language, live where they live, educate them in the area of AIDS awareness, open orphanages and share the love of Jesus. This is what missionaries are doing all over the globe, and God is moving through them in incredible ways. Over 24,000 new churches will start in India this year. Over 50,000 people will give their life to Christ today in communist China. It is absolutely amazing to see all that God is doing through missionaries across the globe.

The Facts HERE in America

The church is dying. The unchurched population has grown at a rate of 100% in the last 10 years. People hate the church. There are more Christians in China based on percent population than there are in the American city of Seattle, WA.

The Plans & Results HERE in America

Be missionaries. Discover the wells that need to be built in the neighborhoods and cities across our country. This has the potential to result in a revolution that will look a lot like the book of Acts. I dream and hope for that and am giving my life to that cause. I am not a Pastor of a church I want to grow. I am a missionary in a city that I desire to see transformed by the gospel. There is a difference. Don’t be a church planter, be a missionary.

John Sharp: No blog yet... working on him though...
Pastor: North Point Community Church in Columbia, SC
Personal Notes: John is one of the nicest guys I know. He was also the first person I met while getting started with the South Carolina Baptist Convention. He was my assessor... man... he asked some tough questions that cut deep... God is working in my life because he cared enough to confront my weaknesses.

What advice would you give to a guy that has been called into church planting, but sometimes feels that he has no idea what he is doing?

John's Answer:

This is a question I wish I could have asked a bunch of church planters over a decade ago when I was praying about planting.  Thank God for a mentor that walked with me through the process.  I'm actually still asking this question to guys that are doing this thing well!  There will never be a shortage of new wisdom and knowledge to gain on planting missional churches.  That being said, I'm still learning too! 

The most important thing in my book is hearing from God.  I meet far to many pastors that want to plant the kind of church that plays cool music, doesn't have a Sunday night service, and where they can "be the boss".  Make sure you have a word from God, and that your spouse hears as well.  If God doesn't CALL you, and your spouse, don't do it!  I would have quit 10 times this month if it weren't for the call of God on my life.  My wife feels the same way!

Assuming you've heard from God, stay in a position to keep hearing him each day.  Ed Young & Steven Furtick's sermons will only take you so far, and you'll probably stink them up in the process.  Stay in the place where God fills you up each day and you'll never have a shortage to share with the people God has called you to. 

Finally, as you are learning and preparing to do what God has called you to do.........  Get as close to as many guys doing it well as you can.  Ask questions, experience the atmosphere, take note, attend services, whatever you can do to immerse yourself in the missional community of God.  Listen way more than you speak.  It saddens me to have a church planter call or drop by to ask me a question, then spend more time talking about himself and what he has done thus far than listening.  Shut up and listen! 

Finally, finally......... As you go, make sure you are hanging out with lost people every step of the way.  If you don't know any, don't proceed with your plans to plant until you make the lost world a part of your life.  Not by going to bars or strip clubs (yikes)....... go to the Y, look around at the t-ball field, any place you can make connections.  You are here to reach the lost, not live inside the church.  Your church won't do it if you don't do it!

I could go on and on, but I think I'll practice what I preach and listen to what other guys have to teach us!  Lean into God and rock on!  He won't let you down!  (That's 3 exclamation points.... whoa!!!)

Pete Wilson: http://withoutwax.tv
Senior Pastor: Cross Point in Nashville, TN
Personal Notes:   Pete actually found me!  He commented on a post of mine, and we have been following each other ever since. I have never meet Pete in person, but I have tremendous respect for him, and appreciate all he has done to encourage me on this journey.

What advice would you give to a guy that has been called into church planting, but sometimes feels that he has no idea what he is doing?

Pete's Answer:

PALM LICKING TIME

The one thing I underestimated about being a church planter was the number of times I would be faced with grueling, life-changing decisions that would require more wisdom, strength, and courage than I have.

As a church planter you will make decisions on locations, staff, message series, strategy, vision, and finances just to name a few. It seems like every day you are making a decision that feels as if it could sink the whole deal.

And to make matters worse, this pressure NEVER stops. We are five years in to Cross Point and we are constantly faced with these overwhelming decisions. At the end of 2007 we were faced with some major budget issues. We were 22% behind budget for the year and yet were moving forward on a 2008 budget that was 27% higher than the year before (I know this makes no logical sense). To complicate matters even further, we were about to release 150 core group people to plant our first satellite campus in Dickson, TN, knowing we would take a financial hit at our Nashville campus. What did we do? We moved forward with what we sensed God was calling us to do (to date we are actually ahead of budget for the year...a total God thing).

These are the kind of decisions that make your palms sweaty. These are the kind of decisions that make your mouth dry. So what do you do? Lick your palms.

There are going to be a lot of palm-licking moments for you in church planting. I believe the key to making these decisions boils down to your time with God.

Joshua is my leadership model for this. Joshua is the one who had the faith to trust God when others didn’t (Deut. 1 & Joshua 3). Joshua is a leader who stared fear in the eyes.

How did he become this kind of leader? How can you become this kind of leader? Here’s the secret.

Exodus 33: 7,11 “Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the ‘tent of meeting.’ Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.”

CONTACT WITH THE CREATOR IS CRITICAL FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP.

Please know that going to conferences is important. Listening to advice from Steven Furtick and Mark Batterson is helpful. Reading blogs and articles on leadership is a good idea. But NOTHING will replace the time you are personally spending with your Creator. If you want to become a transformational leader, you have got to spend quality time in the presence of God. Then and only then can you lick your palms and move forward with what God is calling you to do.

Dave Anderson: http://MoviePastor.com
Pastor: Crosspoint Community Church in Decatur, AL
Personal Notes: Got to meet Dave for the first time at Evolve Church Planter's Conference back in February.  Gotta be da' man... He is from Alabama... ROLL TIDE! Just a personal warning... do not have coffee or other drink in your mouth while reading his fifth item... AND DON'T SKIP AHEAD TO THE FIFTH ITEM!!!

Chris asked "What advice would you give to a man who is called into church planting?"

I honestly could have written a book on this stuff.  I narrowed it down to the first five things I thought of.

Note: I asked my wife and 18 year old daughter what their advise was.  Without reading this my wife gave me number 1 and my daughter gave me number 3.

Hope this helps someone.  

First -  Don't!  If you can do something else for God - do it.  I think a lot of planters will tell you this.  The bottom line is you better be dang sure of your calling because there will be dark days when you question everything and wonder how you got where you are and no one will care about your situation.   I suggest a thorough reading and study of 2 Corinthians 11.  Make sure of your calling because the hardship you will endure will seem overwhelming most of the time.

Second - Sober up! Its easy to be drunk on the dream of a large church plant.  You read the books and blogs and went to the conferences - now you drank the kool-aid.  Now you need to detox.  Reality is more churches fail than succeed.  The ones that make it are much smaller than the people you follow and idolize.  You will not be Perry Noble, Steven Furtick, Gary Lamb, Rick Warren, Bill Cornelius, Mark Driscoll, Craig Groeshel or <Insert famous preacher here>.  Get that through your head now!  Then ask yourself - if I am under 100 people five years from now will I still be doing this?  This is reality for MOST church planters so get used to the idea that you may just be average!  Can you live with that long term?  See #1.

Third - If momma ain’t happy - ain’t nobody happy! Prepare your wife (and family) emotionally and financially and develop habits NOW that you want to have AFTER the work begins.  Emotionally this is going to be the hardest thing in the world for your family.  The church can become your mistress.  The only thing is you will openly talk about her as if she were a welcome friend.  She will demand your time and your attention constantly.  The emotional strain will creep into your marriage and the pressure to perform will affect your wife and children.   You need a solid financial plan for your family too.  No one gets rich doing this - but if you are broke and cant pay bills or have debt piled up - you are in serious trouble.  Two things get pastors in trouble - their zipper and/or their wallet.   Have solid plans and healthy habits NOW to ensure your marriage stays strong and you AND YOUR WIFE are taken care of financially.  If your church tanks (and it might) they are all you have left.  You can get a new church - not a new family.  See #2 and #1.

Fourth - Laser Vision!  Have a vision from God and don't let anyone tweak it.  Vision hijackers WILL show up early on.  They will want a say in what happens and how the church looks.  They are most likely trying to build what they used to do at their old church.  The problem is they left there for a reason.  Just because they are breathing and have a pulse (and potentially a wallet) doesn’t mean they are going to be good church members.  Everyone has an agenda.  You need to know what it is and do everything possible to make sure your agenda and vision is not hijacked.  That may mean you give people permission to leave very early in the process.  You will be tempted to compromise - a little here - a little there.  Then one day someone with influence WILL blow out because of a vision issue.  In a small church this can be a BIG deal.  

Fifth - Learn from Foghat - Slow Ride!  Church planting is a lot like sex - the longer you wait to launch - the better it will be.  Once you launch, Sunday comes every seven days.  You will be tempted to launch prematurely.  Money may be the factor driving this or you have a preconceived idea of how many people it takes to launch.  Most church planting coaches will tell you premature launch is the surest way to become a statistic.   A premature baby will die without intense neonatal care.  Just like a baby needs healthy lungs, heart, kidneys and other vital organs - your church needs healthy systems.  There are systems and processes that need to be in place and working.   Those systems require people who live and breathe the vision and who are willing to work the vision and finance the vision.  People will be anxious to launch.  If people in your team want to “do church” take them to a new church every week to learn something - but delay the launch as long as possible and keep building a team and launch healthy!

Paul Peterson: http://PaulPetersonLive.com
Pastor: Walls Down Church in Cincinnati, OH

Personal Notes: I met Paul "Mr. Systems" Peterson and his wife Sherri at Evolve earlier this year. (Though I had been following his blog for some time.) Paul is  a great guy. After reading this post... Go visit his blog and read some of the comments about Church systems.

A few weeks ago my friend, Chris, asked me to participate in a conversation and answer this question, “What advice would you give to a guy that has been called into church planting, but sometimes feels that he has no idea what he is doing?”

In the interest of full disclosure I must say that I have not planted yet. However, as we prepare to launch Walls Down Church in Cincinnati, Ohio I have to say that the following points make me confident as we move ahead:

1. God has called us and confirmed this call through multiple means.
2. My bride is fully on board with this decision and has embraced the sacrifice that comes with it.
3. We have spent one year of our lives in a church planting internship at Mountain Lake Church in conjunction with ChurchPlanters.com.
4. We have a strong calling to a specific area.
5. We have a team and a plan to carry out our vision of helping people find the life Jesus promised.

If I had to boil it down to one “Must do” I would say, expose yourself to as much “real-life planting” as possible BEFORE you launch. This would include:

1. Visiting multiple church plants. Get there early and stay late helping set up and tear down.
2. Talk with church planters behind the scenes and get the real scoop about the sacrifice, etc. required of planters.
3. Go through an internship. Suggestion… ChurchPlanters.com.

Until later…

Dustin Willis: http://DustinWillis.com
Pastor: Midtown Fellowship in Columbia, SC

Personal Notes: Dustin is the epitome of "missional" and "intentional"; he is a die-hard Clemson fan that shares Christ with a bunch of Gamecocks. I have had the opportunity to meet him in person and I can honestly say that his passion for the Gospel is contagious.

What advice would you give to a guy that has been called into church planting, but sometimes feels that he has no idea what he is doing?

Dustin's Answer:

Moses had Aaron. Nehemiah had Ezra. Peter had John. Paul had Timothy, Silas, and Barnabas. The disciples had each other. The trinity had the rest of the trinity. Jesus sent his boys out in Teams. In the garden, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone…” God embodies team and pushes team throughout the bible. What would make us think we can plant a church as The Lone Ranger? (By the way the Lone Ranger is dead…I am not really sure if that makes my point, but it sounded good) Every amazing story that we find in scripture involves a team. There are many more great stories to be told if we embrace what team is.

Team is…

• The strengths you need and do NOT have.
• The combined gifts that God will use to reach your community.
• The accountability you desperately need.
• The people who cry and laugh with you.
• The people who defend you.
• How church planting was intended to be done.
• God’s idea.

Whatever it takes: Postpone the launch. Buy 1,000 cups of coffee. Meet with people over and over again leaking vision. Boldly ask people. GET A TEAM!

How to get a team:

• Ask God to send you a team.
• Live the gospel… people want to follow people who follow Jesus.
• Display the vision of what could be and should be. People desire to be apart of something that is bigger than themselves.

What to look for in team members:

• Character – Are they living out the gospel no matter what it costs?
• Capacity – Can they actually get some crap done?
• Chemistry – Do you get along? If you do not have this from the get go… it is NOT something you work out in due time. I have tried that one, and it does NOT work. Eventually, you end up saying painful goodbyes.
• Commitment – Are they going to run at the first sign of trouble? You and your team will want to quit at least 47 times in the first 18 months. Jesus took 11 committed men and changed the world. I am sure when they were being crucified upside down and filleted like fish they thought about quitting, but they were committed to the mission.

So go get a TEAM. It’s not my idea. God is the one that said it is not good to do this thing alone.

Jay Hardwick: http://JayHardwick.com
Church Planter: In Columbia, SC
Personal Notes: (Great friend, awesome brother in Christ, and someone I really look up to even though he is younger than me. I'm seriously learning a lot from this guy!)

What advice would you give to a guy that has been called into church planting, but sometimes feels that he has no idea what he is doing?

Jay's Answer:

If you sometimes have no idea what you are doing, then welcome to the club!  In fact, most days I have no clue what I am doing.

Our default actions are most all the same when we feel like we don't know what we are doing: pray, read a book, seek out a planter who has done well, study a church that is a few steps ahead, attend a conference, etc.  These are all helpful activities and I have done all of them.

But the one action that I too easily ignore is probably the action that is nearest to the heart of God.  And, I have learned, it might be the action that helps me know what to do more than anything else.

Spend consistent, intentional, and uninterrupted time in the harvest.

I have certainly found plenty of general answers by spending time with other leaders, reading books, and attending conferences.  But nothing helps me understand my culture better than spending time with the people who make up that culture.  And, nothing fires me up more than putting new names and faces in my prayers for God to move in our city.

The challenge is that spending time in the harvest is not urgent, so it is easily ignored or put off until later.  The problem with waiting is that the DNA of our churches will reflect the priorities of the lead planter's family...and those priorities are being built from day one.  When you put off spending consistent, intentional, uninterrupted time in the harvest in order to plow away at the urgent, you run the risk of creating a DNA that will allow the same behavior from those who will join you.

The good news is that the harvest is not hard to find.  What relational networks are you already tapped into? Your neighborhood might be one.  You favorite coffee shop might be one.  Your kids sports teams might be one.  What can you do to be more intentional about those networks? Throw a block party at your house. Get to know the baristas names and stories. Coach your kids teams.  Spending time in the harvest doesn't mean slamming four point gospel tracks down people's throats.  Spending time in the harvest means building relationships, building trust, listening to people's stories, and genuinely caring for people.  All the while, you're praying like crazy, "God, what does church look like amongst these people?"

Our goal as church planters should be to plant unique, missionary churches that reach deep into the harvest.  Books, conferences, and conversations are helpful, but they only go so far.  The lessons learned in those activities must be paired with what we learn from consistent, intentional, uninterrupted time in the harvest.  When that happens, I am convinced that we'll see movements unleashed!

J.R. Lee: http://jrlive.net
Lead Pastor: Freedom Church in Acworth, GA

Personal Notes: (J.R. is one of the most encouraging people I have ever met! I was very excited to meet him at Evolve earlier this year. The fact that he took time to speak into my life and encourage me meant more than he will ever know.)

Chris asked me to answer the following question... What advice would you give to a guy that has been called into church planting, but sometimes feels that he has no idea what he is doing?  To be fair, we are only 12 weeks into this journey called Freedom Church and that feeling hasn't left.  I suspect it never will.  To be honest - I don't think I want it to.

That being said, I have had to come to grips with a few things in order to not be paralyzed by fear.  One phrase that I consistently have to remember and that I try to communicate on a regular basis is that...

Incredible journeys start with irreversible steps.

There is no way around this.  When Joshua was leading people across the Jordan River, the command was to walk out into the water... It was only then - that the water would part.  The people were going to have to get their feet wet before the miracle would take place.

Taking time to learn from the right people is invaluable.  Truth be known, to not do so is irresponsible and arrogant.  I believe that with everything I have, but ultimately, the day will come when theory must meet practice and the irreversible steps must be taken.  For Joshua, it was taking a few steps out into the water.  For you, it might mean leaving behind a stable salary, moving to a new community, establishing new relationships, and the list goes on and on.  What's the point?  If you wait until you have all the answers - the church will never come into existence.  Move forward understanding that incredible journeys start with irreversible steps - and get ready for the most invigorating, exhausting, challenging, and rewarding journey of your life!

Chris Elrod: http://chriselrod.com
Senior Pastor: Compass Point Church in Lakeland, FL

Personal Notes: Chris Elrod is one of the "most fun to be around" people I have ever met... Just a joy talking with him, and he has been a HUGE inspiration for me on this journey.

MAKE SURE YOUR WIFE IS ON BOARD!

In a marriage God doesn't speak to the one…but speaks to both concerning life-altering things.  If God has not led your spouse to church planting…then he hasn't led you to church planting.  Without your wife's approval and support you are not a church planter…you are a church forcer.  Forcing your "calling" on her will not only make her dislike the church…cause major strife in the marriage…and can also create problems in her relationship with God.  Your first and foremost calling and ministry…on this Earth…is to be a godly husband and father…ministry and calling falls WAY under that.  In essence, you can plant another church…or be involved in another ministry…but you can't have another wife…and stay valid in your role as pastor or shepherd.  If your wife isn't on board with planting a church…then you weren't being called by God to plant…you were being called by your own selfish desires and ego!!!