This post is something that is only a tiny part of what I could talk about in regards to the 4 years we spent in the Denver area helping to plant a church. When it went under life changed drastically: we lost friendships, we lost something we had worked so hard for, we lost the thing that our entire existence in Denver was centered around. But with all of that loss I gained so much: a stronger relationship with my husband, the ability to work from home blogging and doing freelance work, and most importantly of all? I gained an even stronger relationship with God. After all the church was and is always his, not mine, and he has blessed the entire Denver area with incredible people that came out of that church plant. People will always fail, but he is steadfast. He gives and he takes away; while I wish that things could have turned out differently at times, life is exactly as it should be right now.
So here are a few things that I’ve learned from helping plant a church, but these are really only scratching the surface. It’s a hard subject and something I plan to talk about more, although there are some very personal details that I won’t be discussing on here. Please feel free to email me if you have questions!
- Planting a church is not some romantic ideal – it’s real life. When we moved to Colorado to plant a church it just sounded so adventurous and crazy and romantic – bringing the Gospel to people who need to hear it, and it would be US helping to do it. While it is romantic in some ways, the real-life aspect is the part that I didn’t think about until I was in the thick of it. You’re talking about reaching people for Christ, talking about their eternal salvation, and living life in an area that’s different from where you lived before. Sometimes people love that you’re there, and other times…not so much.
- Planting a church takes a lot of work. Nate and I were not pastors of our church, but we were leaders within the church. And we worked a lot. Any minute that wasn’t spent at work was usually spent doing something for, building something for, hosting something for, attending something for, talking about, thinking about, and praying about the church. You know what though? It’s not about me. It’s not even about the people we were there to serve. It’s about working for the Lord, and that my friends – that makes it worth it.
- Planting a church made me question the depth of my faith at times. I know how that sounds, but it’s good to question the things we believe. It’s good to wonder. It’s good because it leads to growth, and I have never grown so much in my faith than I did in those 4 years.
- Planting a church forced me to learn a whole new meaning of the word “hospitality.” Our home went from the two of us to being open to everyone, all the time. I had to learn to deal with imperfection – a house that’s not clean, a dog that jumps, only having water to drink. You get the idea. Our house, much like our lives, is far from perfect, but it’s home and there was a lot of fun that was had there.
- Planting a church means relationships. The good, the bad, the ugly, the loving, the beautiful, the tearful, the hurtful, the angry, the conflicted. All of it – and helping to plant a church means that we get to work through it all together. Just because the church under a specific name no longer exists doesn’t mean that those relationships are gone. And because the backbone of all of the relationships is Jesus, it means that those relationships continue to be life-giving and loving. I am so thankful.
Thank you for sharing this, Heather! I I never knew you were part of a church plant. I totally understand the temptation to romanticize things like this, though, which is what I did regarding motherhood. It’s challenging with the reality has been so hard, but like you, I see God stretching and growing my faith through it.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I started reading your blog for beautiful food and fantastic recipes, but have gotten so much more. People don’t talk about the hard parts of ministry enough publicly. It’s encouraging to hear about the good that can come out of what could be viewed as a “failure.” God is good, all the time. Bless you.
Thank you so much for your encouragement Amanda – God is so so good!
Thank you for sharing this, Heather. I can’t imagine how tough this must have been to go through… but I’m glad you are seeing the positives and the lessons you learned from the experience. And as you said, I’m sure what you and your husband did, even if it didn’t reach the “end goal” you’d hoped for, has brought more of Jesus to that area than was there before. And that is something to praise!
I love this post and can relate to it as well. It’s tough but so worth it because there’s always a lesson(s) learned! I love what you say about relationships continuing to exist and be life-giving & loving, because Jesus is the backbone. Well said. 🙂
What a tremendous self sacrifice. Congratulations on all you’ve accomplished so far, Heather!
I am proud of the two of you for taking that big step of faith. Just think of all you gained from the experience and what others did too. God’s word and His work does not come back void.
Love you!
Thanks Mary – it’s so true, God’s word and his will is never in vain!
I’m so grateful to have met you and Nate through that process! You two are unique, awesome, selfless, fun, and loving individuals that I never would have gotten the opportunity to know if it weren’t for that church. I’ll never forget y’all and appreciate y’all welcoming and pursuing Rhett and I during a crucial point in our marriage. I love and miss you, Heather!!
Oh Rebecca 🙂 You and your family make my heart smile – I love you and miss you too!
Love # 2 & 3. You and Nate were the first people to reach out to Joe and I. That got us going back to church again 🙂 I think that whole situation challenged all of us to really understand what “faith in god” actually means. I’m so happy you are talking about this. Sending you love and good thoughts from CO! Weston is AMAZING!
Amy, thank you so much for this – we definitely miss you guys!!!
Whew! what an undertaking! Keep up the good work. 🙂
This is wonderful! It’s so hard when something like thy “fails”, but your perspective on it is so beautiful! Thank you for keeping Jesus the center! Can I share the link to this post on my blog today?
Alesha <3
Of course you can! 🙂
i had no idea that you were in CO for this reason! Makes me love you even more!!
It’s true! I didn’t share a lot about it on the blog at the time 🙂