Healthy Community Strengthens our Church Plants

Healthy Community happens in real life, and it strengthens us to keep walking through the challenges that come with real life. 

I think this picture captures Healthy Community well–brothers and sisters carrying each other to the Lord in prayer, surrounded by playing cards and papers that lively toddlers had strewn about the floor just minutes before. It was taken at our January Church Planter retreat. During it, our Church Planters practiced Healthy Community–we prayed, we worshiped, we cried, we laughed, we shared our struggles and our joys. Through these friendships–linking arms with others walking similar paths–we felt strengthened for the road God has called each of us to walk. 

From a diocesan Church Planting Leadership perspective, Healthy Community is essential to the Ongoing Support of our Church Plants. When planters feel alone or like they have to perform, they’re more likely to burn out and feel helpless when they face difficulties. We have worked hard to cultivate regular spaces where planters feel free to be real with each other. They can encourage each other while seeing both the impressive and the messy things. And God strengthens his people through that process–we’re more likely to have healthy Church Planters leading healthy Church Plants when we press into Healthy Community together.  

It reminds me of Jesus’ interaction with the woman at the well in John 4. There were so many reasons they should never have interacted–she was a woman, a Gentile, a sinner. Yet Jesus met her in the midst of her real, messy life. He wasn’t afraid of her mess. By letting him into that mess, she had a healing encounter with her Messiah. And then she had the courage to go out to witness to her whole town!

God uses Healthy Community in the midst of our real lives to strengthen us for the work. Would you join us in praying for Healthy Community among our Church Planters and Church Plants?