Church Planting as a Family
Church planting isn't just a ministry of church planters-it's a ministry of the whole family.
Encourage, Inspire and Resource
Church planters have many teammates and partners, but his most important partner in ministry is his wife. Support, direction, guidance – whatever the planter needs, his wife and family likely need it, too. Send Network is here to encourage, inspire and resource church planting families to fulfill the Great Commission in their context. Send Network’s Spouse Care Development team engages women in order to create community, provide care, equip her with training, and support her with coaching to allow her to flourish in her unique and irreplaceable role in planting multiplying churches in North America.
Resources for Planting Wives
Every good church leader has this quality
There’s one characteristic in a church leader that’s invaluable to the church but isn’t...
Bearing burdens in a Pacific paradise
California church cares for a family facing a life-threatening pregnancy and a recommended abortion.
What does it mean to give grace to one another?
I’ve heard that phrase a thousand times but, for some reason, this particular time...
Creating Connections Beyond Sunday Morning
Relationships are critical for leaders. Our culture is crying out for authenticity, community and...
4 Ways to Build Sisterhood Among Planting Spouses
What do church planting wives need to thrive? In Research Findings on Church Planting...
3 Ways pastors’ wives can set healthy expectations
There are so many labels we put on ourselves. It’s impossible not to. When...
Must-have Christian books for your child
As mothers, we can use books to have intentional conversations with our kids about...
Living on mission in the Bible Belt
It is interesting how the enemy can use ministry to keep Christians away from...
What it means to engage lostness
Today, we will launch a short but much-needed conversation. It is a conversation about...
When an introvert marries an extrovert
This opening line grabbed me, “Sometimes I think that introverts and extroverts are from...
Why Down Syndrome awareness is important
When Jude was given a probable diagnosis of Down Syndrome about half-way through Nicole’s...
Helping women heal from deep and painful secrets
Not too long ago, I was sitting at my dinner table across from a...
Three phrases every couple should say daily
I still remember my wedding day like it was yesterday. It was January 2,...
When you face a season of fruitlessness
One of the beautiful realities of having a relationship with Jesus Christ is how...
The balance between being tough and tender
Some say ignorance is bliss, but when it comes to understanding our temperament as...
Teachability: An absolute necessity for effective leadership
There is a noticeable common thread in most successful people—they are teachable. And correspondingly...
Why spiritual leaders should cultivate their spiritual vitality
Recently, we asked women this question, “What qualities and characteristics should healthy and effective...
The case for physical intimacy
Let’s talk about intimacy. No, I don’t just mean spiritual intimacy or even recreational...
Five actions to take when tragedy strikes your church
My church body is currently in the midst of one of the greatest tragedies...
How to cultivate a desire for God’s Word: An interview with Christine Hoover
We all know it’s best to be in the Bible regularly, but … life....
How to avoid becoming the plastic pastor’s wife
I had only been married and in ministry for four weeks when our senior...
4 Questions to ask when setting boundaries
A little before midnight, there was a knock at our door. An officer apologized...
About Kay Warren’s book, Sacred Privilege: Your Life and Ministry as a Pastor’s Wife
This morning I will be introducing Kay Warren as she speaks to hundreds of...
5 Practical ways to enlist help
My friend has six kids who are each involved in multiple activities. Recently, I...
Four keys to healthy interpersonal communications
Every relationship in life is built on a foundation that cannot be ignored. This...
It takes guts to be a mother
Elisabeth Elliot once said, “It takes guts to be a mom.” (I am told...
Friendship and the pastor’s wife: Help others have a healthy perspective
I was standing at the door after church, talking with folks, when a woman...
What to do when you get unfriended
We were friends. Good friends. Our daughters played together and enjoyed sleepovers. We laughed...
Friendship and the pastor’s wife: A Healthy perspective
My husband and I have been in full-time vocational ministry since the day we...
When you are jealous of other churches
It happens when I’m driving down the road and pass “that” church. It happens...
Five warning signs that show my husband needs rest
Rest says, “I can’t, but God can.” Rest is a declaration that God is...
Leading the hardest person I will ever lead
The face in the mirror is the person hardest for me to lead. Yet...
When you feel spread too thin
When we moved to Charlottesville to plant a church, we knew one person—our realtor....
How to respond to those who hurt us
Have you heard the old joke that ministry would be great if it weren’t...
Leading women to advance the gospel
I’m plagued with a burden that I’ve played it too safe. And what’s even...
God calls the unlikely to be used for the extraordinary
There are many examples of bravery in the Bible. Esther. Moses. Ruth. Joseph. Rahab....
“True Bravery” really comes down to one thing
When I think of bravery in 2017, I think of the people of Aleppo—the...
You know you’re a pastor’s wife if…
It’s happened to all of us. People say and do some unusual things. Things...
How and why we still tuck in our adolescent kids
We still tuck in our kids. It’s just that the tucking looks a little...
Three reasons to be receptive to reproof
I can remember clearly where I was standing the first time it happened. I...
How to handle a one-sided friendship
I was asked, “Why does friendship at times feel one-sided?” That question, of course,...
God’s heart in reproof is to make us more holy
“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof,...
Four ways to deal with annoying church members
It happened almost every Sunday morning. His cell phone would ring loudly in the...
Are you an emotionally healthy woman?
I have found much enjoyment these last few weeks in telling my friends, “I’m...
How to become slow to anger
In the middle of a busy day, I found myself having a mental “conversation”...
The Quiet Power of Kindness
Proverbs 31:26, “The law of kindness is on her tongue. . .” The Proverbs...
Community requires vulnerability
For the first eight years of our ministry, I didn’t have a friend to...
Understanding the economic divide in the Church
I had no understanding, prior to my life in ministry, that socioeconomic class is...
When it’s better to be weak than strong
The following is a journal entry I wrote in May on Mother’s Day: Today...
9 ways to tell the difference between a prayer warrior and a gossip
I love reading anything Chuck Lawless writes. This insightful piece nails something we all know is...
Lessons learned from Amy Carmichael
While looking through some old books recently, I happened across a beloved Christian classic,...
Looking at the true root of relational stress
For a long time I have allowed myself to become extremely emotional as I...
Eight ways to comfort the suffering soul
When suffering happens to leaders we begin to comfort others differently. Our own journey...
Three Ways to Encourage Others with Your Suffering
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father...
Five practices of an emotionally mature leader
When you think of emotional maturity what do you think of? Do you think...
The Strength of a Reluctant Leader
Do people look to you to solve problems or provide the answers or direction needed...
The Importance of Vulnerability in Leadership
I have consistently made an effort to ‘be who I am’ and not ‘put...
Your Blind Spot Is Only Blind to You
For our series on leadership we are reposting this old blog on blindspots. Leaders, especially...
The Resilient Leader: Don’t Quit
Did you know that 2 Corinthians is actually Paul’s 4th letter to that church? Since...
Turn Your ESL Ministry into a Church Planting Machine
In the past, I have shared about the importance of shifting from a “come...
Culture in 5 easy-to-understand categories
Let me start by saying this is an oversimplification. Culture and worldview are complicated...
Five lessons from Elisabeth Elliott
We’re re-posting some of our favorite blog posts from 2015. This encouraging and challenging post...
Why I Stopped Entertaining People In My Home
We’re re-posting some of our favorite blog posts from 2015. Kathy’s post from October 5,...
The Best Pastor’s Wife Advice I Ever Received
We’re re-posting some of our favorite blog posts from 2015. This might just be our...
Help, I’m Not Attracted To My Spouse
A friend recently asked me what you do when you are not attracted to...
How to Deal with that Mean Church Member
Recently, I’ve been asked more times than I can count if I have any...
When the Pastor’s Wife Goes Back to Work
Leaving behind our house of vomiting children, I went for a quiet walk on...
How to Write a Family Plan
Barry gave us much to consider in our last blog as we evaluate if our...
How a Family Plan Could Change Everything
Today’s post by Barry Rager gives us much to consider when we think about the...
How To Survive A Ministry Transition
Still relishing the warmth of my blankets, I am snuggled among my down pillows...
An Open Letter: I Don’t Have it All Together
Dear Friend, I got your message. I hate what happened to you this past...
Muslims Are Not Our Enemies
I was absolutely shaking, sitting in the front seat of my minivan packed full...
How to Balance the Demands of Family and Ministry
My husband is currently a bi-vocational church planter. This means that he has a...
Does God Hear the Prayer of a Muslim?
There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion …., a devout...
When You Feel Like a Hypocrite on Sunday Morning
My husband and I had a truly awful weekend together. I wish I could...
An Important Teaching on a Woman’s Purpose
Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church, wades into dangerous waters with his sermon...
What Spiritual Maturity Really Looks Like
Spiritual maturity contains amazing ironies. It is strange mixture of progressive growth while simultaneously...
What the Gospel Has to Say in the Face of Cancer
Because I firmly believe that God uses all my circumstances for my good and...
Four Tips On How To Accept Correction
Raise your hand if you like to receive correction? Just what I suspected —...
Five Inspirational Quotes For Life On Mission
We are a culture that collects quotes. Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest fuel our love...
Why a Small Town is a Fabulous Place to Raise Kids
In 2012, Kathy Keller wrote a blog piece, “Why the City is a Wonderful Place...
Welcoming Foreigners into My Home
Women gathering together is a universal activity that translates in every culture. And there’s nothing...
How To Love Your Kids When It’s Work
The best definition of love I’ve heard comes from Voddie Baucham: “Biblical love is...
Live Sent: A Free Resource
Love is work. To love a city, a people, a church community, well, it...
Eating with Sinners
Jesus ate with sinners. Repeatedly. Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near...
Three Circles Three Arrows: In the Ice Cream Aisle
Confession time, each Wednesday I anxiously await the mailman to faithfully deliver the weekly...
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Ministry Wives Podcast
I’m Amy Petersen. Welcome to the Ministry Wives Podcast. Here we have honest conversations about the realities of the ministry wife life and how to keep our hearts tethered to Jesus as we serve Him. Whether you’re seeking encouragement or practical tips, don’t miss out on these heartfelt discussions with women in various ministry contexts about the joys and challenges of ministry life.
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Want to connect with other planting wives?
You and your family are serving on the front lines of ministry, and that can be as exhausting as it is rewarding. We want to be an extension of your family-partners in prayer, care and practical encouragement.
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