by A S H LY N P O R T E R O
Planting a new church, with all its ups and downs, is an incredibly exciting endeavor. Every prayer, possibility, hope, and certainly a few fears lie before you. When I think of the church plants I know and their leaders—including some I count as dear friends—I am instantly encouraged by their deep desire to bless and establish themselves in their communities. Many have left the comforts of well-established congregations and familiar places to reach the unreached with the gospel. One of the beauties of churches is to model the
M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E
22
generosity of the Lord Jesus—to bless and serve those around them with freedom and love. In a practical sense, this is a very exciting time in the life of the church, deciding exactly how to go about this work. As almost anyone who is a semiaware citizen of his or her community can attest, the needs are great everywhere. While it can be
