Who is the Planter’s Wife?
Hey!
So… here’s a smidge about me. Meg Brown: stay at home mom to THREE! wonderfully, energetic boys and wife to a Stud-Muffin of a man (also known as Michael) who has been called to plant a church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Our life is CRAZY and it never stops. I sometimes long for peace, quiet, and a simpler farmer’s life… but then I am jolted back to reality with the scream of one of my precious boys in the next room. My daily struggles are: keeping up with the laundry (wait- did I say keeping up? I meant to say “attempting to keep up” and yet never getting there!), keeping the sanity in our home, and most importanty, growing in my walk with Christ. (He is definitely my hero!) Without Him, I would be nothing. Literally. Probably just a shell of a person scraping by.
For years, I have found myself journaling down my thoughts and feelings. Only recently have I felt that the words that I have written down could be of much use to others.
To make a very long story short, my husband was called by God to be a minister at age 16 (this was a huge leap for him as he was originally set to take over his father’s business in the banking world.) He stayed faithful though and pursued ministry. After graduating from a bible college, we began our marriage and the process of experiencing three different ministries in three different states. At the back of our minds however, church planting was always shadowing us. Looking back, we can see God’s hand in preparing us for planting… even if it didn’t make sense at the time. After my husband took a job in the corporate world, he felt God’s hand showing him the need for a plant in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
We entered into the church-planting world with expectations of hardship as well as stories of endurance from those who had planted before us. At the time, we had the support of a team who was planting with us, several churches who were backing us (local and out of state), a church planting organization who offered support, coaching and assessments, and family who became our personal cheering squad. Prayer teams were assembled, the mission, vision and name of the church was created, and we attended a week-long assessment through the church planting organization (in order to make sure we could actually “handle” planting a church.)
We knew from friends/acquaintances who had planted that it was hard work. That it would be grueling at times, but always worth it. We had seen marriages put through the ringer (even divorces), church plants divide and die, and stalemate plants never grow. But we had yet to understand and fully live as a church planting family. And then it started (no- not the plant… just the crazy prep leading up to the plant!) and my life has not stopped since. The plant is now in full swing… as are our lives.
This blog is going to be dedicated (with an occasional side note) to fellow planter’s wives and the life lessons I have learned as a church planter’s wife. It will be hard… raw… exhausting… but I will be as transparent as I can be. I hope in some way, my words will help another planter’s wife in some way to find hope… healing… and perseverance.