The Church Planting Wife: Help and Hope for Her Heart

About the Author CHRISTINE HOOVER is a pastor's wife, mom, speaker, and the author of The Church Planting Wife (Moody, 2013) and From Good to Grace (Baker, 2015). She has written for The Gospel Coalition, Desiring God, and Christianity Today. Blogging at www.GraceCoversMe.com she enjoys encouraging ministry wives and helping women apply the gift of God's grace to their daily lives. She lives in Virginia. "Nothing in my life goes untouched by my husband?s calling."Christine Hoover?s words in the first chapter describe so well the life of a church planter?s wife, which is enormously difficult yet extraordinarily rewarding. To be married to a church planter is a calling of its own with a richness of its own.In The Church Planting Wife, Hoover explores and encourages the hearts of her readers while teaching what it means to have heart prepared for this unique ministry. She knows the challenges: A church planter's wife must develop a job description, be a wise helper to her husband, develop friendships within the church and community, deal with stress and discouragement, handle wounds, and more. Christine speaks candidly about these challenges while urging readers to grow a heart that wholly reflects Jesus.Spread throughout these pages are stories and interviews from church planting wives. Christine Hoover empathetically and pointedly builds from these testimonies to uplift the reader and offer lessons of hope in the midst of a challenging ministry. Review With all the church planting we see today, we often overlook the calling and the burden that is placed on the woman behind the man. Christine Hoover's vivid story-telling of the struggles and joys of being a church planter's wife is beautifully weaved into God's truth for women who find themselves under the difficult task of ministering to the man who ministers to everyone else.-Matt Carter, church planter and Pastor of Preaching and Vision at The Austin Stone Community Church, co-author with Darrin Patrick of For the City: Proclaiming and Living Out the Gospel  Few things are as challenging and exciting as planting a church.  This book will help you get through the tough times and help you appreciate the blessings in church planting. -Lora Batterson, wife of Mark Batterson, who planted and pastors National Community Church in Washington D.C. Church planting wives, you will feel that Christine Hoover has read your journals.  She is on your journey and is able to verbalize church planting skillfully and with penetrating honesty.  This is a must read book. You have found the mentor you have longed for.-Kathy Ferguson Litton, National Consultant for Ministry Wives, North American Mission BoardAcross the globe the priorities of a church planting wife are the same: love the Lord, love your husband and family, love the church. Christine invites you into her life and the lives of other women as they have Christ-centered conversations about seeking to live out their privileged calling wherever God has planted them.-Gloria Furman, church planting wife in the Middle East, author of Glimpses of Grace: Treasuring the Gospel in Your Home.Too often we, as church planters? wives, have suffered in silence as we?ve battled criticism, isolation, or discouragement in ministry. Christine not only shares the raw emotions that come with the difficulties of church planting, she gives much needed insight for flourishing in ministry for a lifetime. The Church Planting Wife will not disappoint!-Tricia Lovejoy, wife of Shawn Lovejoy, who is the founder and pastor of Mountain Lake Church in Atlanta, GA and the founder of Churchplanters.comMinistry is both a challenge and a blessing.  The demands of responsibility can eat away the joy of changed lives.  This is especially true in the heart of a church planting wife, but it doesn?t have to be.  We have known Christine long before she had the job description of Church Planting Wife. In the past and present, we have