Every aspect of planting a church is personal. Like giving birth to a child, church planters give all they have to start new churches. So when people leave the church or criticize it, it's hard not to take it personally. And while many pastors feel called by God to plant new churches, few are prepared for the inevitable toll it can take on their lives...and their families and friendships. Brian and Amy Bloye know firsthand that planting churches isn't easy. While planting a church, they learned that God does not promise to make up for mis-guided priorities. In this book they talk about having a healthy marriage, raising children, finding the right bal-ance of family and ministry, dealing with spiritual warfare, staffing and leadership challenges, and dealing with criticism---issues every church leader must deal with. An authentic manual for day -to -day life in ministry, couples will learn to identify and relate to experiences in the book, and will come away feeling empowered and inspired to thrive - not only in planting a church, but also for the long haul of life and ministry. They will also be challenged and encouraged to avoid some of the pitfalls of planting a church and be equipped to build, not just strong, prevailing ministries, but healthy marriages and families. It will also include intimate interviews in each chapter with several church planting couples who will open up their personal lives to give the reader some practical, real, authentic advice on dealing with some of the chal-lenging issues that church planters face everyday.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Brian Bloye is the pastor of West Ridge Church in Dallas, Georgia, and the founder of the Launch Network, an organization focused on inspiring and equipping next-generation church planters to lead strong. Brian also serves as founder and president of Engage Burkina, an organization committed to serving the people of Burkina Faso, Africa. Since 2009, eleven churches have been planted and 74 wells dug in this nation, the world's second-poorest country.
Amy Bloye is a pastor's wife and the mother of two teenage boys. She and her husband, Brian, started West Ridge Church in 1997, and she has a passion for encouraging and connecting church planters' wives. She loves travelling to sunny places and shopping for bargains, but her best time is invested in dating her husband and hanging out with her two boys, Taylor and Zach.
Amy Bloye is a pastor's wife and the mother of two teenage boys. She and her husband, Brian, started West Ridge Church in 1997, and she has a passion for encouraging and connecting church planters' wives. She loves travelling to sunny places and shopping for bargains, but her best time is invested in dating her husband and hanging out with her two boys, Taylor and Zach.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By jeremylandon
Format:Paperback
This book MUST be required reading for anyone thinking about planting a church. Brian tells his own planting story with candor, authenticity, and passion. In the context of his journey, he walks us through the key aspects of a church plant and a church planter. To me, the most compelling element of this book is the fact that it is completely absent of strategy, process, and formula. Of course, there is advice on how to handle certain situations, but this book is more about the heart of the church planter and the church than it is about how to start a church that will explode. This makes the book timeless, because methods change almost daily, while principles are unchanging.
In a culture that is obsessed with quick fixes, sexy sermon series, and all-star bloggers, Brian and Amy bring us back to the refreshing and humbling reality of what Christ really intended when He established His church, and how we must go about our lives and our vocations if we are to truly be a part of that vision.
I've not planted a church personally, but I have been involved in three plants, one from the first day, which my family is still a part of today; I've been on the outside, the inside, and everywhere in between. It is an essential element of God bringing about His kingdom, and one of the most challenging and demanding endeavors a human can pursue. SO, if you know a planter, you dream of planting, or you are planting, get this book today and read it. And then read it again.
In a culture that is obsessed with quick fixes, sexy sermon series, and all-star bloggers, Brian and Amy bring us back to the refreshing and humbling reality of what Christ really intended when He established His church, and how we must go about our lives and our vocations if we are to truly be a part of that vision.
I've not planted a church personally, but I have been involved in three plants, one from the first day, which my family is still a part of today; I've been on the outside, the inside, and everywhere in between. It is an essential element of God bringing about His kingdom, and one of the most challenging and demanding endeavors a human can pursue. SO, if you know a planter, you dream of planting, or you are planting, get this book today and read it. And then read it again.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Most Powerful Challenging Books for Church Planters and their Families
May 11, 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This book takes its place among one of the best books to help church planters in the process of "surviving and thriving on the journey of church planting." The two authors, Brian and Amy Bloye, have some fifteen years of experience in church planting, daughter church planting and training of church planters.
Each one of the twelve chapters asks a question starting with the first chapter "Why is Church Planting So Personal?" Their answer is that "A church is built from the blood, sweat, and tears of the people who build it in God's power" (19). As church planters ourselves, my wife and I can relate to this statement.
Chapter two asks the question, "How do you know you are called to plant a church?" Their answer, "Don't plant a church because you think you can do it. Plant one if you think you must do it" (43). Passionate church planters will understand the question asked at the end of this chapter, "What specific thing about church planting captures your imagination?" (45). Their answer is "from a desire to reach people for Christ, with the firm conviction that this is the best way to do it, as well as the way God wants it done" (45). Every church planter should read and be challenged by the heights the author takes us to in the section "Vocation to Location" (46-47). I went with them in this scaling of the mountain.
Chapter 3 deals with planting a healthy church and then chapters 4 & 5 deal with protecting your family in the church planting process. How sad to plant a church and lose one's family. Read these chapters and be forewarned and helped.
The remaining chapters deal with such things as change, building a staff, friendships inside and outside the church, being authentic, spiritual vitality, and thriving on the journey. I liked the quote on p. 141 dealing with pride in church planting, "The secure pastor, on the other hand, knows that there is only one star and he reigns in heaven" (141). Amen!
Chapter 12 "When Does It Become Too Personal?" tells the story of a church plant that did not survive and yet the couple planting it moved to a new area and saw God at work for he is the One who makes churches survive and thrive.
I wish I would have had this book before engaging in church planting and I am going to encourage church planting couples to read this book before they commit themselves to this great and yet challenging ministry.
.
Each one of the twelve chapters asks a question starting with the first chapter "Why is Church Planting So Personal?" Their answer is that "A church is built from the blood, sweat, and tears of the people who build it in God's power" (19). As church planters ourselves, my wife and I can relate to this statement.
Chapter two asks the question, "How do you know you are called to plant a church?" Their answer, "Don't plant a church because you think you can do it. Plant one if you think you must do it" (43). Passionate church planters will understand the question asked at the end of this chapter, "What specific thing about church planting captures your imagination?" (45). Their answer is "from a desire to reach people for Christ, with the firm conviction that this is the best way to do it, as well as the way God wants it done" (45). Every church planter should read and be challenged by the heights the author takes us to in the section "Vocation to Location" (46-47). I went with them in this scaling of the mountain.
Chapter 3 deals with planting a healthy church and then chapters 4 & 5 deal with protecting your family in the church planting process. How sad to plant a church and lose one's family. Read these chapters and be forewarned and helped.
The remaining chapters deal with such things as change, building a staff, friendships inside and outside the church, being authentic, spiritual vitality, and thriving on the journey. I liked the quote on p. 141 dealing with pride in church planting, "The secure pastor, on the other hand, knows that there is only one star and he reigns in heaven" (141). Amen!
Chapter 12 "When Does It Become Too Personal?" tells the story of a church plant that did not survive and yet the couple planting it moved to a new area and saw God at work for he is the One who makes churches survive and thrive.
I wish I would have had this book before engaging in church planting and I am going to encourage church planting couples to read this book before they commit themselves to this great and yet challenging ministry.
.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Joshua Reich
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Anyone who has planted a church knows that it can be hard. It can be tough on your spiritual life, your marriage, your kids, your health. It can, if you are called to it, one of the most rewarding and exciting journeys you will ever take. Brian and Amy Bloye have written an incredibly helpful book for anyone who is thinking about planting a church, in the process of planting or have done it called It's Personal: Surviving and Thriving on the Journey of Church Planting.
While the book covers a lot of ground and seems to largely be written for people who are thinking about planting a church or are just at the beginning of the process, there are a ton of things to learn from this book, regardless of where you are.
The reality, church planting is incredibly personal. You pour your time, energy, blood, sweat and tears into it, often with the potential of financial ruin if the church plant fails. As much as you want to think it, when someone leaves a church plant, it is hard for a pastor not to take it personally. When people lash out about decisions on the budget, starting or killing a ministry, or passing on a ministry idea, it is hard to not take that personally. When you counsel someone and they don't listen to you and their life implodes, it is hard not to feel emotionally involved. For a pastor's wife, when people tear her husband down, say nasty things about her or to her, it is hard to not take that personally.
That's what this book is about, when ministry becomes "to personal," becoming an idol that we serve instead of serving Jesus and allowing Him to build the church instead of thinking we do.
Here are a few thoughts that jumped out at me:
-There is a sense in which a church plant is a reflection of your personal relationship with Christ.
-Why is church planting so personal? Because God meets your needs in a highly personal way. He requires you to come up close, to push your faith to a new and uncomfortable level. And the greater your need, the greater your joy when he meets it - and the greater he is glorified.
-Jesus said he would build his church, but he leaves it up to us to build our families.
-In marriage, it's far too easy for us to load each other down with so many hindrances and extra burdens that our steps become slower and we finally stumble. Our insecurity and negativity are weights. Our failure to find significance in Christ, demanding it from the relationship instead, is a weight. Chaos, busyness, discontentment - all weights.
-There are times you are going to have to disappoint someone; make sure it is not your kids.
-Satan doesn't have to destroy you; he just has to distract you.
-Parents today are focused on giving their children everything they themselves never had that they forget to give them what they did have - the simple things in life, principles and values that were instilled in them as children, things that are far more valuable than the latest smartphone or video game.
-Not every church is called to do every ministry.
-For what's at stake, you must do whatever it takes.
-Check your egos at the door because only God gets the credit here. It's not about me as the pastor. It's not about staff members either.
-Our best hires never even asked about salary until the very end of the hiring process.
-You want the kind of team member who are drawn to a compelling and exciting vision rather than a salary and benefits package.
-I can't do something for everyone, but I can do something for someone.
-If you reach out to broken people, you'll always have an audience.
-When does church planting become too personal? It becomes too personal when you lose sight of the fact that it is God's church.
If you are thinking about church planting, in the middle of it, this is a book worth picking up.
While the book covers a lot of ground and seems to largely be written for people who are thinking about planting a church or are just at the beginning of the process, there are a ton of things to learn from this book, regardless of where you are.
The reality, church planting is incredibly personal. You pour your time, energy, blood, sweat and tears into it, often with the potential of financial ruin if the church plant fails. As much as you want to think it, when someone leaves a church plant, it is hard for a pastor not to take it personally. When people lash out about decisions on the budget, starting or killing a ministry, or passing on a ministry idea, it is hard to not take that personally. When you counsel someone and they don't listen to you and their life implodes, it is hard not to feel emotionally involved. For a pastor's wife, when people tear her husband down, say nasty things about her or to her, it is hard to not take that personally.
That's what this book is about, when ministry becomes "to personal," becoming an idol that we serve instead of serving Jesus and allowing Him to build the church instead of thinking we do.
Here are a few thoughts that jumped out at me:
-There is a sense in which a church plant is a reflection of your personal relationship with Christ.
-Why is church planting so personal? Because God meets your needs in a highly personal way. He requires you to come up close, to push your faith to a new and uncomfortable level. And the greater your need, the greater your joy when he meets it - and the greater he is glorified.
-Jesus said he would build his church, but he leaves it up to us to build our families.
-In marriage, it's far too easy for us to load each other down with so many hindrances and extra burdens that our steps become slower and we finally stumble. Our insecurity and negativity are weights. Our failure to find significance in Christ, demanding it from the relationship instead, is a weight. Chaos, busyness, discontentment - all weights.
-There are times you are going to have to disappoint someone; make sure it is not your kids.
-Satan doesn't have to destroy you; he just has to distract you.
-Parents today are focused on giving their children everything they themselves never had that they forget to give them what they did have - the simple things in life, principles and values that were instilled in them as children, things that are far more valuable than the latest smartphone or video game.
-Not every church is called to do every ministry.
-For what's at stake, you must do whatever it takes.
-Check your egos at the door because only God gets the credit here. It's not about me as the pastor. It's not about staff members either.
-Our best hires never even asked about salary until the very end of the hiring process.
-You want the kind of team member who are drawn to a compelling and exciting vision rather than a salary and benefits package.
-I can't do something for everyone, but I can do something for someone.
-If you reach out to broken people, you'll always have an audience.
-When does church planting become too personal? It becomes too personal when you lose sight of the fact that it is God's church.
If you are thinking about church planting, in the middle of it, this is a book worth picking up.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is not only an enriching and comprehensive tutorial, but is also
a "Bible" of sorts, a guide for a life of ministry as well as dedication and devotion to the care of one's family and self, as well as assistants, neighbors, and the flock of... Read more
Published 22 days ago by Ace
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very real. If you feel called to plant a church OR launch a ministry,...
I cannot say I've felt called to plant a church. However, my husband is studying to be a minister and we know that in the near future a lot of things are going to change for us and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Rachel Himes
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent resource
This is a great book to read to start preparing tog for what the life of a church planter is really like
Published 1 month ago by Steve
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's About Time
As a church planter I have read many books on the subject. This is the first book I have read that gave me a behind the scenes view of the planting process and its affect on the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Damian L. Boyd
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent for church planting and personal relations
Brian and Amy Bloye's "It's Not Personal" is a sharing of their experience in church planting. What it is, how they did, the successes, the setbacks. Read more
Published 2 months ago by sanoe.net
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW...
I felt God called my wife and I to plant a church over a year ago. This was the first book that we read on our own "Church Planting" Journey. Read more
Published 3 months ago by SFlockhart
4.0 out of 5 stars
Preach a lot, build a lot
If one message comes through loud and clear for me in this book, it is that the authors, Brian and Amy Bloye, are emphasizing that it is never their own idea to "plant" a church,... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Moviegoer
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Emotional Toll of Entrepreneurial Ecclesiology
I found this book odd. I come from a different ecclesiological background, but in a church body that seems to be looking to adopt Non-denominational church planting techniques more... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Bror Erickson
3.0 out of 5 stars
Yes and no for me....
"Church Planting"...what a concept! I had never heard the term `church planting' until a few years ago, after my husband and I had attended yet another church whose pastor we... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mrs. C
3.0 out of 5 stars
Covers the emotional aspect
This isn't a bad book on Church planting, just know that it is not a nuts and bolts guide. It's more of a sage friend taking your hand and explaining how to avoid the many... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Shannon Lastowski
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