New Churches Podcast | Season 1 | Episode 769

Habits of Healthy Church Planting Couples

Ed Stetzer & Christine Hoover

Episode 769

Host Ed Stetzer teams back up with long-time ministry leaders Christine and Kyle Hoover to share their wisdom gained through all their years of marriage and church planting. Tune in to discover the lessons they learned the hard way—from calendars and communication to rest and recreation—and how you can better invest in your marriage as a priority ministry, too.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

  • Tips for establishing sustainable rhythms of rest
  • Why you must establish boundaries within your time commitments
  • What your cell phone usage says about your mental and emotional health
  • The importance of owning your identity in Christ
  • How your calendar communicates your priorities—for better or for worse

Helpful Resources:

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Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

You could fill every minute of every day with new ideas for church planting; you have to intentionally make decisions for you and your spouse to be together. — Kyle Hoover

A lot of church planters fit their family time in however and whenever they can, which communicates to the family that they’re secondary. — Kyle Hoover

A lot of pastors, church planners, and their wives think they’re the exception to the rule of rest. Church planting is nonstop, but that’s exactly what runs you into the ground. — Christine Hoover

Cultivating your relationship is a primary ministry God has given you; it’s not a place to just rest until you go out and do more ministry. — Christine Hoover

It’s worth it to financially and timewise invest in your marriage so that you can endure in ministry while cultivating your marriage. — Christine Hoover 

In almost all circumstances of leaving, the people who go with you are your family. Investing in those long-term relationships is better for your church plant as you invest in your family. — Ed Stetzer

Published on September 14, 2023

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About the Podcast

New Churches Podcast

The New Churches podcast offers practical answers to your real ministry questions. We aren’t going to provide lofty pie-in-the-sky theories. Instead, we are going to help you in your real ministry context, with your real thoughts, questions, and issues.

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Meet the Authors

Ed Stetzer

Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., is a professor and dean at Wheaton College where he also serves as Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center.  He is the incoming Dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches; trained pastors and church planters on six continents; earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates; and he has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books. He is Regional Director for Lausanne North America, is the Editor-in-Chief of Outreach Magazine, and regularly writes for news outlets such as USA Today and CNN. His national radio show, Ed Stetzer Live, airs Saturdays on Moody Radio and affiliates. He serves at his local church, Mariners Church, as a Scholar in Residence and Teaching Pastor.

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Christine Hoover

Christine Hoover is a pastor’s wife, mom of three boys, Bible teacher, and author of six books, including The Church Planting Wife, Messy Beautiful Friendship, and How to Thrive as a Pastor’s Wife, as well as a Bible study, Seek First the Kingdom. Her work has been featured on The Gospel Coalition, For The Church, and Christianity Today. Originally from Texas, she and her family live in Charlottesville, Virginia, where they planted a church in 2008. Find Christine at her home online, www.christinehoover.net

More Resources from Christine
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