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.