In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton and Andrea Jones sit down with Tiffany Stein—pastor, church planter’s wife, and author of Mourning God: Grieving Loss, Wrestling with God, and Finding Your Way Back to Life.

Tiffany shares her powerful story of faith, loss, and leadership after the death of her infant son, David, who lived for 53 days. As a pastor in a highly visible church context, her grief unfolded publicly, forcing her to wrestle not only with devastating loss, but with the haunting silence of God that followed.

This conversation goes beyond theology and into the raw, emotional terrain church planters and ministry leaders often face but rarely discuss. Tiffany unpacks:

1. What it means to “mourn the God you thought you knew”
2. Why emotional doubt can be more destabilizing than intellectual doubt
3. The danger of quick-fix theology and Christian clichés
4. Why the Church desperately needs a robust theology of lament
5. How leaders can grieve authentically while still shepherding others
6. The humbling discipline of receiving care instead of always giving it

For church planters leading through infertility, loss, burnout, unanswered prayer, or spiritual silence, this episode offers permission to be human and a pathway back to hope.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

1. Mourning God
2. Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cpp
3. NewBreed Training

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