Life as a planter's wife can be stressful, lonely, and tiring. How can they maintain their joy and continue to thrive in their relationships with God, their husband, and others?

Relationships within the church, pressures on their husband, and spiritual exhaustion can make life as a ministry wife - especially in a church plant - stressful and difficult.

Yet, it is possible for ministry wives to maintain their joy and thrive in their relationships. The start of a new ministry or a church plant can provide a God given opportunity to ensure a ministry wife is cared for and enabled to flourish.

This short talk is from Planters 2025, seeking to share some awareness and orientation in an area church planters should be alert to. You can get a transcript and more resources for church leaders on the FIEC website: https://fiec.org.uk/resources/supporting-planters-wives

About the speaker: Siân is a ministry wife and has been involved in church planting in Liverpool for fifteen years. She also serves as FIEC's Church Planters' Wives Support.

About Planters: Planters is a conference to help local churches reach Britain for Christ through planting healthy churches: planters teaching and training other planters, and planters spending time together and encouraging each other.

About FIEC: We are a fellowship of Independent churches with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Find out more: https://fiec.org.uk.

How do we appropriately reflect and embody the different cultures in our churches?

Jesus' commission to the church was to make disciples of all nations, to the ends of the earth. To reach all nations, and to serve all nations, we need to better reflect the diverse cultures represented.

But, our cultural lies, blind spots, and biases can be barriers to making this happen, and worse can cause division in the church.

Understanding these barriers can enable us to better understand others, and therefore reach and serve all nations.

This short talk is from Planters 2025, seeking to share some awareness and orientation in an area church planters should be alert to. You can get a transcript and more resources for church leaders on the FIEC website: https://fiec.org.uk/resources/intercultural-church-planting.

About the speaker: Rick serves as Pastor of All Nations Church Barkingside, North East London, and is a member of the FIEC Trust Board.

About Planters: Planters is a conference to help local churches reach Britain for Christ through planting healthy churches: planters teaching and training other planters, and planters spending time together and encouraging each other.

About FIEC: We are a fellowship of Independent churches with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Find out more: https://fiec.org.uk.

How can we create good feedback loops and avoid feeling overly sensitive to criticism?

The book of Proverbs encourages us to get wisdom and feedback (Proverbs 15:22, 15:31). It is important to cultivate a culture of feedback in church life to benefit from the wisdom of the whole body of the church.

Such a culture creates an environment where people feel able to bring their concerns and where encouragement and correction are present for all.

This short talk is from Planters 2025, seeking to share some awareness and orientation in an area church planters should be alert to. You can get a transcript and more resources for church leaders on the FIEC website: https://fiec.org.uk/resources/a-helpful-feedback-culture.

About the speaker: Josh is staff elder at Emmanuel Church Northstowe, a new town north of Cambridge. He has led the church from its start in 2018, having previously served as assistant pastor at two FIEC churches.

About Planters: Planters is a conference to help local churches reach Britain for Christ through planting healthy churches: planters teaching and training other planters, and planters spending time together and encouraging each other.

About FIEC: We are a fellowship of Independent churches with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Find out more: https://fiec.org.uk.

The more training and knowledge you have, the more helpful you will be as you serve those in your church.

So what kind of training should you do?

This talk is one of the Snapshots from Journeys 2025, addressing what it's like to be in ministry and the skills required.

Graham Beynon is FIEC's Head of Local Ministries, helping churches and their leaders by managing our team of Local Directors and leading our Pastors' Network.

About Journeys: Journeys is our weekender for men and women who are considering their next steps into Christian ministry.

About FIEC: We are a fellowship of Independent churches with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Find out more: https://fiec.org.uk.

Finding the right role to serve in at church is important. What do we need to think about as we consider what role is right for us?

The SHAPE acronym can help when considering roles in the church: Spiritual gifts; Heart; Abilities; Personality; Experiences.

Finding a role that plays to your strengths in these areas will enable you to be most effective in your ministry.

This talk is one of the Snapshots from Journeys 2025, addressing what it's like to be in ministry and the skills required.

Ray Evans is FIEC’s Church Leadership Consultant. He previously served in the leadership team of Grace Community Church Bedford for more than 40 years.

About Journeys: Journeys is our weekender for men and women who are considering their next steps into Christian ministry.

About FIEC: We are a fellowship of Independent churches with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Find out more: https://fiec.org.uk.

Church ministry is always changing, and we are always changing too. How can we embrace and enjoy change as it happens?

This talk is one of the Snapshots from Journeys 2025, addressing what it's like to be in ministry and the skills required.

Dawn Thomson serves as the Outreach and Women's Worker at Spen Valley Church in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, which she helped plant with her husband Graham.

About Journeys: Journeys is our weekender for men and women who are considering their next steps into Christian ministry.

About FIEC: We are a fellowship of Independent churches with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Find out more: https://fiec.org.uk.

Church ministry is the best work in the world. But in a sense it is the hardest work in the world too.

The nature of Christian ministry is a mixture of the sound of the shouts of joy with the sound of weeping (Ezra 3:13). Sometimes in the same person and even in the same event.

It is a Christian discipline to seek out the joys whilst being realistic about the burdens and committing them to God.

Adrian Reynolds is FIEC's Head of National Ministries. He previously served as Associate Minister of East London Tabernacle Baptist Church and is currently an elder at Christchurch Harborough.

This talk is one of the Snapshots from ⁠⁠Journeys 2025⁠⁠, addressing what it's like to be in ministry and the skills required.

About Journeys: Journeys is our weekender for men and women who are considering their next steps into Christian ministry.

About FIEC: We are⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a fellowship of Independent churches⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Being part of FIEC links you to a growing number of Independent evangelical churches and there are now more than 50,000 people who are part of churches affiliated to FIEC.

Serving in ministry can be a threat to our godliness. We must keep growing and take care not to wither.

In his pastoral letters, Paul often urges gospel ministers to be godly in their conduct and lives. Being a church leader doesn't mean we stop needing to grow in godliness.

Yet, church ministry itself can make it harder to grow in godliness. It can even cause us to wither instead of grow.

What do we need to look out for? And how can we keep growing?

Josh Monteiro is staff elder at Emmanuel Church Northstowe, a new town north of Cambridge. He has led the church from its start in 2018, having previously served as assistant pastor at two FIEC churches.

This talk is one of the Snapshots from ⁠Journeys 2025⁠, addressing what it's like to be in ministry and the skills required.

About Journeys: Journeys is our weekender for men and women who are considering their next steps into Christian ministry.

About FIEC: We are⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a fellowship of Independent churches⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Being part of FIEC links you to a growing number of Independent evangelical churches and there are now more than 50,000 people who are part of churches affiliated to FIEC.

Church ministry can be isolating and lonely. But true friendship strengthens us, lifts us, and brings us joy.

True friendship is valuable because it is faithful, truthful, intentional, forgiving, and joyful.

We have the truest friend in Jesus: the one who is with us through ups and downs, and who gives joy that can't be taken away.

Elinor Magowan works as one of FIEC's Directors for Women’s Ministry. She previously worked as a solicitor, UCCF Staff Worker, and the Women’s Pastoral Worker at UFM Worldwide.

This talk is one of the Snapshots from ⁠Journeys 2025⁠, addressing what it's like to be in ministry and the skills required.

About Journeys: Journeys is our weekender for men and women who are considering their next steps into Christian ministry.

About FIEC: We are⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a fellowship of Independent churches⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Being part of FIEC links you to a growing number of Independent evangelical churches and there are now more than 50,000 people who are part of churches affiliated to FIEC.

What do you need to know about church ministry before you go into church ministry?

This talk is one of the Snapshots from Journeys 2025, addressing what it's like to be in ministry and the skills required.

About Journeys: Journeys is our weekender for men and women who are considering their next steps into Christian ministry.

About FIEC: We are⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a fellowship of Independent churches⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with members of the family across England, Scotland and Wales. Our mission is to see those Independent churches working together with a big vision: to reach Britain for Christ. Being part of FIEC links you to a growing number of Independent evangelical churches and there are now more than 50,000 people who are part of churches affiliated to FIEC.