Introducing our Church Planters’ Wives Support

I was born and raised in the wonderful city of Liverpool. Though I wasn’t brought up in a Christian home, the Lord saved me at a young age through the kids’ ministry of Bridge Chapel.

I worshipped at Bridge until fifteen years ago when my husband Steve was called to replant Ramillies Road Chapel, now called Cornerstone Church Liverpool. This has truly been one of our greatest joys in ministry.

It has not been without challenge, but the Lord has blessed the work and we are greatly encouraged and excited at what he is doing in Liverpool.

Four other churches have been planted or revitalised from Cornerstone and it has been my privilege to walk with other planters’ wives in our more local context.

In addition to this, we have been involved with the work of Acts 29 - a church planting network - through which I have met and developed relationships with planters and planters’ wives across the UK and Europe.

As well as being a planters’ wife, I am a mum to four (aged between 10-18) and have also worked as a High School teacher. More recently, I joined CMM (a Gospel coaching organisation) in a role developing gospel coaching amongst women.

Supporting planters’ wives

Some of my context and experience speaks to the role I have begun with FIEC.

Being in church planting for a good while now - meeting so many planters’ wives and seeing their joys and struggles alongside my own experience - has given me a good insight into what I call the ‘awkward space’ of being a pastor’s/planter’s wife.

It is such a privilege to serve the Lord in this way, but it can be awkward: it doesn’t come with a job description, yet does come with expectations which aren’t always clear, the same, or indeed fair.

It is a role which can feel lonely and, significantly, there aren’t always clear pathways for support. I believe that the health of the planters’ wife is essential to the health of a church plant, so finding that support is important.

What I hope to do in this role is threefold:

Raising the volume

One of my aims is to ‘raise the volume’ on the conversation around the lived experience of a planter’s wife.

In this I am hoping to normalise it and invite planters’ wives to see that they are not alone in any struggles they may be having. I hope that this will give them more confidence to step into a place where they can share and receive support.

Planters’ wives cohorts

I am hoping to create some cohorts for planters’ wives.

These cohorts will be safe spaces for planters’ wives to share and pray for one other and be built up in the gospel.

One-to-one support

I am keen to build more opportunities for one-to-one support, whether friendship, counselling, gospel coaching… whatever the need is.

There are not endless budgets to pay for this type of support so I will be aiming to encourage and help planters’ wives to be trained up as per their gifts so that they can also be used by the Lord to support other planters’ wives themselves.