As you can hear from lead planter of Legacy Brooklyn, Dimetra Barrios, Bloom knows how hard church planting can be, because they’ve been there. And they want to help you thrive in church planting, no matter your role!

In Bloom‘s latest book, Named & Known, Dimetra shares:

Looking back, I realize I made a mistake in how I approached God. Surprisingly, getting mad at God was not the problem. The mistake was that I blended the lines between what I was supposed to do with my life and who I was. In other words, I mistook my calling for my identity. I thought if God just told me what he wanted me to do, I would have purpose. Quite the opposite was true. God led me to search my heart to see what I wanted to do with mu life, only for me to go deeper to find out why. Yes, I wanted to help people know more about who Jesus was. That’s what I wanted to do, but why did I want to do it? Yes, I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. That’s what I did, but why did I do it?

The “why” questions challenged me because they caused me to connect with my inner desires as well as my God-given design. Only through the deep seeking of those answers did I touch the surface of exploring who I really was. “Why” questions really do expose your heart, and your heart is linked to your identity when you ask God to come and make his dwelling place there. However, as Christians, we’re often told not to ask “why” questions. We’re told we should be comfortable with knowing that God has all the answers, and we should just be satisfied with that. Yet, even Jesus asked “why” questions. On the cross, with some of his final breaths, he asked the Father in a loud voice, “Why have you forsaken me?” If Jesus asked a “why” question, I believe we can ask “why” questions also.

Have you, too, wondered why you are doing what you do?

Have you, too, felt like there is no one in ministry who looks like you?

Have you, too, felt like there is no one ahead of you on the journey who is able or willing to give you advice for the stage you are in?

You don’t have to plant alone. If you are a woman in church planting, Bloom is here for you. Take a courageous first step and learn more today.