For six years, my wife Rev. Amilie Paynter and I led a residential community made up of young adults, committed to youth work. I am discerning what it looks like to start another community after God called our family to move from central Wellington to the semi-rural town of Ohakune.

Church leadership is hard. There will be times when you doubt yourself, wonder why you are giving your all for this thing, and you feel like it’s not bearing fruit.

I’ve often compared church-planting today to opening a video store. People look at you as if to say “Why are you opening one of those? We don’t use VHS anymore!”

For years I’ve collected old, bevelled, different shaped mirrors. A mirror is incredible. It’s a basic, flat surface and yet it reflects the space all around us.