In her book Liturgy of the Ordinary, Tish Harrison Warren writes, “the crucible of our formation is in the anonymous monotony of our daily routines.”

I live in a thirteen bedroom ex-Backpackers in central Wellington. Two and a half years ago, some of my friends at Blueprint Church and I decided to turn it into a community house. We cook together, keep a regular rhythm of prayer, host community dinners, and have spare rooms to offer to those who need a place to stay.

When we first moved into missional community, we had no idea what we were doing.

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.