I didn't get discouraged very often as a church planter, but I did at least a few times. On one particular occasion, I visited a pastor friend of mine. My goal was to talk him into taking over for me. I wanted a break from the relentless pressures of church planting. I wanted somebody else to take a turn. I was feeling the reality of what it’s like to plant a church. As Ed Stetzer observes, it’s a long, hard slog.

My friend heard me out. He listened carefully. He understood where I was coming fro...