To the planter who found this
Something brought you here.
Maybe someone shared a link. Maybe you’ve been in the Facebook group for a while and wondered what this was. Maybe you typed something into a search bar and landed here without expecting to.
However you got here, I’m glad you did.
My name is Macho Lara. My wife Erica and I co-lead The Table NYC, a small church plant in New York. I’m also bi-vocational. Lead IT Instructor by day. I have MS, which has taught me more about capacity and sustainability than any leadership book I’ve ever read.
I’m not running this community from a position of having figured it all out. I’m in the middle of the same work you’re in.
A little while ago, a friend invited me to continue stewarding Facebook group of over 3,600 church planters. He built it, led it for years, and then trusted me to help carry it forward.
That kind of trust changes you.
When I looked at that community, I recognized something. People doing real work in real places. Carrying more than they show. Planting churches with real constraints, real costs, and honest moments of doubt that don’t always make it into the group chat.
This Substack is the content home for that community. A place for honest writing, field stories, and conversation that takes the weight of this work seriously.
Here’s what’s coming.
The Church Planter’s Podcast launches soon. Every episode, I sit with planters who are on the ground and with the people who serve them. Every conversation ends the same way:
“For the planter listening right now, what’s the word or phrase you would leave them as encouragement, and why?”
Between episodes, there will be writing here. Field reflections. Honest takes. Contributions from planters in the community who have something worth saying.
If you’re not already in the Facebook group, come find us. That’s where the conversation lives.
Whether you’re new here, or been around a while: I’m glad you’re here.
-Macho