Why the name “Harbor”?
A harbor is a sheltered body of water that provides a place of safety and supply for ships and their crews to prepare them to return to the open, much rougher water. This metaphor aptly describes who we are and what we do here in Harbor Network for our churches and, more specifically, for church leaders.
As the journey Jesus launched 2,000 years ago continues, bold church leaders are navigating the waters of their calling from one season to the next. Anchored by the historic faith and God’s Word, they’re launching, leading, and multiplying strong, thriving churches built to weather the storms and carry the gospel forward.
Supported and strengthened by Harbor Network, these leaders are building churches out on the open waters, as God guides through winds of the Spirit and the currents around us. But the work is hard and the waters are dangerous. To follow His lead, churches and their pastors need more than just a strong start.
You need circles of safety and cycles of strength.
Harbor Network is a unique community where you’ll find both.
“A circle of safety is not a luxury; we think it’s basic equipment for anyone on the journey and front lines of ministry. ”
For us, this safety is relational, a place marked by real friendships with ordinary leaders serving an extraordinary God. It’s the space that every one of us needs to bring our whole selves to be known, just as we are. It’s also a place of theological safety, a partnership with like-minded churches. Without these spaces, church leaders are more vulnerable to the dangers of ministry. A circle of safety is not a luxury; we think it’s basic equipment for anyone on the journey and front lines of ministry.
“Real strength is about rhythm—resting, renewing, returning.”
Our cycles of strength are the rhythms that make ministry and multiplication not just possible, but sustainable for the long haul. Strength is not about one, herculean effort that leaves pastors and their people broken or battered. Real strength is about rhythm—resting, renewing, returning. That’s the cycle of strength that informs everything we do.
We don’t strive for a strength that’s invulnerable. And we don’t hide in safety that’s weak. Instead, we embrace our vulnerabilities and limits, and use circles of safety and cycles of strength to leave a legacy of renewal that ripples out from us and beyond us for generations to come. In Harbor Network, we want to cultivate safe places for church leaders to find rest and renewal, to find our bearings and refuel for the journey ahead. And built on that safety, we return to the mission stronger as we launch more churches. Together, we pray that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will renew people and places as we launch, lead, and multiply thriving churches.
Casey Smith is a native Midwesterner who works as Harbor Network’s Communications Director. He also works as the worship pastor of Trinity Community Church, a Harbor Network church in Columbia, Missouri. Prior to joining Harbor Network, he managed banking centers for Bank of America and worked with Acts 29 in the US and Western Europe.
