In this episode of The Church Planting Podcast, Greg Nettle sits down with longtime friend and teaching pastor Tammy Melchien. Tammy has served at Community Christian Church in Chicagoland for over two decades and is releasing her first book, Choosing the Opposite, in October 2025. Tammy reflects on her journey as a church planter in urban Chicago, the unique challenges of being a single woman in ministry, and the joy of seeing lives transformed in a transient, young professional community. She shares the origin story and key insights from her book—rooted in the Sermon on the Mount—and how following Jesus often means doing the opposite of what feels natural. Together, they discuss: Collaborative sermon prep and teaching team leadership Why Choosing the Opposite emerged out of pandemic-era frustration How church leaders can love radically, lead humbly, and create margin for hearing God 📖 Preorder Choosing the Opposite (available October 7, 2025) 01:16 - Church planting in Chicago   02:29 - Challenges as a single woman planter   04:21 - High turnover in urban ministry   06:07 - Joys of urban church planting   06:32 - Tammy's new book: *Choosing the Opposite*   08:08 - COVID, conflict, and the failure of discipleship   09:44 - The Seinfeld inspiration for the book title   11:14 - Beatitudes and thinking upside down   12:20 - Loving radically in hard ministry moments   15:24 - Vulnerability and secure leadership   17:05 - Judgment, grace, and honoring others' journeys   20:34 - Hearing from Jesus: margin & intentionality   24:11 - Encouragement for single church planters   25:58 - Why spiritual intimacy matters most   27:07 - Book release details & closing 

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