Pushing Pause

We've come to the time when we must reevaluate where Freedom Church stands and how to proceed. The assessment we've made is that we need to change our approach to ministry and to the church.

Since late summer, several people who have listened to me have asked me about whether or not we should be planting a church instead of continuing to work in a parachurch capacity. Many have stated that I would be more effective in media ministry and as a conference speaker and evangelist. I have wondered the same thing myself and each encounter of this type has raised that question again and again.

The other side of the coin is that when we set forth on this journey, we set evaluation points to determine whether or not this was likely to happen. The obstacles are enormous. The challenges are huge. While we have found many people who would like to be a part of Freedom Church, the reception of the vision in the rest of the church in the area has been something less than warm. A couple have been supportive and encouraging, but most write off the vision as either unneeded or too far removed from their experience to work. Funding simply hasn't broken loose from any quarter. A few have given cash but no organized help has ever come. Without it, FC just won't happen.

The other part of the evaluation is what doors are opening. While I do not hold to the so-called "Open Door Theology" as a steady guide to determining the Lord's will, but it can be a good indicator of a need in the Body of Christ. Looking at the Jesus' Outsider episodes that have been popular, observing what's happening in and out of the church, and having conversations with ministry leaders and people in the local community have all pointed in one direction. There are some things we need to talk about and we just aren't, at least not at the level they need to be discussed. Many of these are areas that my lovely bride and I have the experience, knowledge, and passion to engage in these conversations. The opportunities for that to happen are already starting to become apparent.

The truth is plain for us to see. We are no closer to launching Freedom Church than we were a year ago. I am overloaded beyond any real capacity to accomplish anything. I am essentially working five jobs and none of them are getting the attention they deserve. I am still working in the mobile industry, a day a week in construction, Jesus' Outsider, Deep Mystery Studio, and Freedom Church. I am restructuring everything in my life (See my personal blog for more) to line up with a clearer vision from the Lord. I am trimming the fat and that means some things are dropping away and others are getting the pause button pushed to be revisited down the road. Freedom Church is the latter.

For now, we are pushing the pause button on Freedom Church. We will be revisiting the issue down the road but as of right now, we are not going forward with the launch. That doesn't mean that it won't happen but it does mean not now. We might not even be the right people to do this. Maybe we need to look for that person and give our support to that individual. Instead, we are throwing all of our efforts into Jesus' Outsider (including changing the Facebook page to Jesus' Outsider Ministries), Deep Mystery Studio, and speaking engagements and conferences. I will also spend a lot more time writing not only blogs but other projects that have been on the back burner.

All of the energy and donations so far will be redirected into these ministry efforts especially the Sex, Porn, and Freedom conference announced in the last blog post. Further information will be on my personal blog and the Stainless Steel Soapbox. I know this will be a blow to some of you but not really a surprise to most of you. We must do what we believe is right in the Lord and at this stage, this is it.

For all of you who've been supportive and encouraging, thank you. We hope you'll stay with us as we further refine what the Lord has for us.

The Conference

As we posted last week, we are planning seminar to launch the church to the public. After a lot of prayer and research, we believe the Lord has called us to launch an unusual church in an unusual way. If we're going to pull this off, we need help.

One of the most important needs is a host church. Yes, it's a lot to ask but we want to partner other ministries to fulfill the mission God has given us and help them fulfill theirs. The launch of Freedom Church is built on a cornerstone of unity in the Gospel. If all goes well, the host will have the opportunity to share their vision with people who they may never have come into contact with outside of the seminar.

We really aren't asking much of the host. We need the facility, a few tables for the foyer, sound system, and at least one liaison so we can find what we need to clean up when we're done. We can provide a sound tech but would be more than happy to have the church use their own. Our volunteers will handle the rest. We would like the host to have a table with information about the church and their ministries with someone to share their vision with visitors. We would welcome more participation from the host.

We need more help than just a host. We need some funding to cover the initial expenses we're going to encounter. Unfortunately, even to build a fundraiser we need some resources to properly promote it and to produce materials for the attendees. We recently updated our GoFundMe campaign to target it specifically to the money we need for the seminar. The new video is also aimed at this goal.

In detail, this is what we need.

1. Final legal filings for incorporation as a religious corp. We have some of the funds for this but need the rest. This is the smallest part of the need.
2. Promotional expenses. In addition to press releases, we are going to produce radio spots to run on both Christian and secular radio stations. We can produce the spots in-house using Deep Mystery Studio, the facility used to record Jesus' Outsider. The cost will be to air the spots.
3. Mailers to churches with information about the conference and fliers that can they can post.
4. Participant hand-outs
5. Speaker fees for outside speakers
6. Fees for the host church or facility.

Admittedly, this doesn't sound like a lot of money for a seminar on this level. We are keeping a lot of expenses down by doing most of the work in house using talents we already possess.

Please prayerfully consider helping us get this off the ground. If you cannot help us financially, please share this with someone who might. We can't fulfill the mission the Lord has given us without help.

Stalling and Restarts

If you're wondering, yes we've stalled out at Freedom Church. Any momentum we've had has been lost over the last several weeks. Unfortunately, all of my personal time has been spent trying to make enough money to pay the bills and purchase groceries. In addition to FC, I'm working three jobs, two for other people plus Deep Mystery Studio. As you can imagine, that leaves nothing for FC. There are videos to produce, people to meet with, and a huge list of other tasks that aren't happening right now. If you're reading this and I owe you a coffee meeting, I truly apologize. I am trying to stabilize things so I can make those happen.

Some things are going to hold off until some decisions are made and actions taken. Until I have more control of my time, the small group/Bible study will have to wait. It needs to happen, but as long as I work most weekends at one job or another and can't predict what time I get home at night, we can't schedule it. At the moment, I don't feel like I have the room to breathe much less get anything important done.

However, if we are to meet a goal, something has to happen. We are planning to hold a seminar as both a fundraiser and introduction to the larger church. There are areas of knowledge that many people in the church are lacking that are putting our kids and ourselves are risk. Essentially, it's about what the world is throwing at us in the realm of sexuality and how to remain pure in the midst of it. We'll be teaching about social media, especially apps that parents aren't familiar with that are used for all sorts of activities that we don't want anyone to engage in. The changing face of porn is also an essential topic. We need to know where it's coming from and how it's getting into our homes. It will be more than just a presentation of facts, we'll talk about how lives are destroyed on multiple levels, including the lifestyle romanticized by Fifty Shades of Grey by someone who lived it.

The plan is to hold the event the first Saturday in February, just before the Fifty Shades movie hits theaters. All we need is a host church, preferably in Washington or East Peoria. We will provide snacks and all materials, handle ticket sales, and everything else involved. Whoever hosts is encouraged to participate and to have a table of their own. The purpose of the seminar is to help people in the Body of Christ understand what we are up against and how to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to bear to bring freedom to those who need that bound in the world's chains. Yes, funds above the costs of the event go to starting FC, but our aim is to equip the Body to protect itself and serve the hurting.

We would also like other related ministries and organizations to be represented. Any ministry is welcome, but we would especially like to have Christian counselling services on hand. Youth ministries are encouraged to set up as well. We want as many resources as possible for the attendees to be able to make use of the information and stories they'll hear. We're praying about whether or not to charge for tables or ask for a voluntary donation.

Until then, we need to raise $1000 for some expenses we have yet to cover including finishing the incorporation and other needs we have to get started. There's a PayPal link on this page and our homepage. If you prefer, we have a GoFundMe campaign that you can use to make a contribution.

Freedom Church has slowed, but we are not out. The Lord is still in this work and we need your support and prayers to accomplish His mission.