Moving Forward - What's Next for Freedom Church?

The meeting we held was very educational for us. It's often been said that we learn more from failure than from success. The informational meeting stands as proof of that. For those who are curious, no one came, not even a couple of people who had offered to help do some of the work at the meeting. Not one person joined us. To say the least, we were disappointed and a little hurt. However, from such beginnings and missteps, we learn to go forward. That is precisely what we are doing. So, first what did we learn?

In truth, we weren't ready to hold a meeting yet. We hadn't generated enough interest in helping nor had we shared the vision with enough people. In order for anyone to want to help with a ministry, they need to hear the vision. Our initial hope was that by holding a meeting to share the vision, we would connect with people of like mind but that was not the case. Of course, it didn't help that we were foolish enough to hold it on one of the most traveled weekends of the year. When the date was set, it was simply because it coincided with a vacation that was already scheduled not even thinking about Labor Day being Monday. Oops.

Second, we didn't promote it well. The thinking was that if we did the first with people we knew, it would be a friendly audience for the first one. Call it a test run. We did try some promotion using Facebook which was an utter failure. Let's just say that the expectation set by the ad manager and the reality were something entirely different. We will still use it but not to promote an event. Since trying it, I've checked for results with people who did the same thing and the results were always less than stellar.

This is hard. We knew there would be stumbles and missteps. We expected opposition from several directions. On neither count have we been wrong. That doesn't alter our resolve to see the Glory of God in what He called us to do. It does mean that we need to check our methodology and make certain we're doing this the way He told us to do it. Some changes are being made but the vision and direction are not.

Going forward, we are not going to hold informational meetings like the one we just attempted, at least not until the Lord tells us otherwise. We are looking for other opportunities to share the vision with congregations to raise funds and support for the mission. Local churches may hesitate to let us in as perhaps they see us as a competitor for people and tithes, but that isn't our heart. What we have been called to do is so unique that most of the people in any given congregation may support our efforts and encourage us but are not likely to join us. That was the experience we had when we were serving in the inner city of Peoria and there is no reason to expect a different reaction now. We need the help and the finances that they can provide either in one-time offerings or a monthly support as a mission organization.

In the short term, we will be starting some of the ministries that Freedom Church will be offering to allow us to connect with people better. One of the first will be the small group ministry. Soon, we'll be starting at least one group with more to be added as leaders and hosts become available. Not only will this provide the opportunity for people to come and join in Biblical teaching and discussion, but also a chance for someone who doesn't know Jesus to be introduced to Him in a safe and less intimidating environment than a traditional church service. We'll be announcing other ministries as they come on line.

As often as time allows, we'll also be posting short video messages. These will be more than just updates on our progress or vision casting. The message of Freedom Church is more than a vision. It's the law of liberty, the freedom brought by the shed blood of Jesus. That's what we'll share. Simple Gospel messages and short teachings. There will be updates and vision videos periodically, but the Gospel is the heart of our mission so that's what we'll share.

As  a true launch, we are planning something very special. No details quite yet, but it will be all about finding freedom in Jesus and provide the church at large with some real teaching and resources. When we are ready, we'll share more details here and all over the place. When we say it's something the church in this area needs and is right up Freedom Church's alley, we aren't kidding. Even if someone has no interest in joining us, they will want to come to this.

Success for Freedom Church

We're getting close to our first informational meeting so we decided to share with all of you how we will measure success. That's the subject of our new video.

If you are interested in joining us or contributing to our mission, please visit our home page.

Events and Snags

We're here at last! Our first informational meeting has been set for August 30th at 2PM. We'll be holding at 2020 Cole Street in East Peoria. There are more details on the Facebook Event Page. Please come out and hear first hand what it means to be "In Christ but Out of The Box!" We also have downloadable fliers on the church's temporary webpage or, if you can help, contact us and we'll make arrangements to get some fliers to you. (A HUGE special thanks to Pete Hutchinson and Kid Crusader Ministries/Team Extreme for letting us use their facility!)

After the exciting news, now the snag. We are still in the process of pulling together the funds to finish the incorporation as a religious corporation. Of itself, that's not a big deal. We have a great attorney and only need a relatively small amount of money to finish (approximately $650). The problem occurred when we tried to set up a temporary bank account in the church's name to receive donations and link the PayPal account to now that the old NFP account is no longer open. Due to the new and much greater regulations governing banks, we cannot open a church account until we incorporate. Perhaps you see the circular problem here. We can't fund the rest of the incorporation ourselves to open the account but we can't set up an account to receive donations to fund the incorporation. It's a catch-22. Our banker, who is a friend of mine, was hopping mad. I've never seen him angry like this.

As I'm sure most of you know, raising funds to start a new church is one of the most challenging parts of the enterprise. We need the account to link the crowd-funding site we found to a bank account as well as the existing PayPal account to receive any money donated online. We need some divine intervention here to pull this key step together. Kim and I have been providing most of the money spent to this point but it's getting to be more than we can afford. In fact, it past that point a long time ago. That's why it was so important to get this account set up.

We really need prayer on this one. Of the difficulties we've faced, this is easily one of the most daunting. We're trusting the Lord for a resolution. Freedom Church is being established for His glory and to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We're trusting Him that He will continue to break through these challenges. Please join your faith to ours and lift us up in prayer.

Freedom Church's First Video

The first informational meeting has been scheduled and will be announced once the location is fully confirmed. The closer we get to launch, the more we have needs. This video is our first attempt to share our needs. Please watch it and pray about how the Lord may be speaking to you through it.

We are also looking for opportunities to share the vision with congregations, mission boards, and any other ministry group interested in hearing how we are spreading the Gospel. If you or your ministry are interested, please email us.

Next Steps

We are getting closer to our first informational meeting. Currently, we are planning to hold it the last weekend in August. That assumes we will find a place to hold the meeting. It will give use a chance to share the vision for Freedom Church in person with the curious, musicians, and anyone interested in preaching the Gospel with us. When we have a location, we'll be blitzing social media, putting up fliers, and sending press releases.

There are still a number of things we need to actually launch. Of course, we need people. No church can call itself that without people. Granted, that's part of the point of the meeting but we need help to get there. Frankly, we need all the help we can get.

There is a war being waged to prevent this ministry from launching. One of the biggest needs we have is for prayer partners to come along side us and stand against the wiles of the enemy. He is hitting us very hard as we get close. We have some very specific needs both for the church and for us that we desperately need to move forward. This is a matter of great concern and can only come about with the fervent prayer of faithful and faith-filled brethren who are willing to stand in the gap for us. If interested in being a prayer partner for us, even if you are not called to be a part of the launch team, please email us and we'll fill you in on specific needs and attacks.

One of the biggest needs we have is financial. Thus far, all of the resources and equipment purchased has come out of our pockets. We've tried to do ministry that way before and it was an epic failure. Freedom Church exceeds that effort in both scale and scope more than tenfold with an even greater financial need. To launch fully, we need at least $20,000 in initial cash with an additional $20-30,000 to operate for the first year. That assumes an all-volunteer staff and leadership team for the first 12-18 months. A final budget estimate will follow once we know where our regular meeting place.

In truth, I hate asking for money. In my years following Jesus, I've seen the worst guilt-trip tactics or promises of some special blessing spoken by prosperity preachers and those experiences have soured me a little as I'm sure they have many of you. That doesn't change the simple fact that we need the help. I won't make you any special promises of tenfold blessings or perfect health. I won't offer some kind of signed prayer cloth with healing abilities. I won't browbeat you with guilt trips. The bottom line, all any of us can truly ask is that you prayerfully consider helping us to spread the Gospel. It's been said that ministry runs on two things, faith and money. Faith we have but, to quote Peter, gold and silver have we none. We can't move forward without the financial means to do so.

As part of the drive to find people and resources, I am looking for opportunities to share the vision for Freedom Church with ministry groups, mission committees, and congregations. The main focus is, of course, the fiances we need. To reach the people we are called to reach, we need the support. If you're reading this and are a leader/pastor, please pray about whether or not we can come and speak to your group, congregation, or board.

Very soon, within a week or so, we will have set up a crowd-sourcing type site with a short video. We'll post about our progress on that page and on this blog. In the meantime, there is a "Donate" button on the right side of the screen. Any contribution will help.

We are getting close. These last few hurdles are all that remain.

Getting Close

We are getting closer to the first major step towards launching. We are planning an informational meeting for early August. We'll be inviting anyone interested in hearing the vision for the church first hand.

We're asking anyone who wants to come and we'll be posting extensively about it once a date is set. Fliers will be going up all over the place including coffee shops, music stores, and anywhere else we can think of to put them. Social media will, of course, be heavily saturated with the announcements. Promotional and fundraising videos are also in the works.

The only real obstacle is we need a place to hold it that won't set us back an arm and a leg. We're looking for someplace preferably in the Sunnyland area. If there isn't a place there, we would prefer to stay in Washington or perhaps East Peoria. If you know of a facility that we can use, please contact us.

We're getting close. There are a few holes yet to fill and some dollars to raise. We'll keep you posted.

Updates

The last couple of months have been very challenging. While all may have appeared quiet on the FC front, that has not been the case. A few events and some very strong urgings from the Lord have combined to slow things down but for the better.

Planting Freedom Church has proven to be the greatest labor I've ever undertaken. It has proven to me even more difficult than I could ever have expected (which I knew it would be greatly difficult) and has more than once forced me to slow down and enter a wilderness period for reflection and further prayer. I have been in one of those periods for the last couple of months. I even halted broadcasts of Jesus' Outsider to focus on prayer and finding some answers.

In truth, I still have more questions than answers and more have been added. Some of what I have gained in perspective includes a shift in strategy. The overall vision hasn't changed but the bias for action needs to be communicated stronger. I mean real action, not just programs with the appearance of effectiveness.

Men especially like to do things. We like to use the skills and gifts we have to full effect, no matter what nature they may have. There are more ways to spread the Gospel than just to preach and teach. In fact, there are as many ways to share Jesus as there are skills that can be learned. A car or damaged home repaired in the name of Jesus can have a huge impact on a person's life.

That said, my lovely bride asked a very salient question, "If men want to do something, why don't more people show up to help someone move?" This is a problem. For every move that has plenty of help, there are ten more with only a small portion of the people necessary to get the job done. The answer isn't really that complicated. Although men do like to be active, the message has been sent loud and clear to them is that a strong back is all their good for, unless they preach or are part of the leadership. After being asked to move over and over again without being asked to do much else, they stop showing up. That needs to change. That's what I mean when I say a bias towards action.

As I said, there's a lot of questions that need to be answered. What that means is that how we are going to make all this work still isn't clear. I'm scheduling meetings with advisers and with some who may have some insight that may be able to help.

There are other changes in approach we need to be making. Some of this has already been revealed to us but isn't quite ready to be shared yet. My lovely bride has been far from idle and is working on some pretty amazing stuff that we'll be posting in due time.

The season for concentrated prayer and seeking counsel isn't over yet. Activity will still be limited for a while longer. Jesus' Outsider broadcasts will resume in a few days, Lord willing. Other details and updates will be coming soon.