Mentoring Moments | Episode 12: Media & Ministry

this is the mentoring moments podcast

with Jensen Franklin and Marcus mikum

welcome to mentoring moments today I’m

Marcus mum here with Pastor Jensen

Franklin and we’ve got two of his team

members uh Brian Smith it’s over all the

media here at free chapel and Jason

Vernon who’s over marketing

Communications and there’s no question

that as pastors and

leaders all the uh pressures of social

media and all the things that surround

that you know giving uh whether it’s

your messages or what you’re doing legs

and how to do that appropriately where

the balance of all the

self-promotion uh versus just trying to

get the message out all that stuff we

really want to dig into today and uh

we’re here with two of the best these

are the Jedi in these areas and uh I

think that we can all learn something

I’m personally in a place where I’m

trying to understand this stuff a lot

more and so um so hopefully I can ask

some questions uh that you would ask

because you’re kind of still trying to

understand some of these things as well

and so yeah uh so let’s get into it a

little bit tell us a little bit about

what you do and um and and your focus

and then I’ll try to yeah uh I’ve been

with Pastor Franklin for 18 years um I

tell people when I first came to Free

Chapel and came on staff Facebook had

launched the year before and so a lot

has changed over the last 18 years

including dinosaur

no I just you know it uh a lot has

changed um in media in Communications

and uh an opportunity that’s the way I

look at it you know a lot has changed in

opportunity but uh being with Pastor

Franklin even you know there was only

one campus when I came here now there’s

multiple campuses and then you see the

largest campus blooming into the online

campus and then everything that happened

through the pandemic and the capability

to continue to be able to minister to

people being in the media um you know

that was my call but being able to

participate in a Ministry that had that

global vision and then being able to use

media locally uh to continue to minister

to people when they were closing down

churches I just you know that’s God’s

blessing yeah beautiful beautiful yeah I

think that’s a very good point that

Brian just made

um just in a practical

Financial um way to look at it too to

people who are who are watching how

important and critical uh online

presence is um I think for the first

time um we

came and maybe we surpassed it that our

online audience outg gave almost any

church I know that is happening now it’s

it’s beginning to happen now that our

online audience is the biggest giving um

congregation that we have which is

pretty remarkable when you understand

you know and and we don’t talk talk a

lot about giving we don’t say anything

much about giving the pandemic changed

uh a lot of that we used to take

offerings and stuff and now we

just um something happened and people

started giving online and giving

automatically and giving uh with you

know withdrawals Just Happening they

they and and then the online audience

just started converting it didn’t happen

overnight it didn’t happen instantly but

I’d really encourage uh pastors to uh to

look at that

because uh we’ve had some miracle real

Miracle massive Miracles that have come

through our own online

audience the the biggest gifts that we

have ever received in the history of

this ministry one time gifts have come

now through our online

audience and that’s something that’s

really really amazing and so you know we

didn’t start out with that in mind we

didn’t think but um and now you know we

started offering a uh church membership

online you know know that you can you

can join the church go through

discipleship go through next steps go

through um you know uh get in a small

group um online yeah all of that what

been an ongoing process and maybe we can

talk some about that because uh it

doesn’t happen overnight but I’m going

to tell you I never in my wildest dreams

you know you got 3,000 seats behind me

here in this room in this Auditorium but

when I look look at our you know the the

audience that we preach to online you

just really have to look at like a um um

a a Coliseum or something you know I

mean in real numbers that’s that’s what

you’re preaching to and uh if you can

ever um you know begin to get that

momentum going

there it’s really something and God is

using it to expand the influence and

Outreach of the church I really want you

guys to talk about this because I’m I’m

curious about it what’s the you know

what’s the balance you know can you

really be really a part of a church can

can you really be or great question you

know versus in person you know because

for me um you know I I just of course

it’s just so important for people to be

in person and um and what’s the balance

you know how you know because I I guess

what we’re saying is there are people

that legitimately for one reason or

another or maybe in a smaller area and

they don’t have a church that they feel

you know a sense of of that they’re a

part of and the vision isn’t there it

could be you know health issues and

other things and then there’s just maybe

some people that are just dis this is a

great conversation because it is a um it

is a um paradigm shift that has to

happen and these guys helped me make

that paradigm shift because I almost saw

it when it first started and only

because of the pandemic only during the

pandemic did it become my

friend because I almost resented it yeah

I I felt like I was competing against my

online audience I really did I felt like

it was hurting our church attendance I

felt like it was uh something and and I

know that was wrong but I I’m just being

honest as a pastor I I even I even at

one time I think I told you to to um um

can you block out can you block out the

areas wherever we have a church in a

campus block them out and bless God if

they don’t want to come to church then

they just miss it and that was kind of

my attitude uh at first and uh boy I got

I I got a revelation when I finally

figured out you know these are real

people and they uh for whatever reason

um I want them I begin we begin to see

the the effect I think we saw it way

before but we begin to see the effect

massively during the pandemic of the

potential of what God could do and I

think walk us through some of that well

I I just think the cool thing was we

were already doing broadcast Pastor

Franklin was already on TBN dayar

multiple networks and so when we hit the

pandemic and they said you can’t show up

we still had a way to communicate the

gospel and it was interesting because

people were shut in

uh the first year we saw more new people

come online and more new names that we

you know new people that had never met

us before because maybe they were in

their own church and now they were stuck

at home and now they discovered you know

us because we were there in media and

then they discovered the online

component and could see it live and

actually you know again it’s it is

different being in in the room you know

in community with a group of people but

at least we could give them what we

could give them and I and we tried to

give them a great experience with

worship and then with a message and um

like I said it it was good to be

prepared for it because a lot of

Ministries weren’t prepared they were

trying to play catchup on you know

that’s one thing Jason and his team were

did a great job of is they were able to

get us live and streaming not only on

the website but on Instagram Facebook

YouTube so we were all we had to do is

make a quick transition and then we were

in multiple places with the gospel and

we continue to do that

today um but I think being there being

prepared and being ready we already kind

of had that broadcast component but um

you know it did it it changed during the

pandemic it did yeah but I will say this

um it always amazes me that during that

period there would be somebody from

Afghanistan or there would be somebody

from London or there would be somebody

from

China that was connecting with us um and

it just it amazed me to see the global

reach that you could go through YouTube

and and again because YouTube has some

algorithms that allow languages to

change and at least see close captioning

they were getting the gospel into their

language um and that’s so cool huh and

so again you’re reaching people far

outside the building and they’re in

desperate need of the Gospel these are

places where you can’t actively preach

the gospel and um and so these people

were being touched as well as the people

here at home in the US yeah it it did it

did happen it was like as much as I

don’t like it even some of the people I

know that are the most committed even

locally um where we’re at is they’re

very committed but it’s a real hybrid to

them now you know sometimes they just

don’t feel like fighting the crowd

um sometimes it’s uh you know it’s it’s

it’s a lot for a little for them because

they can set in their their homes and

they’ve got the setup and and and they

can engage it more they can study more

they can talk with their spouse a bit

more um sometimes it’s you know health

issues sometimes have a they surface in

the morning with people and and they’re

always having to work through that stuff

or you know’s there a lot of and and

before people I think would have fought

through that now I think hey you know

it’s not that they don’t come in

person but not as much I mean it’s the

rhythms have changed that’s right not as

consistently yeah most people you know

before the pandemic that we committed to

the church we coming at least three out

of four weeks out of the Sunday now I

think that is is really the deal the

word consistency and attendance is uh is

is has been I think if anybody any

Pastor would be honest there there’s a

challenge there there there is a

tendency to hit Miss hit miss you know

and hey we’ll catch it online

and who you know I don’t know I don’t

know I don’t know how I feel about that

I mean I want I want my rooms you know

like just running over all the time but

but I also want to grow my audience and

so you kind of have to embrace it I I

tell you one of the greatest things that

happened that that blessed me I loved it

it it took it brought it home but

Jason’s dad is how old Jason 72 72 years

old and precious man of God a pastor um

and um and uh where’s he p in Lynchberg

Lynchburg Virginia pastor of uh what

church Family Life Ministries Family

Life Ministries a smaller Church they

had no um no no online presence when the

pandemics and he’s an ELD you know an

elder Pastor that just will not you know

just loves his people loves his church

how many people people attend about 100

about 100 people and kind of tell people

you know uh because he he want he needed

social media to Pastor his people a lot

of the them elderly and uh and just some

of those wonderful I that story just

still blesses me yeah it was the night

before a Sunday morning and he called

and he said uh we’ve got to do something

tonight and I said what what do you mean

tonight and he’s not a digital person

and uh he said I’ve got to figure this

out tonight he said I can’t preach to my

people I’m going crazy I’ve got to get

the message out and so we set him up on

Facebook uh live he started doing

devotionals and really it encouraged him

but also all of the people of the church

so you would see them all commenting all

talking through that and it took 15

minutes and I think that’s the key A lot

of people are afraid uh literally if a

72-year-old pastor can do that everyone

can do that and uh Marcus I think you

said the question in person or online

but since that pandemic I think it has

to be an end uh for so many reasons one

of the biggest reasons is the front door

of the church now is online and so

people rarely come and sit down for the

first time in here they’ve already

checked out the service and we can

document that time and time again um wow

one of the things we noticed in that

though we were streaming but until we

had an online campus pastor at the

pandemic thousands of people started

reaching out and everybody was like what

are we going to do with all of these

people and I have just watched people

starting small groups I’ve watched them

giving I’ve watched them uh connecting

we’ve you’ve seen them baptized almost

every time we have a baptism they’re

flying in because they want to be

baptized in their home Church our online

audience are I mean state after state

after State when they hear that we’re

doing the baptism service that I

mentioned in one of the other podcasts

that we do like every six weeks I take a

Sunday morning preaching time and I let

them tell their stories and baptisms and

instead of preaching and it’s one of the

greatest it’s just so always the altars

people are saved it’s it’s amazing but

um recently just just in the last year

more and more are flying in who were

watching online and got saved and want

to get baptized and they make it a

special Sunday and they fly in and uh

it’s just so neat to hear those amazing

Stories you know and it’s it’s just

continues to grow we’re also looking at

watch parties in several states where 8

to 10 people are getting together

they’ll watch the service they give give

they worship and it’s just really

expanding out and if you talk to people

um for them they say that there it’s

just they’re not able to find a free

chapel or a lot of people lived here and

have moved out and and they don’t want

to just let go of their experience here

so they want to be part of online as

well it Mak it makes so much sense I

mean it it really does you can fight

where people are at you can you can

argue with it you know you can say it’s

not good it’s not right but on the flip

side if they do miss a uh they can’t be

at church they’re sick or kids are sick

or just had a baby or like you said

they’re they’re elderly or whatever then

they don’t have to disconnect they they

can find you know they’re on vacation or

whatever then you have people that are

now they’re probably more

engaged because when they miss they

don’t miss they they they have other

ways of of getting into it uh two two

Amazing Stories and I I I don’t want

people to misunderstand what I’m saying

but just just to know how God has worked

uh through online Ministry to bless the

church even though you can you can see

it that way or you can see it like what

he’s saying and and it’s it’s truly an

expansion of the ministry of people you

would never

reach if if you’re not reaching for them

and um a a man uh

uh who has a business up north started

watching us on

YouTube and he flew in on his own plane

did not reach out to me or anything and

set up in that section over there one

Sunday morning I was here uh he went all

the way from up North flew down

privately sat up there he had listened a

bunch of messages

online never came to me never sh I I

shake hands and either at the door or I

stay down here after service as long as

people want to want to say hello or

whatever and never came up to me left

after sitting watched it online for over

a year he said I never really I don’t

know why I started watching you I just

start I heard one message and I started

watching another and another and he said

I’m not a real religious person I don’t

I don’t I’m not a preacher guy how he’s

described it but it connected and and it

was the right messages is at the right

time for my life young businessman uh

third in his 30s late middle middle 30s

amazing and super successful so he calls

the calls the ministry and says um uh

God’s really dealt with me and I and and

I and asked could I give him a call and

and so I called him and and he said uh I

want I want to start giving uh I’ve sold

my business Etc and I and I’m going to

give a 100,000

a week for the next 52

weeks and he’s done that he’s done that

every week just like

clockwork that’s that’s that’s the most

amazing thing to me and then I think of

others that are on our own line that

have done things that that Boggle my

mind I’ve never some I’d never met them

I didn’t know them I would have never

met them if IID only uh you you know

even they’re not like Christian TV kind

of Watchers and things like that so uh

it’s another whole world it’s another

whole world and God used that to connect

to us and and these people have become

precious uh Partners in the Kingdom I

mean and they love this church they fly

in and you know and it’s not just the

money side but it’s truly a a kingdom

connection that only God can do that

that enables you to do things that we

could only dream of doing but because of

the online audience these Miracles are

happening and and we’ve had one this

year another one that is just is

exceedingly abundantly above all I could

have ever asked or imagined that a

couple that that were watching online

that’s their only connection to the

church is online they started watching

because uh president Trump at the time

twe tweeted out that he was going to

watch online uh on uh what day was that

it was a big um was that Easter weekend

was Easter or

the the the F was it the first Sunday

the uh the one of the first Sundays of

the pandemic and he and he said I need

inspiration and I’m going to watch

Pastor Jensen Franklin that Sunday and

when he did um I was on a flight from

California and I land ended and my phone

blew up and it was just thousands of

people who were saying you know some of

them saying good some of them saying bad

things and others just saying and and

the team had to uh hustle because we you

know we we were warned that it was going

to that it would it had the potential to

melt us down and you can talk more about

the tech that’s probably more you could

explain we had to prepare scalable

servers because again the number of

visits can shut down your website and we

saw that over and over in those kind of

scenarios so we ended up going with

something where you reach maximum scales

to the next one to the next one so it

allowed us to to not lose any visitors

that day but that day over a million

people

watched I mean that’s real numbers over

a million people watching and one of

those couples was a couple that said the

only reason we watched you was because

he tweeted and we were curious and said

let’s see what he would listen to and

now they have blessed this ministry and

then in in ways that I if it’s

mindboggling and you know so God God has

a plan and we don’t do it for that

reason but boy if we’ll follow his plan

God he he wants to bless the church and

enlarge our territory a million perc and

those resources you know go to one thing

and that’s so you can

continue to do things to take care of of

the the people that maybe can’t do that

and you know I was as you’re talking you

know I’m I’m thinking about all the

people that are maybe even in their mind

feeling this big because they’re not

Jensen Franklin and I want to say a

couple things about that one is I have

watched his patience I’ve watched how

slow he goes I’ve watched how um when

other people just try to throw the gas

on everything and now where he’s at

that’s from 30 plus years of of media

and but the point is is just knowing

that there’s a call to do everything you

can to reach people and what can you do

don’t get caught up whether you can do

all this or that story my stories would

be nothing like yours but yet I can

think of a couple that I met two weeks

ago at our prayer our Sunday night

prayer meeting and they drove in they

live about two hours away um they watch

Us online they devour that online and uh

they we it was right around the time of

our heart end of the year heart for the

house offering and they gave us $30,000

that may not it’s tremendous you know

for us that was tremendous that’s

amazing well it’s but what’s even better

is then when they came to us their their

granddaughter is in the hospital in

Cincinnati so our team was able to and

it wasn’t because of that resource it

was just that they came and they met us

and said hi to us and they told us about

that we didn’t know what the

the gift would be when we when we said

well can we go see your family can we go

see your daughter can we go check in on

them and just let them know that we’re

praying for him and so my point is I can

hear those stories and think well what

about me but the point is is just you

just got to keep stretching yourself

right moving in that direction doing

what you can do to reach people and um

and then you know we got to look at

people that are way up here because you

can see the potential of it the

potential is is out of this world there

there that we have done started small it

struggled it I wondered was it a waste

of time and money TV for years struggled

it was uh um I’ve joked about uh the

duct tape that that we the guys carried

around literally a roll of duct tape on

their belt because our equipment was

falling to pieces and we didn’t have the

money really to to to to uh to buy the

cables and stuff that we needed but God

said do it keep doing it don’t stop keep

doing it and one door would open and it

would stretch me to the Limit it would

it would stretch I would say how in the

world if we I remember when TBN opened

and um I was it was both a blessing and

a terror because uh the you know this

they’re amazing the TBN the footprint is

is there’s nothing like it same with Day

star they’re amazing and but all of that

is extremely extremely millions and

millions of dollars and and we didn’t

have it I mean we just didn’t have

especially when we first started out we

didn’t have it took faith it took raw

faith and it took seating and for years

and years the ministry seated the TV

Ministry you know and we did good it was

always good little growth you know

little little growth little we we beat

last year we beat last year you know

praise God and and I remember when we

broke you know just just barely broke

even well that’s innovating is doing

what you can with doing the best you can

with what you got right I can remember

that little cl to me it was a closet you

had this little room where you had all

the little screens that’s right and then

you had a little closet you would go and

do the the before and after it shoot and

you had some scrim like some like I I

don’t know like some stretchy material

and then you had these these caned

lights and I can remember in my mind

like thinking to myself like how Rinky

Dink it was you know like I can remember

that that was 22 years ago it was a long

time ago but you weren’t thinking Rinky

Dink you were just thinking this is what

we can do this is the space we got these

are the cameras we got and the content

of who you are is is is what really

matters so maybe you’re out there and

you don’t have all the stuff that you

see a free chapel well the content you

know don’t just keep working on your

messages keep working on your your

anointing keep working on your love for

God your love for people the vision Your

Excellence in broadcast you know giving

it you you you you uh you don’t wait

until you get there to to Really sharpen

up but you you go at it

like with all that you have with

everything that you can with all the

Excellence and if we if you’re at the

duct tap level you f fix it up the best

you can do it and you do it and and and

uh if you plant he’s the he’s the root

out of dry

ground and if you plant Jesus into any

ground he’s so self-existent he doesn’t

need anything from the

environment to draw life our job is to

plant him and if you plant him he’s the

root out of dry ground the tender plant

Isaiah said that grew out of desert out

of no support but but you throw him and

plant him and when you start planning

him and you know it’s a direction that

God has given you and really you know go

into all the world and preach the gospel

was the was the Mandate so I took it

serious and I I it’s not that I’m the

best preacher I’m not I’m not the most

gifted I’m not the most original I’m not

the most brilliant I’m not the most

qualified I am I am one of many but the

mentality has to be um if Jesus says

throw out Nets don’t throw out if he

says plural don’t throw out a singular

net but throw out Nets and say well I’m

I can fish too and if he can do it for

this one that one and the other one he

can do it for me there there are three

other buildings in this city but before

we got here there’s a smaller one down

the road that’s now you preached in last

night to our young adults and did a

magnificent magnificent message which

was amazing and then and then there’s

another building that is that you could

literally put it in one section in the

balcony uh you could put that that

building pretty much and uh and so we

didn’t get here we we didn’t get here

overnight and I I really want to

encourage

you God wouldn’t give a a a a a flock of

geese a desire to go south if there was

not a South to

go if God puts an inate call and desire

in your heart and it’s not selfish

ambition is truly a vision when God

gives you a dream you can’t shake it

when God gives you a direction you

cannot just play it off you try to I’ve

actually tried I’ve actually tried to

lose it but when it it is part of his

call you you cannot ignore it and he

will not let up until you do it so if

you know you’re supposed to grow you

know you’re supposed to reach there’s

something in you that is just pushing

you to reach more souls then then by all

means in every way that you can begin to

plant Jesus that’s your job planting get

the seeds of the word out there plant it

how can I do that I can do it by radio I

can do it by TV I can do it online I can

do it on Twitter I can do it on

Instagram I can do it in person I can do

it with this campus with other campuses

and just start planting Jesus in dry

ground and and watch him grow yeah watch

him aound and astonish you and one day

after 30 years of being faithful and 20

years and maybe 10 years of struggling

and then and then I remember when we

were building this Auditorium we were

building this Auditorium it was it was

the skeleton and we had beams going

across and the there were no seats or

anything and the Lord the Lord spoke to

me you remember that and he said get a

camera and put it right there and you

stand out there and on a box and uh

write the the vision and cast the vision

and make it plain we had no TV equipment

I was doing this was a a massive project

this building was a massive stretch for

us we did not have the millions that we

needed to pay for it and it was going to

be a 30-year project potentially and and

and the Lord said stand right there on

nothing no seats and no people you had

enough we had enough people to feel

Maybe

that much of the church and these seats

were going to be empty according to my

numbers every Sunday okay and the Lord

said stand right there and proclaim the

vision for TV and I did power of dream

the huh power of a dream the power of a

dream I preached that message praise God

the man that touches my heart the power

of a

dream and how that

God gives you a dream he you’re never

more like God than when you dream that

that when God wants to change a

community he finds a dreamer when God

wants to reach a nation he has to have a

dreamer when God wants to go into new

nations and do new things he has to have

a dreamer and I stood right there and I

just began to proclaim the dream that

God had given me how that RW shambach

and all that whole story had had kind of

got us going you know a little bit and

to make a long story short now we needed

all new equipment we needed HD Equipment

it was going to be 3 million something

like that and boom God did it I cannot

explain it we came in and all the

equipment was paid for it never happened

before it had never it was always just

bumping along we’d have a good month and

then we’d have a terrible summer and

we’d have an awful uh fall and then we’

have something that hit and it would

thank God we got CAU up and it was a

struggle and a and and and then

something happened and and the Lord said

no more duct tape that’s I remember that

word he I was watching the guy in in the

studio wrapping tape and the Lord said

no more duct tape I’m moving you out of

duct tape

level that’s funny is I mean you know

and and you say well God won’t do that

he you’re you’re you’re one of his

favorites that’s a joke no I’m not not

I’m I but I do try real

hard and and you and you do too and I

want you to know that God is for you God

is for you God is for your ministry

right God is for your business God is

for your family and um it started right

there and you got to hear these things

you know yeah there’s the substance of

things hoped for the evidence of Things

Not Seen and and before your qualified

to preach that you have to live that you

have to you you can’t just Proclaim it

at some point you’re going to have to

really stand by faith and say I’m I’m

I’m I’ve never been this way before but

here I go and that’s the fun that’s

that’s when you know you’re leaning on

God when you without faith it is

impossible which means faith is spelled

r

i and when’s the last time you took a

risk for Jesus

if you fail you fail but at least I

don’t want to look back on my life and

say I wonder what would have happened if

I have

tried and I know like with with Twitter

and Instagram you’ve really been so

instrumental in helping us grow and it

may sound to some like well that’s just

stuff well really it’s it’s getting your

message out there and um talk a little

bit about that maybe I think what’s key

is a lot of people focus on these

platforms and forget about what they can

do how they can utilize them and one of

the trends we’re seeing pastor and you

and I have talked some is building a

following is no longer enough and so to

where we would stream or where we would

post uh what I want to encourage pastors

to think about as we’re moving into this

next phase is having a huge following

isn’t going to do anything long term

unless you’re beginning to align those

people connect with those people and and

even form that’s with the online campus

what we’re doing um you text me the

other day about a post that we wanted to

send out and you said get it to as many

people as we can and I wrote back well

Pastor unfortunately that was rejected

you know and there’s a lot of censorship

happening a lot of people don’t quite

understand there a a post about um I I I

called out the

210 uh Congress people who who voted

against the born

alive uh rescue Bill basically for a

baby

that uh after it an abortion has been

attempted it somehow survives and it’s

born and 210 Congress people said let

the baby die they they called it a non-

entity let the non entity set in a pan

and die and and I and I just felt led to

say something about it real bold and and

say what have we come to in this nation

that that we’re silent even preachers I

I felt the call to challenge preachers

and say how can we be how in the world

this is a human being this is a baby how

in the world can we not see how clear

scripturally I don’t care what woe

culture or anybody else says they’re

wrong and God’s word is right that’s a

baby and that’s a human being that’s an

eternal

soul and um and so but like you said it

got uh we tried to boost it because you

only reach about what 2% usually on a

post so let’s say you have 2,000

followers or 5,000 followers you’re only

going to reach 2% so you boo you tried

to boost it in YouTube and some of them

said no so well it’ll get to a point

where you might have a million

subscribers or a million follow but what

would prevent them from saying you know

you’re done 0% and that’s why it’s just

so important to begin forming them into

a community because we don’t own any of

those followers uh they’re there but but

Twitter Instagram uh the social media

networks that they’re going to

eventually we’ve seen that it used to be

they would reach 10% and then down to

eight and then down to five and then

down to two and now they’re saying what

can be posting and what’s not so

something to keep in mind as we move

forward into this next um phase of media

Jason what I love too about what what

you um the world you like your father

and my father pastored you know um

basically the the uh demographic of most

churches is what maybe two 300 is that

right something like that you know and

so H how do we break this down cuz that

I love to talk to people running 500 300

200 100 how do we break this down and

maybe in in some practical ways of what

you guys would recommend you you are

you’re amazing your knowledge of your

world is amazing and the experience that

you have is people reach out to you from

all over the world I mean they do and

and some of the most notable Ministries

in the nation just like we have gotten

help from them to get where we are we

love to help others that’s a it’s a

major part of our culture oh is to help

us huge help hug and we want to help any

pastors that and and we just want to say

we open our world to you as much as we

can you know we got to we got to keep

things operating but any way that we can

help you if you ever coming through and

you need a tour or you want to try to

you know I know we I know we do that

kind of thing as much as we can and uh

but what would you say to that Pastor

that’s got limited very limited budget

and

um but also knows that I need to up my

game in this world what what what is the

what are the wisest moves maybe some of

them that that come to mind but I would

recommend to any young

Pastor get to writing get ready to be

published get into into that world it’s

very good and get on YouTube whatever

you do do it with consistency all right

let’s go back to that first one for a

minute uh get into writing mhm

um that’s that’s really good what what

are you what are you trying to like well

with with your

ministry when you wrote the first

fasting book all right but before that I

wrote three little pamphlet books that

were like um 90 Pages maybe or 60 Pages

little bitty pamphlet books but there

again it was just a small thing and it

helps you it you once you weit in it’s

you realize the challenges with it it

it’s it’s like it’s like I can’t do this

it’s stupid I don’t know how to do this

you can’t find the people to help you do

it so you just start the process and

here’s the beautiful thing is nowadays

with technology you can dictate so you

can open up your Android or your iPhone

whatever you can you can dictate a

devotional and if you did that every day

and posted that every day and again

because of the technology you can have a

small little iPhone a little ring light

I recommend getting your production back

you as as best you can but be

consistent go ahead and do those YouTube

videos get a following but then take

those same videos transcribe them look

at the themes look where God’s leading

you in those themes for for pastor

Franklin I’m assuming you know that

fasting was just something he couldn’t

get away from that’s right and that

became a New York Times bestseller but

it started again as something much

smaller than what it was that’s right

but then all of a

sudden that is what attracted a new

audience new people came that were

interested in fasting maybe they weren’t

interested in the spiritual side they

were interested in the you know New

Year’s I’m going to fast kind of thing

and all of a sudden new people started

coming to the ministry because he had

written this book and that’s why I

recommend any young Pastor get used to

whether you’re dictating whether you’re

you know just transcribing what you’ve

said in a message start to look at those

themes start to look at at what God is

is put in your ministry you know Pastor

Franklin and you you have a uniqueness a

niche yeah um um something that not

everybody when when I started talking

about fasting there were there were a

few other voices out there and there

were a lot of older ministers who had

passed away like uh Derek Prince people

like that who had made uh great um uh

things happen with the teachings of

fasting but um there were no books like

there were nobody talked about fasting

much back now now it’s a huge Mar I well

that’s that’s I mean anybody that that

knows I mean that is you didn’t just

write a good book but here’s the point

because because it wasn’t a book it was

your life and that you’ve called the

nation back to fasting when I when I

went to the

church uh be 18 years ago and we did a

20 21 day of fast 21 day fast with you

guys I didn’t know anybody else that did

it matter of fact it was extreme it was

like over the top I I love it I mean and

and now now we we’re starting to see the

benefits of it we’re starting to see

what how important it is to give God the

first part of your year at a minimum

through prayer and fasting it’s the the

very the very thing that um that you

host feel like

is is is not um

something that you would think would be

the deal that would catch on uh maybe

the very thing that God’s raised your

voice up with a unique fresh message

that is now for the body of Christ and

so you know it’s okay to be different

not you’re not trying to be different

it’s just it’s just part of what who you

are and if you can like he said I love

what you’re saying Brian is is is begin

to put in

post begin to put in on what do you call

it post In Articles basically online and

you never know God can take one of those

uh thoughts and get it to the right

person and somebody calls you and says

hey let’s do a book on that you know and

uh but it’s so true what he’s saying is

so true when that book came out it

seemed like our whole Ministry went to

another so so the to put it to begin to

start books and I try to do one a year

it’s a challenge I mean it it it

stresses me you know to a book a year

but I like what you’re saying too even

those like little pamphlets yes even if

you don’t sell them just give them away

to your church let them give them away

to their friends let them whatever we

you know we do that almost every year

we’ll put together a little devotional

it’s a 21-day devotional we give it to

the church usually you know and then but

we almost always Point them to uh how

they can

uh get an email uh where it’s called

daily bread with pm and it’s the same

thing well now that’s tens of thousands

of people that every day read that email

when they came to me with the idea I’m

bet I bet they got it from one of you

guys because I was like don’t nobody

want to get an email every day it’s like

I I put all that to clutter and junk I

don’t got the time but and I hear all

the time all the time how people their

spiritual disciplines want to say that’s

a pastor’s disease that’s a pastor’s

disease that they think people think

like they do and your pastors and your

senior pastor danger ground right now I

I I’ll just say this you you guys do

think differently and God uses you

differently but there are people out

there what are you trying to say who

well I’m trying to say that a disease a

past that a pastor thinks a pastor

thinks his congregation thinks like he

he does in the reality is there are

people that are out there desperate for

devotionals and desperate for this

content well it’s really discipling

isn’t it really is daily but they don’t

but they seriously you know it’s like

when I write uh a work on letters for

pastor Franklin there are times when he

goes no this I wouldn’t do it this way I

wouldn’t say it this way and I’m saying

there’s a lady that’s going to read this

letter and she would love it to be said

this way and she would love to take this

content because she is desperate for it

and and again Pastor Franklin’s bottom

line guy say sometimes the letters are

short and sweet and I’m I’m I’m building

out his message and and and extending it

because they want to be ministered too

and that’s why I say publishing is a big

deal publishing for a young Pastor well

I love this though because

um PE especially young leaders need to

understand that your gift will make room

for you the scripture says your gift

will make room for you and you don’t

even know what your gifts are sometimes

until you start moving in those

directions and and and and and the

Practical side of it is for me it’s not

me writing all that stuff it’s it’s a

team that God had to develop and give me

and that I could trust it took me a long

time to even find letter writers that I

would give a general theme and say now

you here’s here’s the boundaries of how

you do a letter I’m not a I’m not a

crazy asker I’m not going to tell you if

you give me this and give me that I’m

you’re going to get a miracle and all

that and you’re not going to make me

into that person you know so you have to

own that side of it but boy if you can

ever get people who can who can take a

message and break it down and and real

real simple and exactly like what he’s

saying and get it out to people so the

Practical step is to find begin to find

those gifts they’re in your church

there’s somebody I I I’m thinking back

now to different people in the church

who did it for a season and they took it

another notch higher and then then God

would send somebody and finally we ended

up hiring somebody who who really was

gifted in that area and they could take

uh they could take thoughts and and you

know I always get help with books I’m

not I’m not I have to sit down and I

have a co-writer basically who I say

here’s the outlines and here’s thoughts

and here’s illustrations and you you I

want to do this and I’ll sit and talk

and she’s recording and we discuss

things and get it going get it going AJ

um what um forgot her last name Gregory

yes AJ Gregory has written a lot of

books with me and and this is exactly

how we do it because I’m not going to

sit down and and handw write I I I

admire people who do that and that’s

great and if you can do that great do it

I don’t I don’t have time to do that I

can’t do that but what I can do is I can

take I take a bunch of messages you know

and and put them all into a theme and as

you’re going through you just start

laying out the chapters and laying out

but it doesn’t even have to start that

big I I like what you’re saying is begin

to develop your online team and and and

you don’t have to spend a fortune just

like what he said he he had his dad on

but but you begin to believe in the gift

that God’s given you believe in the call

that God’s given you believe in the

Revelation that God has given you enough

to to begin to put it out there just

waigh out there and see where it takes

you and you’re making progress and and

the amazing thing again if you plant

Jesus in dry ground he’s the root out of

dry ground he will and then you’ll stand

back and be amazed like I am like

like if he could that’s why we were

doing this if he could do it for me he

can do it for anybody so it’s a joke to

me it really is it’s a joke that that

all I he knew I would plant Jesus that’s

about it that’s about all I had going

for me still to this day I will keep

aggressively planning Jesus

so and you know we we put everybody’s

different but if if I have a week the

way that I want to have it I’ll spend 30

hours 20 30 hours on a message and um

and then it just goes into a shoe box

that’s right so good I mean that’s just

a it’s just being a poor Steward wow you

know so you got you got to figure out

how how we can and that’s where I’ve

been incredibly um convicted recently is

is I’m always saying stuff like I don’t

want to put the sermon Clips out there

like every other preacher on this and

that it feels so self-serving sometimes

and um you know you just you got to get

over that a little bit and you got to

you got to

say um I put the time in I put the work

in I put the effort in i’ I’ve prayed it

down I’ve prayed it through I prayed it

all around I’ve done all that I know how

hard I work I know cast your bread upon

the waters and in many days Ecclesiastes

11 or 12 one of them CA cast your bread

on the water and in many days it’ll come

back you just you got the bread is the

word of God cast It cast it out can’t

care about the results sometimes i’ i’

get really freaked out because I’d be

like oh I posted that sermon clip and it

didn’t get this many likes or that and

everybody’s going to see that and

they’re going to know I you know I’m

terrible why am I even doing this and

then my mind I’m like it’s just better

to not have to look at it and and I had

to get even past that it doesn’t matter

it doesn’t just put it out there

sometimes it’ll hit sometimes it

won’t it was I would say that it was

people’s ego that’s having them put

everything out but it’s actually my ego

that was keeping me from it because I

didn’t feel like I was measuring W and

so you just kind of get humble yourself

and say I put the time in it’s what God

told me and I’m not putting it out there

for a bunch of likes and for everybody

else or I’m not putting it out for this

I’m putting it out

because most importantly you know in

that place even if if I’m my platform

has three people you know or whatever it

is you know well is God first place in

the least place you know not are you

going to give your best if you have the

gensen Frank platform you know but can

you give your best when it’s not maybe a

huge platform why because God’s first

place whether the platform is

significant or major in your mind or

other people’s minds and and here’s

something I want to mention Jason can

speak directly to it but you put it out

there and you put it out there day one

and 365 days later that one person sees

it and that’s the day they need to see

it and it’s out there and it’s ready for

them it’s God’s timing yeah yeah you

know and that’s why you put it out there

you know we we talk about fasting and we

say well you fast in January but you may

not see that breakthrough to November

December yeah you know whatever that is

but again it’s there and like you said

you put in the time put it out there and

see what God will do with it it it

reminds me of the times where the ones

that you think are not going to really

do anything like the power of short

prayers yeah you just got up and gave a

couple points about prayer and then I

text him I’m like it’s over a million

listens he’s like are you kidding me

really I was like it’s just catapult and

you just don’t never know what God’s

going to do to piggy back when you said

uh practically for for a pastor how they

could get going my advice would be and

it seems very simple but get acquainted

with your Youth Department and and

really spend time with those teenagers

and young people um I’ll never forget my

first Sunday here I I’m from my dad’s

church so we Easter might have been 180

so I walked in on my first Sunday and

I’m I’m looking around I’m like oh my

goodness this is unbelievable and and

right off the bat I realized there’s no

way that I’m going to be able to build

social media or anything else I had an

iPhone you know and I remember going out

in the hall and I saw this kid and his

name was Sam he had his uh little phone

and I looked at his Instagram and so I

came up to him that day this is the

first week I was here and I said hey

would you like to join the photography

team he said yeah I’ll do that he

probably was 12 or 13 it’s it’s not some

huge experienced person so we he showed

up that night and we sat down and he’s

like where’s the team and I said you’re

the team and you’re the leader of the

team and um you know we didn’t have a

photography team 10 years ago or a video

team or social designers or uh all of

the Departments that we have it it

really started because of young people

and our team still is mainly young

people and they’re experts that what

they do they know way more than I could

ever know so don’t just Overlook them

but spend time with you in in your

church and and Jason when you for the

glory of God but when you came we I I

don’t know do you remember how many

followers and stuff like on Twitter and

Instagram and what has happened let just

watch well when you get to focus on it

you were at about 60,000 on Twitter uh

we just passed a million I think last

week and again going back to the team

it’s they’ve killed it and and you have

permitted us to grow as we grew uh

100,000 on Facebook I don’t know if

Brian if you got them there but you know

they were at a 100,000 that’s I believe

well over two million now um Instagram

it was like 4,000 and we’re going to hit

a million I’m believing this year year

we didn’t have YouTube in either one and

uh Tik Tok we just started last year

that’s growing over 200,000 so I was

doing the math I couldn’t believe it I’m

like we’re nearing almost 6 million

people if you add everything together I

mean think about what God has done it’s

it’s just amazing who I never would have

thought it I never would have thought it

um it it’s been a fun Journey well I

love that story though because people

think that you just you know you just

throw money and we no we didn’t is

that’s exactly and and even in this room

if you in sitting in this room

um you got people Behind These cameras

Brian speak to it just turn around and

and yeah absolutely well tell tell a few

of these stories because you guys need

to hear this and understand this well we

were this is how you build a church we

were asking the guys behind the cameras

before the podcast you know uh

three specifically have Daniel Courtney

and and Craig they all grew up in Free

Chapel and we asked them when they got

in media and course Craig how how old

were

you years 10 years old and then Daniel

when did you start and he got in the

media Department doing what

Craig running camera in kidpak kidpak is

our children’s ministry and he started

running a camera one of the most gifted

young men that he’s he’s really got

something special on him that we haven’t

yet quite completely Craig edits the

international broadcast every week yeah

for Kingdom connection okay well good

Lord and and then you know of course

Daniel joined us but Daniel grew up here

Daniel welber started 12 years old again

in kidp pack started 12 years old took

this took the editing skills that he

learned in our media ministry as a CH as

a young kid did and started his own

extremely successful business uh uh

making videos for weddings and and

funerals and all kinds of stuff video

and I want to I want to take it a second

and say we’re going to try to do another

podcast on a lot of times you’re like

well h i I don’t have a great youth

Department how do I get a great youth

pastor I don’t have a great worship

person how do I get that you know I

don’t have the media how do I get that

and we’re going to bring Tracy in here

and um and I believe also just in the

way that I like to build Church culture

too that any Pastor can build anything

they want from what they got that’s the

old Tommy Barnett thing right the

miracle is in the house don’t get out

there looking that’s you got to find and

and sometimes you do I’m not saying that

but for the most part you can get most

if you’re willing to put the time in and

and take the risk those gifts are right

there in your what did you how what’s

that old message start where you’re are

you are start use what you have do what

you can y I might maybe mess that up no

but that that’s it and then my daughter

Courtney’s sitting behind this camera

and and and this is one I’m most proud

of because Courtney came on board um

and Courtney um she had an interest in

what was going on and and Pastor

Franklin told me said you know put her

in an area check her out see what you

know see where she goes and of course

she came in and immediately she kind of

embraced

all of it and then I was able to put her

in all of it uh so much so that she left

me for a brief period and actually went

to another Ministry and ran that very

successfully I was able to get her back

she is she is the future uh you know I I

keep telling Daniel and her and all

these guys I said you know when I when I

started there were three TV networks ABC

NBC CBS yeah Fox was the outlier that

came on board so I mean I’ve been doing

this for a long time time and I I was

sharing with them I said you know you

guys are the future you bring the

freshness I said now I’ve been down the

road a few times and and I said you know

I can kind of predict you know what may

happen and I have some experience but

these guys breathe so much life into

what the media Ministry is today and

like I like I said at the beginning

Facebook just launched when when I got

here and to see all of the technology

changes that are going on today and and

where media is going there’s so much

opportunity out there and uh but I’m so

proud of Courtney and so proud of where

we’re going absolutely me too very

brilliant and and the whole concept

though that I don’t want as we come to

close but the whole concept of what I’m

hearing that is so valuable and it’s a

and it’s and it’s the Holy Spirit too is

when you said don’t ignore that you know

the

teenager like like Pastor there you got

it you you got this whole media

Department in your

church you’ve got it you don’t know it

yet and they may be 12 years old but you

if you would just believe that God is

not playing when he called you to preach

he was not playing when he called you to

that church

and uh you know to to see that value in

that kid Sam who who went on to do

amazing things and isn’t amazing is if

it’s the one I’m thinking about Sam it

is he left me too he got bit so big time

he left me and uh but but he’s still

very involved you know in in helping us

and and doing a lot of amazing amazing

things I mean just incredible stuff and

uh but he got trained right here and

then there’s a kid that was in here a

while ago that uh is a sound technician

how when did he start actually he was

doing the lighting and some of the tech

on the screen

and again another 11-year-old that came

through kid pack and today you know he’s

running our lights during our services

uh has tremendous impact on our young

adults and youth Department a leader he

he’s become a leader in in Te it’s

really hope giving isn’t it you know to

realize that God know knew that we would

need every one of these gifts exactly

where they’re sitting right now and so

he said if I can trust the vision to

this ministry I can raise a uh a

generation that can that can keep this

thing going stronger we hand the Baton

off when when it’s time and they won’t

have the struggles that we had they’ll

have different struggles uh but but my

my dream is to hand off debt-free

everything with more than all they would

ever need to keep preaching the gospel

like never before I just think if they

could understand and even now where

we’re at if they could see the young

leaders that are doing what they’re

doing they would be shocked because the

people on our team are not experts uh

we’ve had like six come from Free Chapel

College they were here got mentored a

few years now they’re on staff you don’t

have to bring in the there really are no

experts everything changes so fast just

look for people who can change quick and

know what to do and they’ll they’ll make

it happen and and you’re kind and you’re

you’re a nice guy Jason is a nice guy

but he’s one of the most aggressive

animals about numbers we I laugh because

he Craig Rochelle’s a dear friend and

and I’m on his board of directors I go

off this year after five years of

serving has been a tremendous honor but

uh when we started he he got a spur in

his saddle about uh Craig Rochelle

growing and and it was like we got we

got okay it was so funny to watch the

aggression in this team you know in a

good way yeah of saying we like to win

we like to grow we like to go we got to

see in we got to see enlarge our

territory and and boy that’s how you go

from you know a few thousand to a

million in in in a few years is is

somebody’s driving that engine

somebody’s saying we we can do this we

can do this and and you say it’s all

numbers and numbers don’t matter but God

thinks they matter he put a book in the

Bible called The Book of Numbers so

numbers matter for a reason because

numbers represent people so it’s it’s

almost every chapter in the book of Acts

that how they increase how this I mean

it’s gave the numbers over and over

3,000 5,000 and every number has to be

paid attention to online campus people

who are in small groups and our online

pastor does amazing at this uh First

Time guest every week do we have more

online firsttime guests or less why did

Pastor not talk to the online campus uh

how was the opening how was the close uh

online firsttime givers are we reaching

out to them online prayer team have

people requested prayer and not been

called e everything matters it’s just

like a normal campus cuz in my eyes it

is a a normal campus and so if you’re

just getting started you may have two

online guests but guess what you have

all their information go get them take

them and grow your church you’re being

faithful God never told you to be super

successful and he never called you to be

a mega church but he did you will be

judged according to your faithfulness he

said we are mandated to be faithful and

to whom a little is given a little will

be required but don’t bury the talent

and and I want I really this I I feel so

strong about this that what what

everybody has a a tendency to do is say

oh well that’s that’s him because

there’s only a few of you in the world

really and what I’m saying is and the

reason we’re doing this podcast this is

the point is for 18 well it’s more than

18 years but since I’ve been pastoring

for 18 years how many times I’d be on

the phone with you right and I didn’t

want to hear this kind of stuff because

I felt so small and I was like yeah

that’s you that’s you that’s you’re who

and I you’re picking up the phone and I

did I was thankful for that but my point

was is it was almost

discouraging sometimes because of how

you know and that’s why we’re doing this

there’s a there’s a few of him but

there’s a bunch of us and he kept

pushing me he kept pushing me so any uh

Effectiveness or or success I don’t

think is the right word but just that

that we’ve seen is because he wouldn’t

let me buy into that lie that he kept

saying no you got to get a dream you

don’t have to do what I do you don’t

have to be who I am you don’t have to

but but you you are going to have to

challenge that in you and anytime I’ve

gotten apathetic it’s because I’ve

allowed myself to fall into those areas

I was comfortable and I knew how to do

it and I knew where I was good or I knew

where I was strong and it was him that

kept pushing me and um and that’s

hopefully what we’re doing for you right

now is not trying to say be this or be

that exhibit a of what we’re talking

about is is seven heels and and what

God’s doing there and it it is

absolutely

astounding what the holy spirit is doing

in that church I mean and and in your in

and in your in your youth group all

everything just exploding just exploding

and reaching no hype no no crazy just

hard hard work and excellence and and

getting out there and getting the

message out there creative being

creative same principles that we did to

get the attention of the community you

know by little by little you taking the

ground you’re possessing the ground and

and but it’s been Supernatural and it’s

been so rewarding and that’s why we’re

doing this that’s why we’re doing this

podcast is you’re talking about two guys

that that I saw in him myself and and

that’s why I felt you know to push you I

saw on myself and I see it in those who

are watching us right now and no you may

not be called to to to do but but you

certainly God is for increase and growth

yeah I mean certainly he is and and and

there’s something I Believe in Us that

has to have that to feel fulfilled some

of it you can’t have it all the time but

I need some winds I need it

and that’s God that’s God right I mean

that’s God in us saying I want you to

win absolutely and you know that’s the

whole point is when you get the win if

you’re getting the win saying oh look at

my win yeah but if you’re getting the

wind to say okay I A lot of times with

this stuff you’re dying behind the

scenes I mean you are dying a thousand

deaths behind the

scenes and when you get up there there’s

no sense of ego because you know that

that outside of God somehow doing

anything but then you get up there and

it you truly know he made it live I I

served God by putting everything I could

into

it but he breathed on it and then you

get there and once again you keep

finding another way to go back into an

area where um you don’t know anything

you you’re the chance of failure is high

you know the chance of not making it is

like you’re talking about writing a book

and I’m sitting here putting all this

stuff down CU I I know I know know what

I’m supposed to do and I’ve just been

afraid because I don’t want to fail I

don’t want to I don’t want to fall short

I don’t want to do it and nobody read it

and and then I I you know I’m also

questioning my judgments I judge other

guys when I’m like why are they writing

a book you know like what’s the point

you know it’s like they’re getting ahead

of themselves in my mind and then I’m

like well it’s my own ego at least

they’re believing in themselves at least

they’re going for it you know and and

hearing you guys talk is it’s and that’s

what we want to happen the dream should

beget dreams you the dreamer should

that’s right be inspired and that’s what

happens when I get around you or these

guys is a okay you’re right I sell

myself short too much I I give all

myself the excuses on well there’s so

many other people I don’t want to be a

echo uh what’s what’s the point I mean

really what’s the point let me just

build my church that’s my bean patch as

you would say I’m I’m just going to be

faithful there but be careful with that

that you still need to get some areas

where you’re like oh I probably gonna

fail here you know and I’ve got some of

those right now you know I’m like I’m

probably not going to do it but I’m okay

with it because I’m not going into it to

succeed I’m going into it to say God if

you want to do it

again I was I was the underdog every

other time too that’s right so you know

if you want to do it

again I’ll give it back to you I I I

will I’ll give it back to you and and

I’ll treat people right along the way

like you’ve taught me I’ll be kind along

the way I won’t get big in my head along

the way but I’ll honor you with it and

and it’s just so I hope of looking back

to and seeing the different seasons and

seeing to and

being so incredibly appreciative of

realizing I could not have done it

without Brian Smith without Jason Vernon

without these amazing people that are in

this room and and and a thousand

thousands more actually that make it

happen um there’s no and to know that

God had such a magnificent plan for his

life in his life that that’s the stuff

that we don’t we don’t we we’re not that

we don’t have the sense to put all that

together but God does yeah and all he

needs is simple obedience and dream

dream again and I think we should doing

that together right I felt like quitting

so many times I felt like giving up I

felt like quitting TV so many times so

many times now that’s the biggest

Revenue thing you know in the ministry

but I felt like quitting I felt like

quitting so many times just the all

everything you just said I’m not I’m not

who do I I think I am you know these

guys are really amazing I and they just

and I’m why don’t why isn’t everything

not lining up for me and it didn’t for

years and years it didn’t it was a

struggle all the

time and so that’s a Grace it really is

a Grace and but I love I love that

you’re starting uh TBN called you and

and in other networks dayar has has

reached out and but TBN particularly

which is a major Market a major uh and

and you can’t kick those doors in you

can’t just do that the money doesn’t

make that happen Matt called you to the

you know and and he’s going to be

starting on TVN in in a few weeks and

it’s just so exciting to me to see that

that God you know if I Inspire that to

God be the glory I’ll cast my crown but

that’s that brings me more joy than me

doing it now it it really does it’s kind

of weird it’s like I I love what God’s

doing but it’s kind of like what you’re

saying and what you’re saying then

finding another generation and raising

them up and and then

saying such as I have give I unto you

get up and do a miracle for your

generation because uh you know he

doesn’t call usually an older generation

to reach a younger generation he he can

you can span the generations yeah and

that’s what it says David served his

generation fell asleep there’s only one

generation you can serve so somebody’s

got to be a dreamer in your generation

yeah what’s that scripture old men dream

dreams Old Men Dreams dreams but young

men see visions and dreams are bedded in

the past you know you start talking to

an old person I remember when the Holy

Spirit did this and that and it’s always

about what they’ve seen and that’s and

that’s fine that’s beautiful because

there’s a faith that I’ve seen him do it

before he can do it again but young men

see visions and vision is about the

future they understand a different

concept and rarely is it you know you

can reinvent yourself that’s one thing

that I have done I mean I if you’d have

told me I’d be preaching in jeans and

stuff and all that but you know I do

things purposely because my wife likes

me to look right but beyond that um I do

it because I really want want to reach

people in a and and I want to I want my

Ministry to span Generations I want to

stay relevant I want to stay uh up to

date I want I love to talk to young

people surround myself with with young

people uh the older I get the more I

want young people around me just because

you’re learning you’re you’re you’re

you’re noticing

you’re some of it aggravates me some of

it ticks me off sometimes and I find

myself being an old cranky man sometimes

you know that that why why that’s that’s

no they’re just like I W just like I was

when I was coming up and the older guys

it’s just how it is yeah so I would say

to anyone like a 40 50 60 year old

Pastor it’s not too late to jump into

this thing of of taking it serious and

uh like your dad 72 years old and

started his online Ministry it’s the

most precious thing I love that it was

the most precious thing and he was so

he’d call Jason and be so excited that

he crying yeah and saying the people are

they’re they’re te they’re uh commenting

and we’re we started this and started

that

online yeah love it and you know he he

actually retired this year and raised up

a young Pastor that he had spent lot of

years building up and the young Pastor

has obviously a further Vision so

they’re online they they’ve redid the St

he calls me and he’ll say well they

redid the stage and all I was like yeah

Dad but remember now he’s the young guy

coming up and he was like well it’s

reaching more people and so there you go

it’s just beautiful sacred cows make

good hamburgers that’s it that’s it the

piano one inch at a time right would you

pray for just the pastors that

absolutely and and the people just the

dream the dream Lord I just pray right

now for pastors that feel like they’re

all alone and uh they need a media

minded person around them right now they

need a um online Instagram Twitter kind

of person right now and that person

might be the teenager in their own

Family the son the daughter that they um

or or a kid in the youth group or uh

Lord I just pray that you would open our

minds that you would open our hearts

that you would give us your eyes and and

let us see what is in the house and just

take baby steps that that will be led of

you

into uh greater influence greater uh

ability to preach the gospel that we

would plant Jesus in dry ground and just

believe that if we will plant the seeds

that you can bring forth greatness For

Your Glory and your praise and we ask it

all in the name of Jesus I stir up the

dream in every person listening to me

while we’ve talked you’ve got glimpes of

potential um miracles in your in in your

ministry that could happen outreaches

that could happen and may they not die

on the vine but may may that dream just

begin to pursue it just begin to pursue

it in the name of Jesus it will prosper

if you’ll pursue it and we praise you

for for it we give you the lord of the

Harvest and the Lord of The increased

all the glory but we will try our best

to do more than we’ve ever done this

year for you in Jesus name amen amen

well before we end our time together I

want to just remind you about this

Sunday night uh first Sunday night of

every month the pastor’s uh prayer

opportunity is just simply a way for you

to come and join us with prayer in

prayer if you wouldd like and then the

next day we’ll find some different

things to do just a Shen one another

there’s no obligation there’s no need

here if you need to know people are

pulling for you that’s that’s it we’ll

pull in prayer we’ll we’ll find ways to

maybe even maybe you can even bring some

of your young people with you and we’ll

set them down with some young people

here and figure out how to get your your

this going or that going point is is

just uh look at how you can uh come and

hang out with us if you’d like and of

course share this um hit subscribe uh if

this has spoken to you stirred you help

you dram a little bit bigger there’s

other people that could use this as well

and so we’ll see you next

time thank you for joining us for

mentoring moments with Jensen Franklin

and Marcus mikum leave a comment to join

the conversation don’t forget to like

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