FOL Ministries began 20 years ago as a vision for serving others that are in full time ministry.  “FOL” is a word for “following” and this place is for His Followers and those soon to follow. FOL Ministries intends to Lead, Nurture, Teach, Heal, and Feed His sheep.

Throughout our twenty-year experience of mentoring and counseling families, both in and out of the church setting, we have experienced God’s equipping for such a time as this. We have participated and facilitated restorative marriage retreats, premarital counseling, young marrieds groups, men’s discipleship training, women’s fellowship and bible study groups, as well as writing and directing international discipleship programs.  We spent 4 years in community ministry as a CARES Team with Apartment Life Ministries and feel strongly about investing in and building up community no matter where we live.  Most recently, we have lived three years in Uganda, Africa serving on staff with Engineering Ministries International, which has given us a first hand understanding of the importance of rest and why God has commanded us to do so. 

We observe that all too often missionaries and pastors are consumed with the work of ministering into the lives of others while not always taking appropriate steps to truly rest and rely on the strength of the Lord.  Restoration is imperative to ensure we are the most effective we can be for the sake of the Gospel.  Statistics are overwhelmingly against spiritual leaders when it comes to fatigue, burnout, and depression.  Approximately 80% of Christian missionaries burn out and quit before finishing what they felt called to do. Almost 50% of ministry workers suffer, or have suffered, from depression and end up dropping out of Christian service all together. 

Our mission at FOL Ministries is to impact all nations for Christ by strengthening the vitality of ministry leaders through restoration physically, mentally, and spiritually, so that they can continue serving and doing God’s good work.

Through biblical Christian hospitality we desire to provide safe, affordable lodging so that ministry workers can have a place of rest.  Our biblical example is uncovered in how we are called to obey Jesus who told his disciples to “Love one another, even as I have loved you…By this all men will know that you are my disciples because you love one another.” In other words, hospitality is how we live out love on a daily basis. It is revealed in our call to care for our leaders and those who travel throughout the world telling others about the gospel. The followers of Jesus knew that to refuse Jesus’ messengers was the same as refusing Jesus’ message. 

Finally, it was often in the environment of hospitality that faith was forged. Christianity was a home-centered movement in early days. The followers of Jesus didn’t rent public space for meetings, therefore many converts to this new faith learned about Jesus from the discussions (and treatment they received) in the homes of early believers. Interestingly, homegrown faith was something Jesus himself started: He accepted invitations from common folks, and in their homes he engaged them in spiritual discussions.  This is where we find ourselves, offering up a place of respite to those that are weary and in need of rest.