LAUNCH INFORMATIONBOOKLET

With 83,658 people in Liberty County, it is the 47th most populated county in Texas, however, with the advent of TX-99, Liberty County is already experiencing a surge in economic growth and development.

The greater Houston area is the 4th largest in the USA and the 2nd fastest growing. With nearly 6.3 million people, it is one of the most massive mission fields in the world.

With only 2.85% of the population in Liberty County in some form of a Spirit-led church, the harvest potential and opportunity for people to experience the empowered life God designed for us is incredible.

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Metro-politan Statistical Areas is expected to grow wildly over the next several decades with a gain of over 8,3 million people forecast.

We are proud partners of the

Association of Related Churches (ARC)ARC partners with church planters and church leaders to provide support, guidance, and resources to launch and grow life-giving churches. Visit arcchurches.com

We are proud partners of the

Rwanda Mentoring ProjectRMP is a Christian organization that provides support to Rwandan children by providing funding their educational and physical needs.

WHYANOTHER

CHURCH?

WE ARE TAKING OUR NEXT STEPWe are stepping out on faith, following God’s guidance, with incredible oversight from multiple churches, in planting Freedom Church in Day-ton, Texas! We are certain this is God’s plan for us and are so excited to be walking into this new season. I want to invite you to ask God if he would have you be a part of building Freedom Church financially, and whether he leads you in that direction or not, I want to personally invite you to join us in prayer as we take this next step, fulfilling a promise God gave 20 years ago! Let’s build God’s Kingdom in Dayton, Texas!

JASON & MONIQUE COWART LEAD PASTORS

For over 20 years, Jason has been engaged in ministry, from worship to college to youth, and most re-cently in executive roles as campus pastor at New Covenant Church in Longview, Texas. From the begin-ning, he has known God has called him to church planting, stepping into this role as a sixth-generation church planter.

A graduate of the International College of Bible Theology and of East Texas Baptist University, he has the training and experience to lead, yet even more importantly, he has been given a mandate, a call, to lead a life-giving, Spirit-led church in the Greater Houston Area.

“I want to be a part of bringing the message of authentic, Spirit-led Christianity to the Dayton area, and genuinely believe that plant-ing a local church is the best way to do that. It is my passion to help people be completely restored to God, living a victorious life for Jesus, with purpose, making a dif-ference, and that is accomplished through the church.”

He and Monique have three chil-dren, Vivianne, William, and Au-drey. They feel a genuine call to the Dayton area and are excited not only to plant roots in this com-munity, but to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives in the form of Free-dom Church.

A SIMPLE APPROACHWe have a very simple approach to seeing people’s lives changed at

Freedom Church. First, we love what God loves most, and that is people.

We want to see every single person in Dayton in a relationship with God,

having daily experiences with the Holy Spirit, and walking in real free-

dom! We do that in the following ways:

1. DYNAMIC WEEKEND SERVICESWe intentionally organize our services to lead people into a relationship

with Jesus. Studies show that relational weekend services have the best

success rate in this. Our mission is to help people have real relationships

with God and his people, have real spiritual experiences, and find real

and lasting freedom.

2. SMALL GROUPSWe believe that genuine change comes from the life change that hap-

pens in intentional community. Freedom Church exists to lead people

into a growing relationship with Jesus and his people. A huge part of

that happens in the context of small groups. We are a church of small

groups, not a church with small groups.

3. NEXT STEPSNext Steps was designed to help people grow in their relationship with

Jesus. From the initial decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior to

serving in a life-changing ministry, we lead people, step by step, from

healing to freedom to growth and into a fulfilling, serving role, utilizing

four steps: Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Your Purpose, and Make

a Difference.

4. SERVING OTHERSOur Freedom Church Serve Team is a group of incredible people that

have discovered their gifts and passions and are actively serving in

them. This team is all about one thing: serving God by serving his peo-

ple. This is how we make a significant impact in people’s lives: meeting

others’ needs. Jesus came to serve. We want to serve as well!

PREP Official incorporation

File for 501(c)(3) status

Church identity

Build out website

Develop directors for church oversight

Launch date set - September 20, 2020

Complete planter training - ARC

Begin fundraising in October

PHASE ONE Continue fundraising effort

Move to Dayton, Texas

Begin relational outreach

Secure location for worship services

Connect with local schools and community

outreach programs

PHASE TWOHold TEAM Nights and Interest meetings

Purchase equipment (sound, lighting,

media, nextGEN, signage, etc)

Develop comprehensive family plan for

nextGEN and family development

Continue fundraising efforts

Set budgets for post-launch

Build internship team

PHASE THREEDevelopment of Small Groups

Official launch of Freedom Church

Continued prayer for increase and provision

THE TIMELINE HOW WE BENCHMARK PROGRESS

January to March

April to July

August to September

Now to December 2019

THE FINANCES

THE BREAKDOWN

Financial accountability is incredibly important, both during the fundraising stage, and after. Along with our Board of Directors, Freedom Church will have constant financial over-sight through third-party financial advisors and the Associa-tion of Related Churches (ARC).

FACILITIES20%

ADVERTISING10%

SALARIES20%

MINISTRIES/MEDIA50%

WORSHIP/MEDIAEQUIPMENTSOUNDMULTIMEDIALIGHTING

MINISTRIESNEXTGEN MINISTRY (KIDS, YOUTH)NEXT STEPSDREAM TEAM

ADVERTISINGWEBSITESOCIAL MEDIAFLYERS/SHIRTSDIRECT MAILSIGNAGECOMMUNITY OUTREACH

FACILITIESRENTAL OF SPACEUPKEEP OF FACILITIES

PASTORAL COMPENSATIONThe salary for the lead pastor is set by the Board of Directors, and during this launching phase, reflects the average yearly income in Liberty County, which is around $56,000 per year. As of January 2020, the salary is 100% funded for 2020.

PRAYPrayer REALLY changes things! Please commit to praying for Jason and Monique and their family, the leadership team, and the Dayton and Liberty County areas.

Here are some specifics:- The leadership and launch team development and imple-

mentation- For financial provision- For people to have genuine experiences with Jesus and find

freedom.- For opportunities in the community to share Jesus and

serve

GIVEOur goal is to raise $250,000 to launch Freedom Church with excellence. Please prayerfully consider giving a significant one-time donation, or partnering with us to sustain this ongoing effort to reach the city through weekly or monthly donations. All donations can be made by mail at: Freedom Church, PO Box 1714, Dayton, Texas 77535 or securely online at www.freedom-dtx.com/give. We are currently just under 1/3 funded.

GOWe are looking for a launch team of 50 people to help us make this vision a reality. We believe that God wants to do something incredible in the lives of the people in the Greater Houston area. This will only happen with a team of people who are committed to serving, reaching, and building the vision of Freedom Church.

HOW YOU CAN HELPCHANGE LIVES

“IT’S WHAT YOU SOW THAT MULTIPLIES, NOT WHAT YOU KEEP IN THE BARN.”

-ADRIAN ROGERS

STARTUP PACKAGEStartup includes essential items we will need in order to facili-tate services, and includes rental costs and service subscriptions that are necessary for the ministry to function. These include:

Venue $3,200 per month $38,400.00

Planning Center $400 per month $4,800.00 (people management and giving service)

Vimeo yearly cost $900.00 (live streaming)

TOTAL $44,100.00

In terms of substantial, tax-deductible donations to launch Free-dom Church, you may consider giving towards a specific need within our Launch Packet. These packages are below and will allow us the opportunity to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the empowerment that comes through the Holy Spirit to Day-ton, Texas. One could donate towards an entire package, or a selection of needs within each package.

If you have any questions, please let us know, and please re-member how grateful we are for your generosity. We believe you are sowing in great soil and that an incredible, multiplied, harvest will result!

SUPPORT PACKAGEOPTIONS

OUTREACH PACKAGEOutreach includes funding that help spread the word in Dayton about the new church plant. These include:

Events $750 per month $9,000.00 (community reach and interest meetings)

Visual Reach one time purchase $3,500.00 (signage, banners, mailouts, etc.)

TOTAL $12,500.00

TECH PACKAGETech goes a long way in creating an atmosphere where peo-ple can experience God. While quality lights and sound aren’t what brings the presence of God into a room, they help create an environment that is both appealing and has the ability to be extremely energy-creating. These include:

Audio/Lighting one time purchase $17,000.00

Video Production one time purchase $15,254.00

TOTAL $32,254.00

NEXTGEN PACKAGENextGEN encompasses children, birth through 12th grade. These funds will be used to create spaces within our venue for Nurs-ery, Toddlers-4 years, 5 years-9 years, and youth ministry. These include:

Room staging one time purchase $5,000.00

Supplies/Tech one time purchase $10,000.00

TOTAL $15,000.00

STAFF PACKAGEWe realize that fundrasing for salaries is tough, however, in order to focus on launching well, it is important to do our best to raise all the funds necessary to facilitate just that. We are working to raise funds for three staff positions to launch. These include:

Pastoral Salary $4,667 per month $56,000.00 (concurrent with average salary in Dayton)

Admin $1,000 per month $12,000.00

Worship $1,000 per month $12,000.00

TOTAL $78,000.00

YOUR GIFTWith our incorporation as a Texas not-for-profit specifically operating as a church, we are 100% tax deductible in terms of gifts received. Our 501(c)(3) is currently in process and should be completed by the end of January. We want you to rest assured, however, that even while that status is in process, we are able to give you a receipt for your donation that is 100% deductible from your taxes. Thank you so much for your gift and for believing in what God is doing in Dayton, Texas.

THE VISIONWe believe God has called us to plant a life-giving, Spirit-led, truth-teaching church in Dayton, Texas. Since I was first called to ministry in December of 1998, I have known God was going to use me to lead a church that fit these descriptors and over the course of growing and learning in ministry in the last 20 years, church planting has really been a passion in me, and we are con-fident that now is the time.

Our vision is a church where people can experience real relation-ships with God and his people, have real experiences in his pres-ence and with the Holy Spirit, and experience real freedom, ac-tual heart change, not just behavior modification. To accomplish that, it is going to take a life-giving church, one that is focused on helping people experience the life God has called us to live. Liberty County, which includes Dayton, is an area of Texas whose population exceeds 85,000, yet is only around 2.8% Spirit-led, and with Texas 99 being completed within the next few years, Dayton is going to experience, and already is, a serious popu-lation growth. We really believe that Dayton needs a church to impart life to those there now, and those to come, to invigorate them with real life that is only found in Jesus by his Spirit

This church must be a Spirit-led church. So many people only see the Holy Spirit as your conscious letting you know right from wrong, so they are missing out on what 2 Peter 1:3 prom-ises us, that “divine power, who gives us everything we need to live a godly life.” I definitely don’t have all the answers to church planting, to ministry, to life, but I know once people encounter the Holy Spirit, things change. He isn’t spooky or weird or crazi-ness. He is the healthy expression of what the empowered life is all about. And when you add the truth of God’s word, it creates a life-changing moment where true worship exists. I am beyond excited to be a part of helping strengthen this expression of the church within the Dayton area.

In 2010, I planted a church in Marshall, Texas. I learned a lot of what not to do in that process, but that has allowed me to rec-ognize an incredible process when I see it. A person can’t ignore the incredible success rates of ARC plants, but more important-ly, we are drawn to the ARC model because we really resonate with the core of what ARC is all about. We want a church that is not only generous with our people, but generous with our city, a church for the city, not just in the city. We see one of the best

ways to bring people to Jesus is through serving them, being generous with our time and resources. We want to partner with other ministries and organizations to be a blessing to Dayton.

With our familial and relational links in Dayton, we already have connections with several people there in civic and educational arenas. We can’t wait to start connecting with people in Dayton to work together with those church and civic leaders to make an impact there for Jesus.

In this process, I have been leaning into my sending church, New Covenant, my home church, Harvest Church, and several of my friends who are planting with ARC right now. Anytime I hear a person is a church planter, I always ask them: What has been the best part and the hardest part of planting? So far I have gotten some of the best advice I could get. I want to learn what I don’t know because above it all, I want to do this thing right to hon-or Jesus, my family, and to be the best I can possibly be for the people God would have us lead.

Seriously, we are honored you would consider partnering with us, and beyond amazed that God would call us to something as important as leading his most precious possession, his people, in Dayton, Texas. We are so excited and can’t wait for what is to come! Thanks so much! Jason and Monique

REAL RELATIONSHIPSWe were not meant to live life alone, but to live in the context of mean-ingful, life-giving relationships, both with God, and his people. Real rela-tionships give life both meaning and quality. Life is truly better when we are together.

REAL EXPERIENCESReligion can feel cold and can make God feel so far away, but when you have regular, real experiences with the Holy Spirit, not only do you re-alize that God is close, but that he is real and active and is literally em-

powering you to live the life God has called us to live.

REAL FREEDOMThere are no shortage of bondages we find ourselves in, from fear and anxiety to addiction and iniquity. But God has a better plan, a plan for freedom, and when we find real freedom, we are able to live the life God has called us to live.

X [ a Y Y @FREEDOMDTX

VISIT US AT:

FREEDOMDTX.COM

PO BOX 1714DAYTON, TEXAS 77535