In 2019 Dan Strickland, President of Living Free had the vision to offer the Living Free seminar in a format that would be more comprehensive,
more opportunity for interaction among participants, and long enough to absorb the vast amount of information compacted into just one 6 hour session presented in a live event. With the help of Barbara Dodridge, online training was developed and introduced in February of 2019 called Living Free Academy.
About 12 months later, all live training came to a halt due to COVID 19.
However, due to forward-thinking, and with the Lord’s guidance, Living Free
Academy was in place, online, and on time! Since 2019, 23 Living Free Academy classes have been completed with over 300 students graduating. Not only
was the timing due to COVID 19 significant, but also the platform and delivery proved to be advantageous to the former way of presenting the Living Free training for implementation in churches and communities. Yes, live training has resumed thankfully. Nothing can replace coming together as a church family,
or as a group of churches hoping to impact their community. The training both online and in-person is providing an incredible opportunity for seeing the
Christian community in action. However, due to the convenience and efficiency of virtual communication, Living Free Academy is here to stay, online and on time!
In the Spring and early Summer of 2021 the Living Free Academy instructors were able to train leaders with Global Teen Challenge from Bombay, India, and Tasmania, Australia.
One of our students is from Nigeria, hoping to use Living Free to initiate a new church plant in that impoverished country. Another student, from Uganda, is a Global
Teen Challenge alumni, hoping to initiate Living Free in that needy country where residential facilities are so cost-prohibitive. A pastor from Vermont requested training for his congregation, and our instructors were able to schedule a Friday evening and Saturday morning window and our Living Free conventional training was facilitated online without the travel expense that may have prohibited this small congregation from bringing in one of our certified instructors.
This month (July 2021), 35 interns from Oklahoma Adult & Teen Challenge are enrolled as students in Living Free Academy 24. Wayne Gray, Oklahoma Adult & Teen Challenge
Director plans on these interns taking Living Free and the gospel to every corner of that state, using Living Free to put forth hope & help in the smaller rural
communities in need of a relevant, relational, non-labeling Biblical ministry anointed by the Holy Spirit.
Wayne had this to say about Living Free: “In the recent months, I have been strongly burdened to reach more people than ever before through the ministry of
Adult & Teen Challenge of Oklahoma. One way this will be done is by establishing Living Free throughout the state of Oklahoma, encouraging pastors and churches to launch Living Free. When our students and interns choose to go back to their hometown, we want them well-equipped & empowered to initiate and lead Living Free in their neighborhood.”
Living Free Academy, making it possible to train, empower and equip. Online, and on time!
To register for a Living Free Academy course, please go to www.livingfreeacademy.org
