Cage Free Ministry
…brings more JOY!
The joy of sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ.
The joy of shedding a system and a mindset that there is only one way ministry can happen (here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open the door…), and
discovering that we live in an amazingly creative world, full of tools and patterns we can follow to bring new life to our ministry.
And it’s a lot like the world that the first disciples found themselves in, interestingly enough.
Ready to get go ‘Cage Free’?
1. Work with me directly.
Schedule a free 30 minute consult to talk about custom consulting, retreats, speaking, and training on Cage Free Ministry:
2. Join Substack Seminary.
For pastors, ministry leaders, and serious Jesus‑people who are thinking and serving outside the institutional box (or who want to!).
It’s a home for orphan weirdo pastors! 😉
Join us:
3. Subscribe to Free Range Priest.
Become a paid subscriber for:
Weekly insights and actions for Cage Free Ministry and Unstuck Church
Monthly ‘Ask Father Cathie’ livestream (+ submit your own questions)
Discounts on all Ministry Reimagination Mini courses
Become a Founding Member for:
all of the above, plus all Mini courses free
a yearly 1-1 consultation with me.
Automatic paid membership to Trexo and Substack Seminary
Cage Free Ministry is the framework I’ve developed over 25 years of ordained ministry - ten of those as a Free Range Priest.
People always joke with me: ‘Free Range? Like the chicken?’
And I say, ‘YES’.
Because it’s still ministry. It just tastes better.
Cage Free Ministry is:
1. Clergy (and professional lay ministers) on task-based contract.
A new minister shows up at a congregation - what is the actual work they’re supposed to do?
Often enough, this is never spelled out!
Clergy do what they think clergy should do (they lead worship, they preach, and then what? Pastoral care? (what does that mean, exactly?) Christian formation (what does that mean, exactly?)
Clergy end up doing everything. And congregations just assume that this clergy person will do what the last one did (why shouldn’t they?) And they basically expect full-time work regardless of whether it’s part-time, because clergy are usually doing everything.
The simple yet paradigm-shifting solution to this: a contract that states exactly what work is being done by the minister. Based on the task, not the time.
It’s not about ‘30 hours a week’, it’s about ‘preaching on Sunday’ (how many Sundays? What about other days/services?)
2. Clergy not ‘in charge’ of congregations
The 20th-century model of church is clergy as CEOs of small non-profits - making decisions for the community on everything from service times to personnel to programs.
In the Cage Free model, clergy serve alongside congregations, bearing the sacraments, Scripture, and traditions of faith. Praying and leading worship. And supporting the leadership of the lay ministers - and the whole congregation.
It’s not the clergy person’s church!
Personally, as a Free Range Priest who has been serving with a small congregation for a decade, I:
Don’t have a key to the buildings
Don’t know what their budget is
Don’t attend any meetings (unless I’m specifically invited - for a reason)
Cage Free Ministry is about being a ‘consultant’ for the ministry of the congregation or community.
3. Asking ‘Where is God in this?’
After clarifying what our job is NOT, it’s important to clarify what it is:
Theological presence and process.
Helping others grow in their relationship with God, and helping them become the disciples they’re called to be.
The ‘cage’ of the institutional church often puts clergy in the role of social worker, therapist, community organizer, business manager, and other jobs best suited for those who are so called.
As ministers, we have a very important calling, and it’s important to keep this central:
Sit with people and ask where God is in this. Tell them where you see and feel God’s presence. Create space for discernment and listening for God’s voice.
Don’t solve or fix. Be a faithful presence.
4. ‘Root’ not ‘Fruit’ of Christian ministry
Churches should not be doing ‘outreach’.
This may seem contradictory to our faith - because of course we’re called to love and serve our neighbors!
But this is the ‘fruit’ of Christian ministry.
Ministry is where we share the root.
There is nowhere else in today’s world for people to learn and practice and experience the Christian faith than in church (or participating in another ministry).
Ministry should focus on forming disciples - who then feel compelled to share the fruit of Christian ministry in their community.
5. Focus on sharing the Gospel - NOT saving the institution.
This step requires brutal honesty and not a small bit of courage.
Most ministers and lay leaders are exhausted because they are trying SO hard not to let the institution collapse on their watch.
‘We’ve got to meet our budget’
‘We’ve got to bring in new members’
‘We’ve got keep this small group of people happy’
‘We’ve got to find more people to help with this program’
An example of Cage Free Ministry and Unstuck Church is Trexo: a gym for your soul..
Or else - what?
Or else the church doors could close. Or else the minister’s hours will have to be reduced (or at least their pay…). Or else we might have to let someone go…
The painful truth: the institution is collapsing anyway. We can’t save it through the force of our will.
The Good News: We can let it go. We really can.
If we focus on the love of God, and loving and serving our neighbors, if we preach the Gospel and use our energy to share it - then we know God is leading us forward into new ways of being and doing church.
We just have to follow faithfully.
And be not afraid.
Serving your ministry ‘Cage Free’ isn’t about giving up on the church.
And it’s not about remaining in denial about the collapse of mainline denominations, whistling in the dark as we ‘keep on keeping on’ the way we’ve always done it.
It’s recognizing that our calling is about sharing the love of God - love stronger than death - and the life transformation of following Jesus.
And being willing to create new, thriving systems for doing this - for the sake of the church and the world.
It’s about moving from (trying to) bring people to church…
At Free Range Priest, we’re bringing church to people.
Bite-sized ways that YOU can re-imagine ministry and get ‘unstuck’.
Right now. Today.
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