Freedom City Collective: The Story So Far
- Caleb Wilber
- May 2
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 7
If you’re reading this, we want to take you back to the beginning. Back to the moments that felt small, unseen, and sometimes painful. Back to when it was less complicated. Back to the whispers that became confirmations. Back to the heart for people—and how God keeps renewing and restoring.
At the very beginning, Freedom City Collective didn’t have a name. No organization, no budget, no plan—just a deep conviction that God was asking us to move, to trust Him, and to lead people in worship.
We (Caleb and Jenn) were worship pastors at a church outside Columbus, Ohio, when 2020 disrupted the world. In the isolation and exhaustion of that season, God began to stir a desire in us—a desire to support church leaders and creatives who were running dry. We were under-supported, lonely, and asking questions that didn’t have easy answers.
Who understands the unique pressures of being in church leadership—especially in the creative space?
Who can I lean on when I’m sick and can’t lead?
Who can help equip our small group of volunteers to run the show when we’re gone?
Where do I find creative help—graphic design, video, photo, social media—that actually gets it, both spiritually and professionally?
Where is the Church Monday through Friday?
Why are so many creatives deeply wounded by the Church?
Why is everything centered on the Sunday stage/morning, but disconnected from the Kingdom mission?
These weren’t just logistical frustrations. They were spiritual ones. We started to see a gap—not just in staffing or resources—but in vision, integration, and presence. We weren’t just asking how to help the Church; we were asking why it had stopped helping creatives thrive.
The Seed Is Planted
In March 2021, still unnamed and operating purely out of obedience, we were invited to serve a church in Lancaster, Ohio, while their worship pastor was on leave. That’s where we met Daren Fulks—a trusted mentor who would later join our executive team as Director of Live Events.
At the same time, we began leading worship for a small congregation in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. We weren’t even scraping by—living off savings and support—but clarity began to form.
From the beginning, God made one thing unmistakably clear:
Our tax status didn’t matter. Our obedience did.
Two values became non-negotiable:
We had to stay community-driven
We had to remain mission-led
We didn’t need a roadmap. We needed faith, people, and presence.
From Interim to Infrastructure
By November 2021, we were supporting a worship ministry in Mount Vernon, Ohio. That’s where we met Megan Kusch, a worship leader with years of interim experience. Her story mirrored ours: a heart for the Church, a calling to serve, and a willingness to walk through the in-between.
Megan became our first official team member and helped launch the Booking Department—a team of worship leaders, musicians, and production operators who could step in when churches needed help.
By March 2022, we had grown to five on the booking team: Megan, Caleb, Jenn, James, Jeff and Oliver.
In 2022 (till now), James Fogle began sending his connections from Lancaster and Southern Ohio, introducing us to an incredible network of talented and kingdom-minded creatives. Since the beginning, has been a steady presence, strong leader and trusted sounding board to the whole team, offering key leadership during our trial team nights and helping to shape a healthy, intentional culture. From the beginning, James has been a fierce advocate and protector of people — always ensuring that others were seen, valued, and cared for in the best ways possible.
… and Jeff Dirks was staff worship leader for church turned coffee guru slowly began to share about the mission with other musicians and motivated to reach out. With a golden heart for people and heart to serve he nudged countless creatives to reach out.
Growing exhausted trying to maintain growth, we also began dreaming of better systems—because spreadsheets were not the future.
God brought a connection to Dylan, a developer who caught the vision and began building City Center—our custom-built platform for iOS, Android, and Web that now runs the backbone of our operations for our Booking Department.
People Just Kept Showing Up
As we served more churches, creatives began reaching out. Videographers. Designers. Developers. Writers. Photographers.
We didn’t recruit in the traditional sense—people came and some were sent because they felt what was happening. The culture was contagious and people within our team believed in the same thing.
In August 2022, we supported a women’s event with We Are Gals, combining video, live band, and full production. That was our first integrated experience of worship, events, and media—and it birthed our marketing and events departments.
By November 2022, we had supported over 40 churches across Columbus and Cincinnati and launched full video and photo packages. What began as a stopgap solution had become strategic partnerships rooted in calling, culture, and creativity.
The Marketplace, Ministry, and Mission Collide
In November 2023, we met Brent Long, a Christ-centered sales coach who changed everything.
Brent helped us see that the same excellence and mission that fueled our ministry could also empower businesses and nonprofits—and that doing so could fund ministry, provide scholarships, and some day, that building debt-free training pipelines for emerging leaders.
He redefined sales for us:
Sales isn’t pressure. It’s servanthood. It’s integrity. It’s solving real problems. It can drive real change. It can drive a better future.
Brent also sharpened our approach to marketing: No smoke. No mirrors. Just data-driven, revenue-generating, transparent, goal oriented-deliverables.
This became the foundation for Freedom City Marketing—a marketplace and ministry arm that doesn’t sacrifice our values for performance and storytelling, but lets accomplishments for businesses and churches speak for itself.
From 20 to 40
By January 2024, we had fully launched our marketing and events departments and redesigned our website to reflect the journey we’ve been on. Our team grew to nearly 40 active members. Through the Booking department, we facilitated 8 interim assignments, supported dozens of creative contractors, and served more than 75 churches and businesses.
In April, we planted our first location-based team outside of Central Ohio—launching in Cincinnati as a testbed for future expansion.
By summer, we stepped into new territory—leading two full-week youth camps in July and August, where we provided worship, production, and equipment. It was a glimpse of our vision for serving the next generation.
Then in November, we met Josh, then the Creative Pastor at Real Church, whose partnership later helped propel Freedom City Marketing into full stride.
And through every moment, God kept adding—adding people, purpose, and places to plant.
Final Thoughts
What began as a whisper has grown into a collective— spanning cities, businesses, churches, nonprofits, creatives, and team members.
At Freedom City, we’re not concerned with tax status. Ministry is about mission, vision, and values.
We don’t hire based on résumés. We hire based on calling, character and chemistry.
We’re not chasing clout.
We’re not building castles.
We’re building the Kingdom.
We believe in:
– Innovation and Creativity
– Relational leadership
– Serving over Spotlighting
We see ourselves as modern-day Levites— serving the other eleven tribes by elevating their stories, their worship, and their impact.
We believe great work deserves fair compensation—because it allows us to reinvest, grow, and reach farther. When a team member leaves to go serve a business or church, it’s not just that person serving - their whole family is involved.
We’re chasing impact—one relationship, one story, one moment at a time.
Most of all—we follow Jesus Christ even into death.
Caleb Wilber (founder)