2025 Ministry Update: The Battle is Over & The Building Has Begun
Over the last several years, Viktoriya and I have been experiencing an extraordinary and accelerated growth process. At the end of 2021, we officially launched Empowered Culture Ministries and set off on a journey to empower as many as we could by preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. While we teach on a variety of Kingdom principles, God has focused our ministry these last three years on helping couples understand the biblical model for marriage. This has been some of the most rewarding work we have done in ministry.
We believe that marriage is the engine of society. It is also one of the foundational principles of the Kingdom. It is through the institution of marriage that the Gospel is profoundly illustrated. This is why our ministry to married couples had to be the foundation of our ministry and will continue to be a core emphasis. There is however more to our calling…but it comes with some prophetic insight on the state of the church.
In our desire to see the church return to its original purpose, we have come to realize that discipleship begins here—in homes with couples and families that are centered on Jesus Christ. This is the primary reason for this transformational decade that we find ourselves right in the middle of, for God to bring us back home to our most important assignment as the church.
2020 is where this process began as God thrust the world into an era of transformation with the church being where most of the work has been done. Many believed that this was just a 1-year process and looked at COVID-19 and the other trials of that time as the point at which everything we knew changed forever. However, this was only the beginning of the change. These 10 years are a part of an Apostolic and Prophetic realignment taking place in the earth. The church is at the center of that realignment.
Although the church has been a powerful force in the earth throughout the 20th century it had grown complacent. In 2019 I gave several prophetic words concerning the future of the church. Those words are unfolding before us as we speak. The era of the mega-church as we have known it came to an end and we have been mandated to re-blaze the ancient trails of the Acts 2 church where true discipleship is the model for growth.
I’ve heard said,
“If you build a church you might make disciples, but if you make disciples you will build churches.”
Unfortunately, the strategy of the church today, specifically in the USA has been relegated to being an entertainment venue. We have lessened our emphasis on being the educational institution of the Kingdom and have become content with building “inclusive” venues to soothe the ache of the conscious of whomever comes through the doors of our buildings and call it evangelism to make ourselves feel better about lowering our standards. We have made great efforts to make the world feel comfortable in our gatherings by lowering our moral code and placing all of our ministry emphasis on performance. This all at the expense of sound doctrine, authentic community, and empowering saints for the work of the ministry.
To say that the era of the mega-church has ended does not imply that we will never gather in larger numbers. It simply means the model that we have used to plant churches in a very commercially produced way with an emphasis on celebrity structures and the worship of personality is over. Does God use our unique personalities as leaders? Yes, he does. But our personality should never be the foundation from which a local church is built. These man-made structures are not suitable to sustain the weight of glory that God desires to release upon his church.
To say that this has been difficult for most people is an understatement. The last 3 years have proven that. Even after being shaken to the core, most ministry leaders did not seek to build according to a new pattern, they simply endeavored to resurrect, rebrand, and repackage the old. For some, this has led to temporary rebounds in attendance but God is calling us to repentance. We must change the way that we think, lay down our idols, and return to his original blueprint.
Right now we are seeing a great division and unity across the body of Christ at the same time. Two branches of Christianity have emerged and will continue to grow in number and influence over the next 5 years. However, the division will continue to grow as well and the difference between the two will become more evident with every passing moment. The culture of the Kingdom will only be truly represented in the latter house. It is happening right before us, a great awakening of the church, and this has come with great shaking and exposure of the evil workings among our ranks. This has been painful and in many ways will continue until the evil is dismantled from our foundation. Some will go on to build alternative models for individuals seeking outlets to express their desire for “faith” without discipline and for a while they will grow. But the separation is upon us and these models will eventually fail. Others will have authentic repentance and will help to provide wisdom to a new generation of builders who are already in position with tools in hand and bricks being laid.
This is the encouragement that I have felt in the midst of our great shaking. A new generation of builders has been delivered to us. They have emerged with great humility and will now arise with boldness over the next 5 years to help lead a resurgence in the body of Christ. While 2024 has proven to be a year of great exposure with sin, deception, and evil workings being uncovered and brought to justice, 2025 will be a part 2 of exposure, as God brings a different type of exposure. He will reveal to the world those pure vessels he has been cultivating in the secret place. God says he will reveal the men, the model, and the miracles in 2025.
My family and I have been a part of that cultivating for more than a decade with the last 4 years showing great intensity in warfare to bring us to a place of preparation and spiritual maturity. Many of you can bear witness to this warfare. We have been placed in a pressure cooker for our character to be developed and have been refined by the fire in many painful ways. Yes, we have achieved many great things personally, and professionally, and have had a remarkable impact in ministry. We are, however on the threshold of our most significant season yet. The process we have endured has brought us to a place of clarity concerning our calling and we stand with a confidence today that we did not have in 2021 when we launched this ministry.
The fight has been both external and internal, however, the internal battle has been greater than any obstacle we’ve physically faced. We’ve battled with our identity and did not believe in who God said we were. I say this even more so for me personally. As a man, I have often yielded to the desires of those around me, offering my wisdom and prophetic insight to help build their vision. I don’t regret this, because it has been a part of the process. However, I am aware now of the ways that my humility and concern for the opinions and needs of others have been a means to divert my focus from acknowledging who God has called me to be and what it is I have been mandated to build.
Have we achieved some remarkable goals these last 3 years? Absolutely! There is no denying the lives that have been transformed through the books we have written, the events we have hosted, and the one-on-one sessions we have had with couples. But in many ways, my lack of confidence has not allowed me to recognize the extent of these achievements or utilize my knowledge and insight God has given me to its fullest extent. I have allowed others to benefit from the key prophetic wisdom God has given me and have not felt qualified to build according to these very blueprints I have shared with others.
This year, in September, my wife and I began to look at the year ahead as is our annual tradition leading up to our wedding anniversary. It is our way of getting a prophetic jumpstart on the year ahead and has shown to be an effective strategy for our growth. However, this year was different. The things that the Holy Spirit had been revealing to me could no longer be pushed down underneath other plans. We had just completed our annual marriage conference the month prior and now God had his hand around my heart. His gentle, yet urgent promptings led to many needed conversations with my wife and several other ministry leaders. After one such significant meeting, I laid down for bed that evening and woke up the next morning feeling completely different. I felt like a brand new man, but the truth is I had simply unraveled the superficial veneer that I kept as a defensive mechanism around myself. God had pierced through the cocoon that I had wrapped myself in over these last several months of wrestling with the Holy Spirit and I had now fully emerged with greater confidence and clarity concerning my calling than I have ever had.
Nothing is wasted, and there have been no missteps over the last 3 years for our ministry. The process God has had us in has prepared us for this moment— for his divine timing in the earth. However, there is a renewed urgency that has revealed to us a 5 year focused building plan in order to be positioned for 2030 and the completion of this transformational decade. We are a part of those builders who God has been raising up and will bring exposure to in 2025.
What we have already established over the last 3 years will continue but now we have moved into a time of acceleration. This year we will continue to build by:
Enlarging the Reach of our Marriage Ministry through:
National Book Deals to Distribute our content to larger audiences around the world and make our resources accessible in physical stores as well as major online retailers.
The launch of a new marriage-focused mobile app with courses, access to a host of Empowered Culture marriage mentors, date ideas, devotionals, and more.
A more concentrated weekly podcast focusing on 15 minutes of dynamic marriage content.
Leveraging social media even more through engaging Infotainment to funnel people into our marriage community.
Retreats and Conferences with a strong emphasis on ministering to the needs of couples who are ministry leaders, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.
Empowering Men
We believe that 2025 is a year of realignment in our understanding of the unique roles that God has given men and women in the earth. 2024 has been a year where we have seen the emergence of women with a movement of Esthers across the globe. This year, God is continuing this awakening with men! There have been many counterfeit movements in the world where men have been given a voice and have felt more confident in their approach to life. However a Kingdom model is emerging, where men will be equipped as both spiritual leaders, husbands, fathers, and powerful industry leaders.
With this prophetic mandate in mind, I will be hosting a men’s conference in South Carolina this year, bringing in Kingdom voices to empower men of all ages to access their God-given greatness and fulfill their purpose in the Kingdom.
Building Churches Through Kingdom Discipleship
We will be the primary leaders for a new local church plant in Upstate, SC that will be our home base for ministry. I will be the Apostolic oversight and will equip 5-fold ministry leaders including local pastors who will help to lead this local church. More details about this strategy will be revealed in the days ahead, however, the original church of Acts, as specifically outlined in the book of Ephesians is our model.
Simultaneously, we will provide Apostolic Oversight for Churches around the World. Currently, we have 2 churches in our affiliation and will continue to add to this network as the
Advancing our Vision to Build a Retreat Center that will also serve as an Apostolic Ministry Training Hub.
Most of you have heard our vision and have seen visual renderings for our retreat center. We have toured several properties with land and haven’t made any acquisitions because what we are believing God for is a very specific piece of property.
We are looking for at least 30 acres but would love to have close to 100 acres or the potential for expansion. This year our goal is still centered on finding land and more specifically working on very detailed cost estimates including blueprints, construction costs, working capital needed for staffing, and more. We are building out phases to this project with a more granular budget to present to you our partners and supporters.
The vision for the property is multi-faceted and includes buildings for gathering and hosting as well as many options for sleeping quarters including tiny home options and more. We envision a 5-star experience with the hybrid of boutique hotel type of amenities and more private quarters for couples and families to stay as well. This property would be a ministry investment to not only host our ministry experiences but to also rent for outside events and weddings.
Building an Educational Institute to Equip 5-Fold Ministry Leaders
As our ministry continues to grow we will also establish a learning institute for leaders, compiling all of our teaching content and books with a host of other Kingdom teachers to provide a world-class library of resources including online and in-person courses, to equip both 5-fold ministers and industry professionals with Kingdom principles for life and leadership.
While there is a lot more to unpack from the vision God has given us these 5 areas will be at the center of our focus this year. To support these visionary endeavors we will leverage the power of cinematography and other cutting-edge technologies to help to bring the story of our vision to life and to make our teachings and events even more engaging.
At the very heart of what we do is a dedication to building powerful relationships. As our name implies, we desire to empower individuals to bring the culture of the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. We know that this culture begins and is cultivated at home—revival springing from living and dining rooms and pouring out into communities.
God’s recent instruction to me for this year was “zoom out & zoom in.” In 2025 we will grow in our influence through our online impact and the distribution of our books. We also will travel more, ministering to larger groups. This is how we will zoom out. At the same time, we are focusing on building dynamic relationships with individuals who we bring close to mentor around our table and forge effective partnerships in order to make our impact more personal and effective.
We’re asking for you to renew your support of our ministry this year by praying for us, sharing our content, and partnering financially with our ministry to ensure that you are a part of the history-making vision that God has given us.
Ryan Cole
CEO, Empowered Culture Ministries