What’s in a name? A lot!

I originally sent the following to my email friends, kind of a personal note on some of the changes here on the website, reflecting the work that I do. I decided to send it out to everyone! So, here are some reflections on the name, the reason, and the future around these parts…

I have been busy making changes and resetting a few things on the Lead Freely front this summer. As I mentioned earlier, there are some pivots being made, some clarity being clarified, and the hope for a new outlook ahead. The biggest change so far is that I have moved to using my name as the ‘brand’, for lack of a better word, and Lead Freely moves from being the ‘business’ name, to being about the mission of what I do. Which is what I was always about!

You can check out the website changes (so far) here: www.LeadFreely.ca

As you can see, I am still using the same domain name, because it is familiar and lines up with what my focus is, in ministry and leadership. You can also get there with this: www.ericfriesen.ca

It has been 7 years since I first mulled over the name ‘Lead Freely’, and truly believe God put it on my heart as I waded though deep hurt and deep ‘reidentification’ as a leader, and a person. The name spoke strongly of what I felt I had lost in the years leading up to 2016, and what needed to be reclaimed. It was truly a rebirth, and as anyone who has experienced or witnessed childbirth will tell you, it was both painful and joyous at the same time. By the end of 2016 I had a small group of friends, some of them former students from my youth ministry days, help me gain clarity in different ways. Whether they knew it or not at the time, as frustrating as the circumstances may have been, God placed them where they needed to be in my life as part of my new start.

So, I lament as I move away from the focus on the name ‘Lead Freely’, but I am glad for what it has meant in my life. And as always, this is still about being faithful to God’s call to living in his freedom and leading forward in this world.

I will continue to blog, I will continue to offer resources, and I will continue to send awesome emails like this one! Hopefully, with even greater focus than before.

And looking ahead at some items for you to enjoy at home:

You may have already heard about the new downloadable personal communication resource I am offering. It includes a few videos, a workbook, and hopefully helpful insights and discussion starters for you and your crew to work through.

And a leadership resource for you to enjoy! Woo hoo! A little bit of philosophy on church leadership, leadership in general, a bunch of pieces from the blog, and items I only offered to groups I worked with in the past. Be patient, I am making it all look pretty for you folks!