That’s how Unleashed began. A church born out of a pastor who saw a need and couldn’t look away.
But what Juan didn’t anticipate was the weight that came with it.
Listen to Juan’s Story
I thought everything relied on me. I had to meet every expectation, I had to teach every weekend, I had to come up with children’s curriculums and teen curriculums. And it was so heavy that it led me to burnout. At one point, I went about a year and a half without taking a single weekend off.
Juan, Lead Pastor — Unleashed Church
Juan’s story isn’t unique. It is the story of many pastors in the world today, and they are convinced that if they take a break, take a weekend off, the whole church falls apart. One day, Juan started using the tools on Open Network and he found a way to sustain his ministry.
What Juan Found on Open Network
When Juan went to Open Network, he did not realize all of the tools that were accessible to him for free on the website.
I saw tools I didn’t even know existed through Open Network, and I’m like, “This is unbelievable.” So yeah, I became a frequent visitor to the website.
Juan, Lead Pastor — Unleashed Church
Here’s what changed for Juan — and what Open Network makes possible for any pastor who is carrying too much:
- Ready-to-use curriculum for kids and youth — Juan no longer had to create children’s and teen curriculum from scratch every week. Free, fully resourced content meant his team could lead excellent ministries without everything running through him.
- Weekend message resources — sermon series, teaching transcripts, and message guides gave Juan the option to step back from the pulpit without leaving his congregation without strong teaching.
- The freedom to rest — with trusted resources in place, Juan could take a weekend off knowing his church would still be cared for. That rest wasn’t laziness. It was sustainability.
- A sense of community — discovering that thousands of other churches were using the same tools and facing the same challenges reminded Juan that he wasn’t alone in ministry.
The resources didn’t replace Juan’s leadership. They extended it. They gave him back the capacity to lead well, and gave him the space to rest and allow God to refuel him, so that he could run further faster, and stronger.
What This Means for You
If you’re reading this and something in Juan’s story sounds familiar, this is for you.
Maybe you haven’t taken a full weekend off in longer than you can remember. Maybe you’re carrying curriculum, sermon prep, pastoral care, administration, and the weight of the mission all at once, and you’re starting to feel it. Maybe you’ve told yourself that this is just what ministry requires.
It doesn’t have to be.
- Kids curriculum — free, fully resourced children’s ministry content your team can lead without it running through you
- Youth curriculum (Switch) — complete weekly plans for your student ministry including videos, discussion guides, and leader resources
- Sermon series and message guides — ready-to-teach content for Sundays when you need to rest, travel, or bring in another voice
- Leadership and pastoral health resources — tools to help you lead well and stay in ministry for the long haul
- And hundreds more — all free, all available right now at open.life.church
You don’t have to build everything from scratch. You don’t have to carry it all alone. The tools are there. Other pastors, just like Juan, have already walked this road and want to share what helped them.
Explore Free Resources at Open Network
Thousands of free tools, curriculum, training resources, and more — built by churches, for churches. Create your free account and start exploring today.
What’s one thing you can do this week?
- Create a free Open Network account at open.life.church and browse the resource library.
- Identify one area of ministry where you are carrying too much — and find one free resource on Open Network that could help share that load.
- Put one weekend off on the calendar. Not someday. This month.
- Share this blog with another pastor who might need to hear Juan’s story today.
Juan wanted to leave one word for pastors who are where he was:
“If there’s a pastor out there, just know this: you’re not alone. I know sometimes being a pastor feels so lonely. There are great people out there that have your back, that will support you, that will encourage you. And Open Network is such an incredible tool. So use it.”
You’re not alone. And you don’t have to carry this alone.
Let’s reach people together.
Find free resources to help you run further at open.life.church →
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Free Church Resources to Empower You
Our growing library houses thousands of ministry resources—including sermon outlines, creative media, kids and youth curriculum, worship setlists, and all you need to lead strong. With reliable, Spirit-led materials, you're empowered to spend less time preparing and more time caring for people.
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