The Avoda Founders Cohort
Pastors are tired of raising funds. Business leaders are tired of not having impact.
Together, you build the model that fixes both.
A 12-month program for a pastor and a business leader who want to build a ministry-and-business model like Homestead Manor, using the framework from The Avoda Life.
The problem
You were designed together. Not apart.
You know how most pastors have to raise funds for property and expansion, even though that is not the best use of who they are? And you know how most business leaders want their work to count for something bigger, but are not sure what that looks like? Imagine instead that the two of you built one ministry-and-business model together, where the business carries real impact and funds the ministry's next step.
Pastors are tired of raising funds.
Business leaders are tired of not having impact.
Why this exists
Waking sleeping giants
Fifteen years ago, while I was working in corporate life with none of this on the horizon, I believed God told me to wake sleeping giants and to break the back of the god of mammon. The sleeping giant is the business leader who does not feel his work has impact. The god of mammon is the pressure on a pastor who is just trying to make it and has to keep raising money. This cohort is the answer I have been building toward ever since.
How it works
From partnership to profitability
Partnership
Months 1–3
- What you do
- Learn each other's design, appreciate what each of you brings, and put your vision in writing so the builder beside you can run with it.
- Done when
- You share one written vision and a working agreement.
- You will have
- A partner you trust and a vision you can both act on.
Business model
Months 4–6
- What you do
- Take inventory of what you have together (people, property, capital, relationships) and shape your business model using the Avoda framework and the Homestead blueprint.
- Done when
- You have a written model and a 90-day pilot plan.
- You will have
- A model your ministry and your business can both stand behind.
Cash-flowing asset
Months 7–12
- What you do
- Launch a small pilot, review what happened, and set your structure with your own attorney and CPA.
- Done when
- Your pilot has run 90 days and you have reviewed the results.
- You will have
- A pilot that works, a structure built to last, and a plan to fund the vision.
For pastors
A proven plan to fund your ministry through your business, so you can lead instead of fundraise.
For business leaders
A business that carries real impact, built alongside the pastor you serve.
The structure
The Avoda model
One integrated model. Economic value fuels mission; mission gives the business purpose.
The proof
Proven at Homestead Manor
- church members in 5 years
- 1,000+church members in 5 years
- yearly visitors
- 200,000+yearly visitors
What you get
What is included
- A workbook that walks you step by step from partnership to a working pilot
- Live working calls with Aaron Sanders, twice a month
- A private community of pastors and business leaders building the same model
- In-person gatherings at Cranford Hollow in Columbia, Tennessee: a kickoff weekend, then one each quarter
- After month 12, the group calls and the community stay open to you
20 pairs (40 people). Starts January 15, 2027. Applications close December 15, 2026.
Skip the years and costly mistakes it took us to learn this.
Next step
Start with a conversation
This cohort is by invitation and conversation. Book a call with Aaron to see if it is a fit for you and your partner.
Homestead took years. Your results depend on your assets and people; legal and tax structure is decided with your own counsel.