When two women reached out to Elizabeth and Andrew Stanley a few years ago for consulting help on a project, Andrew was working as a physical therapist, and Elizabeth—an avid equestrian who also taught therapeutic horse-riding lessons—had left her field to stay home with the couple’s six children. The project wasn’t meant to turn into a full-time ministry, but that’s how God dreams seem to go. “He really pulled us into this [horse ministry] for a reason,” says Andrew. “The other two girls involved in the project needed to step away, so Elizabeth and I prayed about our involvement, and that’s how this initiative was birthed.”
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Photos by Brittney Fields, FIELDS PHOTO
Jack, Riley, Eden-Micah, and Charlie Stanley stand with their horses, Boots, Blackjack, and Sebastian.
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Photos by Brittney Fields, FIELDS PHOTO
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Photos by Brittney Fields, FIELDS PHOTO
Elizabeth Stanley, owner of Forward in Faith, with Sebastian, one of their 18 horses.
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Photos by Brittney Fields, FIELDS PHOTO
The “initiative,” which began in 2015, is now a full-blown ranch, where Elizabeth, Andrew, their children, and a village of employees and volunteers aim to live out Forward in Faith’s mission to deliver the love and message of Jesus Christ by facilitating healing, rebuilding, and growth for the wounded, the broken, and the seeking in an authentic equestrian and agricultural environment. “It’s kind of a unique thing, a horse ministry,” says Elizabeth. “We share Jesus through riding lessons, stewardship, and two main themes: community and being a teaching ranch.” She goes on to explain they believe God gives the gift of knowledge—in their case, horses—so they can share it with others and help them grow closer to the Lord. “Everyone has hard things in their lives—some of them are really hard—and the Lord is able to speak into those situations through community and break the cycles through our sharing the gospel and teaching the tools from His Word.”
Forward in Faith’s programs include lessons on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, where they offer English and Western styles, as well as interactive vaulting, from Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) instructors—several of whom also hold PATH certification. PATH credentials prepare instructors for working with riders with disabilities, necessary for the ranch’s unique therapeutic riding program. Nearly 140 families arrive each week for lessons on the Stanleys’ stable of 18 horses. In addition, stewardship classes provide students with the opportunity to grow a garden, study animal care and management, participate in building projects, and more. “We offer an armor of God class, where students incorporate team building to physically craft the armor with wood and other materials,” says Elizabeth. “Then we lead a CrossFit-type exercise to demonstrate how the armor works.” They also offer men’s ministry, encouraging them to work shoulder-to-shoulder on building projects, and marriage initiatives. “Marriage is being attacked in our culture and world right now, so we want to provide people resources and opportunities [to help],” she says. Large groups—churches, businesses, school clubs—are welcome for leadership-based classes, where horses are used to teach character, communication, and teamwork.
Speaking of teamwork, the Stanleys readily acknowledge the family aspect of the ranch begins at home. Though their oldest two daughters—Riley (22) and Taylor (21)—are now off at college, they grew up teaching lessons and participating on Forward in Faith’s competitive equestrian team. Two of their younger children—Charlie (9) and Eden-Micah (7)—compete on the team now, and the couple notes both Eden-Micah and Ivey (5) are “horse-crazy.” “Jack (11) is our cowboy kind of dude,” says Elizabeth. “He’s not a horse enthusiast, but he loves people. His favorite thing is playing with siblings while the others are doing lessons and serving in that way.”
Andrew makes clear the couple’s gratefulness for the word-of-mouth growth Forward in Faith has experienced. “There are a lot of opportunities to serve others, but we wanted to maintain bandwidth in our personal space and not rob our family of time. I work full-time [as a physical therapist] and Elizabeth homeschools our children, so it could’ve been overwhelming. Instead, we’ve been given the opportunity to grow at a pace that’s doable for us,” he says. “The Lord will lead the right people here.”
For more information, visit fifranch.org.