Financial Policy

Financial Policy

Let me make it simple: Every service we offer is now available at no cost.

We no longer charge fees, nor do we operate on a sliding scale. Instead, we are choosing to serve from a place of obedience to our calling.

First of all, let me explain how we got here.

Why We Are Operating This Way

When we began Tennessee Valley Pastoral Counseling at the end of 2013, we did it the way God led us, which was pro bono sessions, regardless of income. Forty hours a week each and free counseling for anyone who needed it. We asked the local churches we served to support us financially so we could keep offering care at no cost.

And what did all the "experts" tell us? "People won't value what they don't pay for." They failed to realize the investment comes from a client's work in the process, not their wallet. Besides, if a person offered me $500 a session but expressed an unwillingness to engage, I would simply turn them away.

As for us, we could no longer stand seeing people forced to choose between buying groceries and receiving help for their crippling anxiety, or whether to pay their electric bill or save their dead marriage. So, we chose the direction God laid on our hearts.

You see, many years ago, after we were unable to afford counseling for a family member and were turned away from a practice financially supported by area churches, God led me and Deanna to return to school full time as adults. Over the next decade, while also raising a family, we prepared academically for what God was calling us to.

But here's what we learned: When churches don't have ownership in a ministry, partnership rarely follows, even when they're actively using the services. Pastors referred people constantly, our schedule filled with their congregation members, yet financial support never came. It wasn't that they didn't value what we were doing. Rather, we learned that without clear relational partnership and shared vision, most churches will naturally treat external ministries as free resources to utilize rather than missions to support. Some even expected exclusive access to our time without any corresponding investment in the work.

This taught us something crucial: We can't build sustainable ministry by expecting disconnected churches to fund work they don't feel ownership of. So now we're approaching it differently by inviting anyone who shares our vision to partner with us in serving all churches, rather than asking specific churches to fund services for their own people.

So we ended up switching. First to a sliding scale model. Then to a low-cost model with 25% of clients served pro bono. We told ourselves we were being "responsible stewards" and that by charging something, it would help people "take it more seriously" and allow the ministry to survive.

But here's the truth: The further we moved from giving of ourselves freely, the less money we made and the less fruit we saw through our efforts.

Nothing worked, and it just seemed churches were unable to partner as we poured our savings, retirement, everything, into our work.

The Downward Spiral

Then my health declined to the point where I could no longer travel on a regular basis to teach. In addition to illnesses like diabetes and CHF, they had discovered stage 4 liver failure during a routine surgery. Eventually, I couldn't even continue working full-time as a pastor, which was always how we covered our personal expenses.

We were financially emptied. And even in that emptiness, I was still trying to figure out how to "market" our services better and how to generate necessary income for living expenses.

Then came more spiritual warfare. We invested the last savings we had built while I served as a pastor to purchase a new RV to reside in while we traveled full-time serving churches in person through our Converge program. The RV arrived defective. The warranty was denied, and we were unable to travel to serve churches and communities.

We started this work doing exactly what He called us to do: give it away freely. And the moment I stopped trusting Him and started trying to control provision through pricing, everything fell apart.

That is, until God broke through in December of 2025.

The Breakthrough

It seemed like the less I trusted, the less He provided. The more I hustled, the less fruit I saw. The harder I worked to "make it sustainable," the more unsustainable it became. You see, I wasn't failing because the model was wrong, but because I abandoned the model God gave me in the first place.

And then something happened.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
- Matthew 11:28

I had a deeply cathartic journaling experience. I won't share the details here, but it involved processing deep wounds I've carried all my life. God has been doing that a lot for me lately, but this was on another level as they involved wounds that shaped how I see love, provision, and my own worth.

And in that moment of raw honesty before God, something broke.

It was like He released a stronghold I didn't even know I was carrying. A stronghold that said: "You have to earn provision. You have to perform to be worthy. You have to hustle to survive."

What Changes Now

Effective immediately, we're turning back to fully obey. Every ministry associated with our foundation will be provided at no cost, to include:

The only exception is our books, which remain available through Amazon and other retailers because those platforms require pricing.

Over the coming days, we'll be updating our other websites to reflect this new policy. If you're still seeing outdated information, just know all services are provided at no cost and the page will be updated soon.

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
- Galatians 6:2

The above verse has been our guiding principle from day one, and it's also the operating system of the Kingdom. Now we're choosing to step into it fully by adopting these words from Jesus Himself:

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.
- Luke 6:38

The Burning Question

We know what some of you may be thinking: "How will you survive? What if people don't give?"

We've been at this for twelve years without claiming a paycheck from the ministry, and we're still here. What a testimony to God's faithfulness! He has sustained us every single month for over a decade. Through 20+ countries across 4 continents. Through ministry, missions, and provision we never could have orchestrated ourselves. He's fed us like He fed Elijah and He's multiplied provision like the widow's oil.

But here's what we've also learned: His provision has often come through His people. When we say we're trusting God to provide, we're not being naive. We're speaking from lived experience. And we're inviting you to be part of how He provides for this work.

If God called us to this, He will sustain it. Besides, we'd rather fail trusting God than succeed chasing provision. But we also believe He provides through the partnership of those who share the vision.

How to Partner With Us

PRAY.  We invite you to join our prayer partners. You can learn about specific prayer needs on our partnership page.

SHARE.  Let others know about our free services by sharing information. A great way to do that is by following @DrFloodOfficial for daily content.

LEAD.  Consider applying to become a member of our Vision Council. You can learn more here.

PARTICIPATE.  Whether it's counseling, our weekly worship, or virtual training, there are many ways you can take part in what we offer.

GIVE.  We invite you to become a financial partner with either a one-time gift or monthly contribution.

What Your Partnership Means

This is Acts 2:44-45 in action because you're not writing a check to a ministry as a donor. Instead you're saying, "I'm part of the body, and I want my hand to help the foot that's hurting."

Consistent monthly giving, whether $1 or $1,000, allows us to better plan and execute new initiatives as we serve. However, if monthly partnership isn't possible, we are also grateful for any one-time gifts. Every contribution, large or small, matters.


One-Time Gift Monthly Contribution Book Session


How This Will Work

I have a total of 12 hours per week available for pastoral consultations and counseling sessions. My remaining 30 hours are dedicated to existing ministry commitments such as weekly podcasts, certified training, support groups, content creation, and administrative tasks.

Deanna also has 12 hours per week available for counseling sessions. Her remaining time is dedicated to pastor outreach, support groups, teaching, and communications.

Available booking options:

Important notes:

Your Contribution Does Not Buy Access

This is a critical point for all partners to understand as we move forward. Your giving does not function as a retainer for services.

Churches and individuals who partner with us financially are not purchasing exclusive access to our time, but support the mission to serve anyone and everyone who needs help.

If you give $1,000 a month, you have the same access as someone who gives nothing. You book available time just like everyone else. Instead of buying our time, you should consider your generosity as enabling us to offer our time freely to all.

We consider it as leaving the world of transactional ministry and entering Kingdom economics.

A Word to Churches

Pastors and church leaders, we see you. We know you're carrying weight that's crushing you. We know your people are hurting and you don't have the budget to get them help. We know you're expected to counsel everyone but you've never been trained.

Book a consultation. Send your people for counseling. Invite us to train your team. Use every resource we offer. And if God leads your church to partner with us financially, we're grateful. If He doesn't, we're still grateful for the opportunity of serving you and your people.

What Happens Next

Furthermore, we're immediately launching new ministry initiatives alongside this shift:

We've also begun the process of converting The Flood Legacy Foundation from a Tennessee LLC to an Alabama 501(c)(3) to better serve our mission and provide transparency in how partnerships support our work.

Final Thought

I won't lie. In our current season of spiritual warfare, it's both scary and freeing. We're letting go of control, but we also know the One we're surrendering it to. I suppose that's all that me and Deanna need anymore. We're releasing the need to secure our own provision. We're trusting that when we give freely, God will provide freely through His people. And we're inviting you to step into this with us.

Four years ago, the doctors told me I should be dead in two. I'm still here, but not because I figured out how to market better or hustle harder. Rather, solely for His purposes, God has blessed me with more time to love people and to serve Him. And the way I see it, that's a two-fer. I'm not backing down, and for the record, Deanna isn't either.

Whether it's partnership through your prayers, sharing our services, being a counseling client or student, leadership role in the Vision Council, a financial supporter, or any combination of these, we are truly grateful.

Grace to you and peace,

Lance and Deanna Flood