Addison Ministries Celebrates 5 Years of Spreading Faithful Confidence Through Church, Community Outreach, and Speaking
05/20/2025, Louisville, Kentucky // PRODIGY: Feature Story //
Founded by Rev. Brandon J. Addison in 2020, Addison Ministries has been advancing the Kingdom of God through community-centric initiatives for five years. For Addison Ministries, this is more than a milestone; it's a celebration of hope, freedom, and service. As it prepares for another half-decade of impact, the founder remains excited about the future while reflecting on an inspirational journey, from a personal struggle to a personal mission, and from preaching from his garage to national reach.
At Addison Ministries, faithful confidence uplifts individuals to become faithfully confident and confidently faithful. As the need for love- and hope-driven initiatives grew, so did the ministry, today offering the HopeBoyz podcast, God's Grill homeless outreach program, and The Kingdom Advancement church. To touch the hearts of the community in more ways, Rev. Addison also penned Tell Your Truth: becoming vulnerable enough to change, a powerful story of human nature, inevitable falls, and second chances.
For Rev. Addison, the mission behind Addison Ministries is personal. He was born into a family of preachers. With a great-grandfather who was a minister, a grandfather and two uncles who are pastors (one of whom is a founding pastor), and an aunt who is a minister, Rev. Addison was raised to live by faith and prayer. As a fourth-generation minister, third-generation pastor, and second-generation founding pastor, he carved his own path as a first-generation 'street preacher.' However, it wasn't until Rev. Addison invited darkness into his own soul that he found purpose.
His journey before Addison Ministries was shaped by self-destruction. From substance abuse to rehab to recovery, he took one too many chances, ultimately clouding his happiness. What motivated him to change? His car got stolen, he lost a job, his apartment was in jeopardy, and he didn't know what to do. Rev. Addison turned to God, finding solace at a local church. There, under the Director of Security's wing, he found a sense of family away from family. 'Being there was what I needed to grow into my own rights,' he says. 'Until I found a new job, I was putting everything I had in me into the church, trusting that God would illuminate my way forward.'
Rev. Addison found the light quickly. But he realized that his mission didn't end there; it was to guide others who were lost. 'For me, leaning on God was the natural step. But not everyone has a foundation built by generations of pastors and ministers to know where to seek help,' he adds. From that realization, Addison Ministries was born. 'It felt like a calling,' he says. 'Reaching young people to prevent them from going down that road or, if they have already, to show them that there is a better place waiting.'
Soon after, he started preaching at his uncle's church, at the same time obtaining higher education. After his major in Religion, Rev. Addison did his initial sermon in March 2018, was licensed in May 2019, and was called to plant The Kingdom Advancement Cathedral of worship on July 5th, 2020. Founded amidst the pandemic, the church, the first Addison Ministries project, started in Rev. Addison's living room with only seven people. The rapid growth required more space. He moved to his garage, then into a large rented space, and the rest is history.
Because of his intimate understanding of inner darkness, Rev. Addison doesn't speak only from a religious standpoint. He speaks from experience, through the lens of someone who's been there, fallen to the bottom, and come out on the other side. Therefore, The Kingdom Advancement, while welcoming to all, is particularly passionate about providing hope to young men.
This passion found an outlet when HopeBoyz came to life. With a tagline 'No Longer Serving Dope, Now We Serving Hope,' the podcast aims to empower youth through unfiltered conversations, raw emotions, and real stories of real people. In a true full-circle moment, the podcast is now recorded in the same garage where The Advancement Kingdom took its first steps.
Addison Ministries is enriched through God's Grill, a for-profit wing that gives back as a nonprofit to people experiencing homelessness. By feeding and clothing those in need, the organization transforms lives from the ground up, offering them basic human needs that many take for granted: food, support, and dignity. However, God's Grill has recently encountered trouble when its grill, a professional equipment that could feed tens of people, was stolen. Addison Ministries is actively seeking funding to resume operations and continue curbing suffering with human care.
As Addison Ministries looks forward to a hopeful future, its founder reflects: 'The ultimate mission is advancing the Kingdom of God in any space of oppression. Through the act of praise and worship, healing, deliverance, or exegetical teaching, you can feel what it really means to be the hands and feet of Christ. Seeing the impact of Addison Ministries has been rewarding and humbling. It instilled in me a different level of appreciation for the upbringing God gave me. I want to be able to help other parents give the same to their children, and then they can carry that forward. At its core, it's all about living life with people, united by God's love. And I'm grateful that God allows me to spread this message every day.'
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