Bio

Joe Franklin is an accomplished teacher and life skills instructor with a Master’s degree in Special Education. In his writing, he combines his passion for learning, education, and mentoring with an even greater passion for the gospel of Christ. He became a Christian as a young man, but after being recruited into the International Church of Christ (ICOC), he spent several years journeying down an unscriptural and psychologically manipulative path. He wholeheartedly believed in the church’s beliefs and mission, marrying within the group and actively participating in the discipleship structure. 

During a time of upheaval in the ICOC Joe and his wife, Janice, reexamined the church’s teachings and practices, and made the decision to leave the group in 2003. The couple went down a painful, and often lonely, road, suffering from a number of post-cult recovery issues. Armed with no roadmap, but strengthened by their faith in God, they began the long and painful journey of recovery. Healing was made possible through reading copious amounts of material on the topic of cultic studies and learning how to read and appreciate the Bible within its proper context.  Sparrow Ministry was created with the goal of sharing some of what they’ve learned.