From Skies to Soil: The Story Behind the Name For 17 years, I served as a missionary pilot in Indonesia with JAARS and Wycliffe Bible Translators. It was a privilege to assist Bible translation and see the transforming, redemptive work of Christ alive in people all around the world.
Today, our 8.8-acre pilot farm sits directly alongside a short grass airstrip just south of Spokane, WA. The Flying Farmstead gets its name from this runway and my aviation background.
I’ve traded the cockpit for the soil, applying that same relentless focus on Jesus—shifting from getting the Word into the heart language of the nations to translating His truth into the broken soil through Redemptive Farming. Our land is a living laboratory dedicated to reclaiming nutrient-dense food through permaculture, while serving as a sanctuary to preserve and learn hands-on, traditional heritage skills.
You can do this, too. I spent nearly two decades in the skies with absolutely zero background in agriculture before stepping into the dirt. If I can learn how to cultivate God's earth from scratch, you can too. You don't need a farming background—just a heart willing to learn. — Courtney Zehr, Founder & Executive Director
The Flying Farmstead is a sanctuary of restoration. Your monthly fellowship dues are an investment in a covenant community—a place to disconnect from modern dependency, step onto holy ground, and experience God's glory manifest in a living, working farm fellowship. The abundance of the harvest is simply a blessed byproduct.
The Gardens:
A massive wood-core Hügelkultur garden, a traditional vegetable plot, a large pumpkin patch, and developing fruit and nut tree starts.
The Livestock:
Heritage Gloucestershire Old Spots pigs (breeding stock) and egg-laying chickens. (Coming soon: Nigerian Dwarf goats, rabbits, quail, and worm bins).
The Soil Builders:
On-site biochar production and active microbial composting.
Biblical Community & Discipleship:
Real-world community with an intentional focus on prayer, worship, and walking out Scripture as we work the land together.
To preserve the peace of the land and maintain a quiet, uncrowded sanctuary, our local Spokane cohort is strictly capped at just 36 total families (12 per track). We do not operate a commercial storefront; our community revolves around a shared lifestyle of redemptive stewardship and real food.
The ultimate outdoor farm homeschooling dream.
Access: Flexible daytime blocks (Tuesday through Saturday) aligned with the farm schedule.
The Homeschool Advantage: Exclusive, hands-on workshops built only for Tier 1 families to master heritage skills and animal husbandry.
Earn-While-You-Learn: Master skills on the farm and get hired as a paid independent contractor to teach our public workshops—earn your dues back right here on the land!
Perks: Day time use of the play areas, cooking hearths, and top-priority egg/pork allotments.
For families seeking community, rest, and connection to clean food.
Access: Reservation-only evenings and weekends to ensure a quiet, peaceful stay.
The U-Pick Model: Your reserved slots double as your harvest and self-processing windows.
Perks: Full access to the children’s outdoor play area and wood-fired cooking stations during your slots.
Discounts: 50% off all public Seasonal Skills Workshops.
For those who want to support the ministry, learn skills, and secure clean food.
Access: Limited strictly to scheduled U-pick days, meat pickup windows, and public workshop hours.
Perks: Member-only rights to harvest the gardens and purchase pasture-raised heritage pork and farm-fresh eggs at below-market rates.
Discounts: 50% off all public Seasonal Skills Workshops.
The day-to-day heartbeat of our acreage is anchored by two live-in interns housed directly on the property. This program is a rigorous, immersive leadership incubator combining creation-care agriculture with deep spiritual discipleship.
Under the direct mentorship of our Executive Director, interns are trained to run a dual-focused ministry: mastering creation-care farming (soil restoration, permaculture, rotational grazing) while developing the practical leadership skills required to shepherd a covenant community. Our ultimate goal is to launch equipped, redemptive leaders fully prepared to direct new regional farm cohorts or step into strategic overseas agricultural ministries.
Beyond our 36-family fellowship, we are committed to blessing the wider Spokane community and fulfilling our non-profit mission through active public benefit and open-gate outreach.
The “Tithe of the Land” Donation Plot: We radically dedicate a highly productive section of our farm's garden beds exclusively to biblical charity. Planted, tended, and harvested by our live-in interns, 100% of the ultra-clean, nutrient-dense produce grown in these specific rows is donated directly to local Spokane rescue missions, crisis pregnancy centers, and families in need.
Seasonal Skills Workshops: Ticketed public gatherings focusing on practical homesteading skills, including raising chicken biochar creation, soil restoration, butchering etc
Surplus Harvest Days: Open-gate days where neighbors can purchase direct-from-the-field seasonal surplus, including pasture-raised heritage pork and farm-fresh eggs.
Whether you are looking to secure a family fellowship slot, apply for our on-farm leadership internship, or simply stay updated on our next public workshop—we want to connect with you. Complete the google form linked below and we will connect!