VANGUARD JUSTICE is the humanitarian arm of Vanguard Ministries, the venue through which we fight one of the most egregious evils of our day – human trafficking. We believe that Christians cannot pretend that this is happening; we must pray against human trafficking, expose it, and do everything we can to raise awareness about it.

It is difficult to imagine something more wicked and perverse than selling children for someone’s sexual pleasure or for free labor, but it is happening each and every day, usually in plain sight. Human trafficking is modern-day slavery, and it is happening all around us. It cannot be dismissed as something that is happening on the other side of the world. Even though it seems like there is a church on every corner, the reality is that the United States is the number one consumer in this $236,000,000,000 industry (as of 2024 Human Trafficking in persons report) .

To wrap your mind around that number, think about this: you could combine the profits of the NFL, the MLB, the NBA, and the NHL, and it would come nowhere close to how much money is being made by the selling of people. There are more people in slavery today than there have been at any other point in human history, and these enslaved ones come from every walk of life, both genders, and every socio-economic group. Human trafficking is modern day slavery, yet most church people are oblivious to how staggeringly prevalent this dark industry has become.

Our home state of Florida is number three in the nation, largely due to Interstate 10 corridor and tourism. We cannot afford to pretend that this is something that only happens on the other side of the world; it is happening right here, right now. We believe that a massive part of contending for transformational revival is to fight human trafficking, to do our part to see every captive set free by the power of Jesus’ name. We believe that if the Church will stand together, we can see real freedom and practical help come to those who have been so horrifically exploited. 

Our first locational priority in fighting human trafficking is the city God has assigned us to: Pensacola, Florida. We want to do everything in our power to raise awareness about human trafficking in Pensacola. We want to partner with the anti-trafficking faith community to see the end of this evil of human slavery. 

Our second locational priority is to raise awareness about the problem worldwide, in the United States, and then right here in the state of Florida. We will educate people about the problems in each of these localities, make people aware of the resources to combat trafficking, and wherever possible, let them know how they can get involved in the fight for justice.

Trafficking statistics are always underreported, but according to an article published by the University of South Florida on July 9, 2025, “’The 2024 State Report on Human Trafficking’ estimates that more than 500,000 people were exploited in labor trafficking and 200,000 in sex trafficking within the state in the last year. Minors are estimated to make up half the population being sex trafficked and one-fourth of those involved in labor trafficking.” If these are the admittedly low-reported statistics from the state of Florida, can you imagine how shocking the numbers must be across the United States?

When God called us to launch Vanguard Ministries in 2021 (which is a non-profit ministry), He gave us the mandate, “You are called to be a holy provocation; to provoke the Church toward revival and the lost toward repentance.” We believe that human slavery can only be eradicated when the Church of Jesus Christ comes together and says with one voice, “Not on our watch!” 

We invite you to help us in this cause, to join us on the frontline, to fight to see the ones held captive go free. We will do this in three distinct ways: