Our Story
Preserving the Voices That Shaped a Generation
Since 1974, Set Free Sermons has been collecting, cataloging, and preserving the most transformative preaching of our time — for the benefit of the whole church, now and in generations to come.
Our Mission
Why We Exist
Set Free Sermons was created from a simple conviction: the Word that sets us free should remain accessible, alive, and available for future generations to learn and share. This ministry began as a love for preaching, testimony, and the power of the Gospel to reach people wherever they are. What started as a personal desire to preserve meaningful sermons has grown into a living archive of faith—honoring the voices, messages, and spiritual moments that have shaped lives, families, churches, and communities.
In 1974, Minister Howard Hughes began working with prison media teams to record sermons at prison bible study meetings across the state of Arkansas. Hughes was convinced that the voices captured would impact lives and shape the church for decades to come. He was right.
Set Free Sermons exists to help people rediscover the power of the preached Word. Through carefully preserved audio, sermon collections, and faith-centered storytelling, this platform makes it easier for listeners to hear messages of hope, conviction, healing, deliverance, and transformation. Today, our archive holds over one hundred sermons from anointed speakers across five decades, fourteen. We are a non-profit organization supported by seminaries, churches, and individual donors who share our conviction that the living Word deserves a living archive.
At its heart, Set Free Sermons is more than a sermon library. It is a spiritual resource, a historical record, and a testimony to the truth that God’s Word continues to speak across time.
Ministers Howard & Ada Hughes
Founders, Set Free Sermons
What We Believe
Our Core Values
Faithful Preservation
We believe the Word of God is a gift to the whole church across time. Every sermon in our archive is carefully cataloged and preserved for future generations.
Ecumenical Breadth
Our archive spans denominations and traditions — united by a shared commitment to the transforming Word.
Pastoral Care
We curate with pastoral sensitivity, ensuring that each speaker's voice is represented with integrity and that listeners encounter the fullness of their ministry.
Historical Witness
Fifty years of preaching is fifty years of the church's response to its world. We preserve not just sermons but the historical witness of faith communities in their time.
Our History
Fifty Years of the Archive
1974
Archive founded by Rev. Harold Simmons in Memphis, Tennessee
1982
First catalog published — 200 sermons from 18 speakers
1991
Partnership with 12 seminaries to expand the collection
1998
Digital conversion project begins — 5,000 recordings digitized
2005
International expansion — sermons from Africa, Asia, and Europe added
2012
Online archive launched — 800+ sermons made freely accessible
2020
1,000th sermon milestone reached
2024
50th anniversary — 1,200+ sermons, 80+ speakers, 14 languages
Join the Mission
Help us preserve the voices that are shaping the church today. Submit a sermon, support the archive, or simply share what you find here with your community.