Shelby Kimpel, Digital Media Freelancer, Texas

Shelby Kimpel, Digital Media Freelancer, Texas

Shelby Kimpel has always envisioned a life of service.

Her desire to help others led Shelby from Pennsylvania, to Florida, and eventually, to a suburb of Houston, TX. While her high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband pursued a doctorate in ministry and became a pastor, Shelby built her own career alongside his.

Shelby has an incredible eye for the creative, and she first applied her skills as a writer before expanding her marketing savvy at a Florida private Christian school. Her talent flourished, and she developed a strong passion for graphic design and video production.

But her passion for service—to her community, and a life lived in pursuit of something greater than herself—was even stronger. So, when her husband felt called to take a position as an associate pastor in Texas, they moved again.

Shelby didn’t want to give up on her own career, and her family needed the extra income. “But we felt called to church planting, and a 9-5 role wasn’t going to work,” she explains. Growing a new congregation would require her to be physically and emotionally present, not commuting and sitting in a desk job with set hours.

Independent contracting was her answer. As a freelancer, Shelby can keep consulting with her former employer in Florida, while also taking on new clients in Texas. Each project is different, allowing her creative side to shine across a range of areas, among them broadcast television, video editing, graphic design, and writing. The flexibility of 1099 contracting also empowered Shelby to pursue a graduate degree in cinematography and film/video production.

Shelby sets her own schedule, dictating when and where she is available, and sets her own pay rate independent of where she lives—ensuring that she is compensated for her full value. And most importantly, she hasn’t had to sacrifice the service that is most important to her.

“A lot of broadcasting—especially in sports—happens on weeknights and weekends, and that doesn’t always work for me. I want to be available on Sundays to serve with my husband. I want the flexibility to be there for our community, to drop off a meal when someone needs it,” she says. “I can be there for my family, our ministry, and our community because of freelancing.”

But a new Department of Labor rule could force Shelby to choose between her career and her community. The tradeoffs required for her to be a W-2 employee would restrict her creative skills and her service to the community, especially as she and her husband establish LifePoint Church West. For this family and this congregation, flexibility and independence are more crucial than ever.