Our Story
Hope still changes everything.
What started with one home for five boys is now a network of ministries dedicated to giving abused, abandoned and neglected children a stable, loving Christian home and the opportunity to experience God’s grace.
While much has changed, our core mission remains the same: providing Christian homes for children needing a chance. This mission is deeply rooted in the four promises we make to every child who calls Big Oak Ranch home.
Our Four Promises
In these four promises, our children find love and emotional support. They find truth and honesty. They find security and discipline. But mostly, they find hope and the chance to discover God’s true purpose for their lives.
Our History
Answering God’s call to relieve the suffering of children, John Croyle started Big Oak Ranch in 1974 to give boys who had experienced some of the worst life has to offer a safe, loving home and a chance to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives.
Since 1974, Big Oak has been called to meet the needs of over 2,000 children who have come to us from all across the United States and from various backgrounds and unique circumstances. While they are all different, they have in common a past full of heartbreak and difficulty.
Most have never known unconditional love or the stability of a true home. Their lives were too often filled with fear, pain and uncertainty. Everything changes when they join our family.
We provide them with a safe, loving home and point them toward the true source of Hope, healing and restoration, which becomes their new common ground.
From a farmhouse serving five boys to six ministry teams dedicated to continually improving the standard of care for children who need a chance, Big Oak has been given an opportunity to advance the mission of loving, long-term, Christian homes nationwide. We are honored that you have chosen to join us!