For Mike Kelsey, pursuing justice isn’t an optional add-on — it’s an essential expression of discipleship based on God’s character. In this conversation with NAE President Walter Kim, Mike offers an honest reflection on what it’s been like to pastor through the cultural upheaval of recent years, and about the pressure that comes from trying to meet countless expectations. True rest, he says, doesn’t come from striving or disengaging, but from being deeply centered on seeking God’s approval above all else. 

You’ll also hear Mike and Walter discuss: 

• How practicing intentional Sabbath rhythms and setting boundaries with social media creates space for renewal and clarity; 
• The influence of the Black Church tradition on Mike Kelsey’s understanding of justice;  
• How McLean Bible Church is pursuing gospel-centered justice through foster care, disability ministry and racial equity; and 
• Practical wisdom for navigating justice fatigue, ministry burnout and deep cultural division. 
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Resources

• Full conversation with Mike Kelsey on YouTube
• For further study, read Isaiah 32, Jeremiah 9, Matthew 11 and 2 Corinthians 5
• Rest and Resisting the Pace of Pharaoh, NAE Podcast with Sheila Wise Rowe
• McLean Bible Church
• Jill’s House
• “At McLean Bible, Mike Kelsey Is Reimagining the Multiethnic Church,” by Kate Shellnutt in Christianity Today

Today’s Conversation is brought to you by Tyndale’s Go Bible.