Pastah J, as his friends and parishioners affectionately call him, is a remarkable testament to the notion that innovating is what happens when you love the people you are with. We often make innovation out to be the next, big, creative, tech, cool thing when really it's about figuring out how to love our neighbors better and how to more deeply and faithfully root ourselves in Jesus' call. It's ministry. It's courageously saying YES. It's never going it alone. It's tenaciously pursuing possibilities. It's being a neighbor and loving the neighborhood. We pray this conversation sparks a new idea or even a new courage in you and your ministry. If it does, please share with friends and colleagues and leave us a review. Thanks for listening!

In this conversation, you’ll hear:

• Pastah J’s relational approach to ministry with the Englewood and Lawndale communities in Chicago.
• How Pastah J organized bringing Whole Foods into the neighborhood on the neighborhood’s terms.
• Pastah J’s vision is to destroy Saviorism in congregations and reclaim neighboring neglected neighborhoods.
• Discussion of the quote from Benjamin Mays, “The love of God and love of humanity is one love” and why it beautifully articulates Pastah J’s ministry.

About Jonathan Brooks 

Rev. Jonathan Brooks, or Pastah J, as he is affectionately known, is a lifelong resident of Chicago, IL, and serves as the lead pastor at Lawndale Christian Community Church in the North Lawndale Neighborhood. He is also the board chair of the Parish Collective. He previously served as the senior pastor at Canaan Community Church in the West Englewood neighborhood for fifteen years. As an educator on many different levels and a firm believer in investing in your local community, Jonathan has a deep desire to impress this virtue on the students and young people in his congregation, classroom, and community. His ministry focuses on youth development, holistic health, college scholarships, art and music training as well as restorative justice practices and care for the incarcerated and their families.

Pastah J is a sought-after speaker, writer, artist, and community activist. He has contributed to numerous blogs, articles and books, and his most recent book is Church Forsaken: PracticingPresence in Neglected Neighborhoods.

For more information about Jonathan “Pastah J” Brooks, visit: pastahj.com.

Pastah J is the Lead Pastor of Lawndale Christian Community Church in Chicago: http://www.lawndalechurch.org/

Read all about the Locke Innovative Leader Award on our website: https://wesleyanimpactpartners.org/locke-leaders

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