The Stoop Sessions

“Discover your destiny.”

“Find your purpose."

We live in a world which has turned “purpose” into some mysterious secret you need to figure out. It grips many in our context. And it, strangely enough, gets tied up with our pride and the flesh. In a culture so obsessed with being seen as exceptional, driven to discover your purpose, the pressure to fulfill some yet unknown destiny becomes paralyzing. This week’s episode delves into the difference between purpose and calling, and whether the world’s wisdom aligns with the wisdom given in scripture. Are we left to forge our own path? What reason does God have for choosing us at all? Do we contribute to His kingdom by having the right job which showcases our gifts? Listen as Stephanie, Eric, and Joel discuss our freedom as we move toward a destiny determined by God, and with the assurance that Christ’s success will overrule our insufficient record.

Support the Show: www.onehope.gives/donate

Stephanie begins this episode by asking Eric: “How do you feel about middle class congregants in an inner city church?” Listen as Joel, Stephanie, and Joel chat about the challenges and benefits of having middle class folks in a low-income church context. We discuss the issue of those who grew up on the context, achieve a middle class income, and want to leave. This presents unique challenges. We also discuss middle class people from outside the context, who choose to attend the inner city church. This also creates unique challenges. The team calls our middle class listener to consider the cost and see the benefit of sacrificially integrating yourself into the community. Additionally, for the skeptic, we hit on a few ways middle class folks can help the work. Join us on the stoop for this conversation.

Support the Show: www.onehope.gives/donate

How did Joel, who is white, end up pastoring in a predominantly black neighborhood in Baltimore? Is that a good idea? Should church planters be looking to put roots down in a neighborhood within, or apart from, their own ethnic culture? In this episode, Eric asks the question, “Can we talk about the fact that Joel is white?” From that point, the stoop discussion takes place on this question, asking Joel why he planted in the first place, and what landmines may be present. Topics of discussion include impure motives why anyone would desire cross-cultural work; how having black members can be twisted into a mere a marker of “success” in some evangelical circles; whether it is necessary for churches to be cross-cultural in order to be Biblical; and how partiality for our own culture can subtly sabotage table fellowship. The crew also shares wisdom and encouragement, on the importance of authenticity and humility for potential pastors and church members navigating the tides of racial discourse within the body.

Support the Show: www.onehope.gives/donate

Private school? Christian school? Homeschool? We continue our discussion on schooling in the inner city. In our last episode, Joel and Eric made a case for why they have chosen to send their kids to Baltimore City Public Schools. In this episode, the Stoop crew calls a few friends who have taken a different approach. First, we chat with T.C. Taylor who also sends his kids to public school. Then we call up John Erickson and talk about Hope Academy, an affordable Christian school in inner city Minneapolis; Joe and Duncan Maye who started their own Christian school for neighborhood children in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Creston Thomas who, along with his wife Alina, homeschool their children in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. (Listen to part one for our chat on public school)

Support the Show: www.onehope.gives/donate

Public school? We’re there. Eric and Joel have always sent their kids to the Baltimore City Public Schools. One of the most common questions we receive from outsiders is: “What do you do about schooling for your kids?” We’re surprised that people are so often…surprised…when we answer, “Public schools.” While we’ve learned to navigate the school system, we’re open-handed on this issue. Should educational choices divide believers? We don’t think so. In a city like Baltimore, this debate is further fueled by the reality of an underfunded and broken school system. However, too often we presume that children will be raised to walk with the Lord if they are simply enrolled in the right school or taught the right curriculum. While scripture never endorses a specific school system, this episode examines how Christian parents can educate their children in ways which align with our faith. Listen as Joel, Stephanie, and Eric talk through our experiences with public schools in the city. (Stay tuned for part two as we call up some friends who have taken Christian school and homeschool approaches).

Support the Show: www.onehope.gives/donate

Does theology matter in urban ministry? Most definitely. Healthy ministry in tough places isn’t driven by good programming, it’s driven by good theology. As we kick off year two, we want to focus on the topic of justification by faith. How can a sinner be right with God? Is it really by faith alone? The answer is more crucial than any other question we could ask ourselves. Yet we are prone to attach to our works to our justification. That Christ has done it all, can simply sound too good to be true. Understanding justification by faith begins with knowing our own hopelessness. A clean outward appearance is useless, unless we are washed in the blood of Christ. On this episode, Stephanie, Joel, and Eric dive into the doctrine of justification by faith, exploring its impact for the urban context.

Support the Show: www.onehope.gives/donate

Watch for updates on ONE HOPE Conference: Faith Alone at faithalone.eventbrite.com

Welcome back to the Stoop Sessions. One year ago, Eric, Stephanie, and Joel began hosting conversations on the stoop. Year two begins today. We took the summer off while Stephanie had a baby, while neighborhood kids took over Joel's office, and while Eric went on bike rides. But we're back! Listen to this brief episode as the crew talks about what's been going on and what's coming up. Welcome back to The Stoop Sessions.

Support the show at www.onehope.gives/donate

Listen to this chat on the stoop with T.C. Taylor. T.C. pastors a church in Indianapolis which is ethnically and economically diverse. If the gospel is not exclusive to any race or class, should all churches be diverse reflecting that diversity? T.C. shares thoughts on diversity and dignity; how to be “boots on the ground” in your own community, and the importance of being grounded in a local church. He also opens up about living with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), as a believer, the struggles we face living in a fallen world, and how to face them from a Biblical view point, knowing we serve a savior who triumphs over sin.

This episode is part of our summer series: stoop conversations with friends.

Support the show at www.onehope.gives/donate

Listen to this conversation with Joseph Dicks, church planting catalyst for North American Mission Board in Washington DC,, on the necessity of discipleship and a holistic view. The gospel not just on Sunday mornings, but the framework for every aspect of your life. Joseph shares his experience of growing up in church, scared into baptism and knowing what to say “yes” to, but without the freedom that only saving grace can bring. He also talks about 1-on-1 discipleship, pursuing the gospel community, the presence of prejudices amongst diversity, and initiating new church works in unchurched areas.

This episode is part of our summer series: stoop conversations with friends.

Support the show at www.onehope.gives/donate

Alejandro Molero pastors Iglesia Bíblica Sublime Gracia, a Spanish speaking church in the Washington D.C. neighborhood of Colombia Heights. Alejandro shares how God shepherded him from his Catholic upbringing in Venezuela to becoming a full-time pastor in the States. Listen in as Stephanie, Joel, and Eric discuss with Alejandro the challenges of ministry among undocumented and illegal immigrants. Alejandro’s congregation and ministry context are filled with those often vulnerable to exploitation, overwork, and underpaid jobs. What is the Biblical approach to caring for those who might be undocumented, running from the law, or running for their lives? What does church planting among immigrant communities in America look like and how should we think of supporting Spanish-speaking churches? Come on the Stoop and join the conversation.

*Additional Resource - Read Alejandro’s latest piece on Pastoring Undocumented Immigrants: https://www.9marks.org/article/pastoring-undocumented-workers-in-civil-unrest/

Support the podcast at www.onehope.gives/donate