If you believe that the church should be embedded in your neighborhood, how do you know how to do that or what to do once you are?
There are leaders, practitioners, scholars, and advocates around the globe who are struggling with this same thing. And even better news is that some resources and organizations exist solely to help you navigate that challenge.
Joining us today are two of our friends and colleagues from The Parish Collective, a global network whose simple mission is to connect people to the church in the neighborhood. Jose Humphreys III is the author of Seeing Jesus in East Harlem: What happens when the churches show up and stay put, and Tim Soerens is the author of “Everywhere You Look: Discovering the Church, Right Where You Are”. His co-authored first book “The New Parish: How Neighborhood Churches Transform Mission, Discipleship, and Community
Listen to my colleague, David Park, and I talk to two men who’ve given their lives, calling, and careers to reminding churches that place matters.
Tim Soerens, Co-Founding Executive Director at Parish Collective
Tim Soerens is the co-founding director of the Parish Collective, a growing network and global movement of Christians reimagining what it means to be the Church in, with, and for the neighborhood. His latest book is called “Everywhere You Look: Discovering the Church, Right Where You Are.” Tim has launched multiple sold-out conferences including the Inhabit Conference, New Parish Conference UK, and Conspire Gathering. He also co-founded Neighborhood Economics, a venture with the mission to recruit and convene the people repairing local economies. A popular speaker, Tim has speaks to a broad cross section of organizations and denominations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. He lives in Chicago, IL with his wife Coté and their sons Lukas, Joaquín, and Benjamín.
José Humphreys, Founder & Chief Collaborator at Mosaic Collaborative, LLC
The Reverend José Humphreys is a facilitator and pastor of Metro Hope Covenant Church, a multiethnic and multicultural church in East Harlem, New York City. Humphreys is involved in shalom-making in New York City through facilitating conversation, contemplation, and action across social, economic, cultural, and theological boundaries.
Shawn Duncan, Director of The Lupton Center
Dr. Shawn Duncan is the Director of FCS’s Training and Consulting Division, The Lupton Center. Shawn comes to FCS from the nonprofit leadership sector with research and writing focused on pedagogies for social impact. In his previous careers he has focused on multi-sector coalition building for community impact, content and curriculum design, group facilitation, leadership development, and immigration reform advocacy. As the leader of The Lupton Center team, Shawn brings a visionary voice for innovation, a strategic mind for resource development, and the leadership acumen to support and equip the team for success. He loves being a part of a mission-driven team that finds joy in one another while doing such important work.
David Park, Lead Trainer and Consultant
David Park is a Lead Trainer and Consultant with The Lupton Center. David comes to FCS with over a decade of experience as a local church pastor in a community development setting where he collaborated with and advised many nonprofit organizations to impact local communities. David also brings a variety of experience to this work as an entrepreneur, creative, and affordable housing advocate and investor. As a member of FCS’s Training and Consulting Team, David brings a unique blend of strategic thinking, facilitating, and compassion to the work of community building. He loves being a part of a diverse team that practices and seeks to grow personal and collective wholeness.
- For more information about the work of the Lupton Center, please visit our website: https://www.luptoncenter.org/
- For more information about the work of Focused Community Strategies, please visit our website: https://fcsministries.org/
Special thanks to our podcast editor, Tim Rhodes, for making this episode possible. If you are interested in working with Tim, you can contact him via email at tim@whistlingblue.com, or through his website, whistlingblue.com. If you have questions, feedback, or wish to contact us, please email Rose Silva at rose@fcsministries.org
