Jump directly to the Content

One Pastor's Quest

The price of getting personally involved in justice.

I am a pastor and I am the founder of a non-profit organization to alleviate poverty. Both of these roles flow from my convictions as a follower of Christ, and for that reason I thought launching an organization to fight poverty while maintaining my pastoral role would be an easy fit. I was wrong. I share my story so other pastors with a desire to engage issues of justice and compassion can better understand the challenges they may face.

Nine years ago, my wife and I planted Quest Church in Seattle—an urban, multicultural, and multigenerational church seeking to be (wait for the buzzword) a missional community. Quest has grown to include about 450 people, 13 staff (two full-time), and a popular neighborhood caf with direct trade espresso, tea, art, and live music.

From the beginning we have articulated the importance of justice and compassion at Quest Church. Rather than presenting them as peripheral to the gospel, we have made these issues central to our theology and ecclesiology. ...

March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
Crisis Ready
Crisis Ready
Tragedies are inevitable but never expected. When the next one occurs, will your church be strengthened or shattered?
From the Magazine
I Hated ‘Church People.’ But I Knew I Needed Them.
I Hated ‘Church People.’ But I Knew I Needed Them.
As I attended my second funeral in three weeks, two Christians showed me a kindness I couldn’t explain.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close