Jonathan Brooks is the pastor of Canaan Community Church in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood and the author of the forthcoming book, Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods. He is a community developer, hip hop artist and Chicago city director for Mission Year. Jonathan grew up in Englewood on Chicago’s south side, moved away, and eventually returned to build community. Together with […]
AnaYelsi Velasco-Sanchez is an IndoLatinx mujerista working to create and agitate her way through the latin diaspora. She is a writer and speaker, visual artist, and faith-based community organizer. She blogs at Patheos Progressive Christian and shares other resources at browneyedamazon.com. Born in Venezuela, she came to the United States at a young age where she was adopted and given the name Ashley. When she […]
Dr. Mark Mulder is professor of sociology, adjunct professor of congregational and ministry studies, and director of the urban studies minor and at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He teaches classes on church and society, diversity and inequality, and urban sociology. Mark is the author of Congregations, Neighborhoods, Places, Shades of White Flight: Evangelical Congregations and Urban Departure, and co-author of
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove is the author of Reconstructing the Gospel: Finding Freedom from Slaveholder Religion. In 2003, he and his wife Lead founded the Rutba House, a house of hospitality where the formerly homeless are welcomed into a community that eats, prays, and shares life together. As the director of the School for Conversion, Jonathan pursues the beloved community in his neighborhood, North […]
Brian McLaren is a well-known author, speaker, activist and public theologian who has been advocating for “a new kind of Christianity” that is just and generous for over twenty years since he wrote The Church On the Other Side while serving as pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church. Since then, he has written numerous books including A New Kind of Christian, A Generous Orthodoxy and Why […]
Dr. Preston Pouteaux is the author of The Bees of Rainbow Falls: Finding Faith, Imagination, and Delight in Your Neighbourhood. He is a beekeeper, writer, published watercolour portrait artist and neighbourhood enthusiast. Preston is a syndicated columnist with 13 Ways. Since 2015, his column “Into the Neighbourhood” has been printed over one million times in weekly newspapers. He is a pastor at Lake Ridge Community Church, serves nationally […]
The Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley and his wife Edith are co-sustainers of Eloheh Farm, a permaculture, regenerative teaching farm, school and community in Newberg, Oregon. Dr. Woodley, a legal descendent of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma, is an activist/scholar, distinguished speaker, teacher and wisdom keeper who addresses a variety of issues concerning American culture, faith, justice, diversity, racism, our relationship with the earth and Indigenous […]
D.L. Mayfield is the author of Assimilate or Go Home: Notes from a Failed Missionary on Rediscovering Faith. Her writing has been featured in numerous publications, such as McSweeny’s, Relevant, Geez, The Toast, and Conspire! Her recent articles include “Facing Our Legacy of Lynching,” a cover story for Christianity Today and “Church Planting and the Gospel of Gentrification,” a cover story for Sojourners. She has […]
Christiana Rice is the coauthor with Michael Frost of To Alter Your World: Partnering with God to Rebirth Our Communities. Christiana is an on-the ground practitioner and visionary voice in the missional movement, serving as a coach and trainer for missional leaders with Thresholds, based in San Diego, CA where she leads a neighborhood faith community in the Golden Hill neighborhood. A daughter and granddaughter of missionaries, Christiana grew […]
Sarah van Gelder is an activist and storyteller. She is the author of The Revolution Where You Live: Stories from 12,000 Miles Journey Through A New America. She co-founded the award-winning YES! Magazine over 20 years ago and has been an editor and contributor ever since. She also writes for the Guardian, Huffington Post and other publications, speaks internationally and is a guest on radio and television. […]
