Pastor Justin Adour looks at opportunities and potential blind spots when church planting in a neighborhood that is being gentrified.

He also considers the church’s hesitancy to confront issues relating to justice and how that reluctance could overshadow a church’s testimony of Jesus.

Almost three years ago—he and his wife, Angela, co-founded Redeemer East Harlem which is part of the family of Redeemer Presbyterian Churches in New York City. Located in the heart of what is traditionally known as Spanish Harlem, the community around the church is experiencing rapid gentrification.

What You’ll Learn:

• Three of the Church's Biggest Challenges to Engage in Issues that Relate to Justice
• About Gentrification as a Context for Church Planting
• How Justice Relates to Evangelism

About the Guest : 

Pastor Justin Adour together with his wife Angela co-founded Redeemer East Harlem. For almost three years he has served as the Lead Pastor of the church located in the heart of what has been traditionally known as Spanish Harlem in New York City.

Prior to that, he has been pastoring in NYC since 2008—serving as a youth pastor and staff pastor in the Bronx, a chaplain at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, a campus minister at NYU and a pastor at Redeemer East Side.

He is an editor and contributor for a blog, Until Zion. He earned both a bachelor's and master's degrees in Intercultural Studies with his master's focus in urban missiology, as well as a master's from Reformed Theological Seminary NYC. He has also completed his doctorate (D.Min) from North Park Theological Seminary.

Scripture Related to Episode:

Revelation 21; New Heaven and New Earth

Links Related to Episode:

Redeemer East Harlem

East Harlem Youth Center

Justin Adour, Contributor - Until Zion Blog

Timestamped Show Notes:

01:08 - Topic: Church Planting and Social Justice from a Biblical Perspective

02:07 - Biblical Justice versus Social Justice

04:24 - Youth Ministry in the Bronx

06:36 - Competing Definitions of Racism

07:41 - The Social Construct of Race

08:16 - What Is Anti-Racism?

09:45 - The Church as a Just People (On Purpose)

10:54 - Learning from the Church's History about Justice

13:08 - The Importance of History in Understanding a Community —Missiology in America

14:25 - Context for the Church Plant's Core Team

15:01 - Looking at the Gospel Holistically

15:42 - Great Commission Christianity and the Restoration of All Things

16:48 - Making the Invisible Kingdom Visible Now

17:30 - Reconciliation and Restoration in Communities

18:16 - Three Obstacles to a Justice Orientation in Churches

22:01 - NYC in 2020 during the #BLM Movement

22:39 - Solidarity, Prayer and Unity

27:08 - Privileged Mobility and Loving Your Neighbor

33:45 - Justice Matters

36:03 - Biblical Witness, Justice, Advocacy and Evangelism

37:27 - Contact Info and Until Zion Blog

38:10 - Dads Joking