Our Urban Voices

Dr. Alfonse Javed
  • 5.0 (2)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Deep conversations with diverse voices about urban ministry and Christian narratives. In "Our Urban Voices with Dr. Alfonse Javed," we will cover everything from churches and church planting efforts, missions and missions organization, evangelism and unreached people groups, emerging movements and initiatives, justice, current events related to faith and the persecuted church, to author interviews and reviews.

  1. #146. Before You Give Up on the Church… Listen to This

    FEB 10

    #146. Before You Give Up on the Church… Listen to This

    Does the church still matter in our modern world? After waves of disillusionment, #churchtoo movements, and political divides, it’s easy to question the value of investing in the church. Dr Carmen Joy Imes (PhD, Wheaton) is associate professor of Old Testament at Biola University. She is the author of Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters, and the editor of Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends. Her new book is Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters. Book: Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters Dr Carmen Imes' Blog WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:Understanding Our Identity as Being Part of God's FamilyWhy Do People Think God and Church Are Not Relevant?Helping People Who Have Been Hurt by the Church ABOUT THE GUEST: Dr Carmen Joy Imes (PhD, Wheaton) is associate professor of Old Testament at Biola University. She is the author of Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters, and the editor of Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends. Her new book is Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters. RELATED LINKS:Dr Carmen Imes, Biola UniversityBook: Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still MattersDr Carmen Imes' Blog TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:00:38 - Introducing Dr Carmen Imes 02:40 - God's Heart for Family 02:56 - ...God creates a world and intends for everyone to flourish 03:07 - ...God's plan to save the world begins with a family 04:04 - ...Jesus is the new Adam and the pathway that we become God's family 04:27 - Understanding Our Identity as Being Part of God's Family 04:50 - ...every human being is the image of God 05:32 - ...we are estranged from God so we don't live as God's family 06:22 - ...seeing people as potential siblings 08:57 - ...western church needs to learn that God works through people who have no power 10:57 - ...Esther and Daniel model two different ways of navigating faith under oppressive empires 11:47 - Why Do People Think God and Church Are Not Relevant? 12:20 - ...individualism 13:01 - ...quest for happiness 14:05 - ...but encouragingly, religion is no longer a private matter, but people want to know what you believe 16:35 - ...to share in the sufferings of others is part of what it means to become part of God's family 18:03 - ...the most effective form of evangelism right now is coming alongside

    30 min
  2. #145. Strong in Public, Struggling in Private: The Mental Health Crisis in Ministry

    JAN 27

    #145. Strong in Public, Struggling in Private: The Mental Health Crisis in Ministry

    When the burdens of life and ministry push you to your physical and mental breaking point, how can you lead yourself, let alone others? Dr Dudley's new book, Leading Through Storms: Successfully Navigating Ministry While Maintaining Your Mental Health, addresses that and more. Dr Geoffrey V. Dudley Sr. (PhD, Regent) is the founding and senior pastor of New Life in Christ Church, one of the fastest growing churches in the Metro East area of St. Louis, Missouri (O’Fallon, Illinois). Originally from Goldsboro, North Carolina, Dudley began ministry at the age of thirteen, was ordained by the United Holy Church of America in 1986, and is a retired Air Force chaplain and lieutenant colonel. He is also the CEO of iLead Enterprises, a leadership development platform for staff and workforce development. He and his wife, Glenda, have two adult children who are both ministry leaders. Dr Dudley on IVPress Leading Through Storms: Successfully Navigating Ministry While Maintaining Your Mental Health WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:Putting Down the Shame of Mental HealthRecognizing the Breaking Point When in StormsPractical Steps to Cultivating Self-Awareness, Emotional Resilience, and Self-Care ABOUT THE GUEST: Dr Geoffrey Dudley, Sr, is the founding and senior pastor of New Life in Christ Church in O’Fallon, Illinois. Originally from Goldsboro, North Carolina, Dr Dudley began ministry at the age of thirteen, is a retired Air Force chaplain and lieutenant colonel, and also the CEO of iLead Enterprises, a leadership development platform for staff and workforce development. RELATED LINKS:Dr Dudley on IVPressLeading Through Storms: Successfully Navigating Ministry While Maintaining Your Mental Health TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:07:01 - What is unique in Dr Dudley's approach to leadership? 09:35 - ...how I messed up but the mission went forward with the faithfulness of God 10:31 - Putting Down the Shame of Mental Health 12:17 - ...authentic leadership 12:58 - ...level of openness for teachers is different than that of pastors 16:42 - Recognizing the Breaking Point When in Storms 17:10 - ...Know thyself 17:38 - ...leaders tend not to be reflective 18:18 - Practical Steps to Cultivating Self-Awareness, Emotional Resilience, and Self-Care 19:19 - ...what are the rhythms and seasons of your life? 20:07 - ...taking time off and keeping it 21:33 - ...check out the younger generation 22:39 - ...emotionally dry 23:25 - ...visionaries always have to have something to go after 24:19 - How can Church Leadership and the Congregation Help? 24:39 - ...demand that the leaders take time, have...

    40 min
  3. #144. Invited to the Table: How Our Stories Shape Our Souls

    JAN 13

    #144. Invited to the Table: How Our Stories Shape Our Souls

    Jen Chen's book, Dim Sum and Faith, is an invitation to pause, reflect, and rediscover the joy and peace that comes from knowing you are lovingly crafted by God. It’s about seeing how our stories are a part of God’s continuous formation in our lives. Jenn Chen's new book: Dim Sum and Faith Jenn Chen's websites: Summit Clear and Personal Website WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:Importance of food, family, and memoriesRevisiting the painful parts of our storiesThe truth of our stories ABOUT THE GUEST: Jenn Suen Chen is a spiritual director, speaker, and leader in the area of spiritual formation and crosscultural ministry. She is co-director of Summit Clear (with her husband, John), an organization focused on providing spiritual direction, mentoring, and leadership coaching for those in crosscultural work. She serves with Pioneers and spent twenty-five years living in Asia raising her family. Jenn and John have four adult children and live in the Pacific Northwest. RELATED LINKS:Jenn Chen's new book: Dim Sum and FaithJenn Chen's websites: Summit Clear and Personal Website TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:00:39 - Introducing Jenn Chen 02:46 - Dim Sum and Faith - importance of food, family, and memories 03:11 - ...reminders of home and memories 04:07 - ...where did we come from? 05:19 - Identity Shaped by Cross-Cultural Experiences 09:03 - How Our Stories Form Our Beliefs 09:20 - Dim Sum and Faith is about Spiritual Formation 09:28 - ...God is about our transformation and our growth 09:40 - ...relating to God in our context and understanding God through our lens 10:50 - ...invitational by nature 12:32 - ...it's still about relationship and identity 13:51 - Revisiting the painful parts of our stories 14:31 - ...story work with the Lord 14:47 - ...living in China made her face her discomfort in being an Asian woman 16:21 - ...her father transformed because of the gospel 17:24 - ...pray through generational things 17:40 - ...we carry values from past generations 17:53 - ...giving things to the Lord 18:56 - Getting an accurate picture of the effects of our stories 19:26 - ...need the Holy Spirit to reveal the places in our heart that need healing 19:33 - ...need others to mirror the truth to us 19:41 - ...feelings are real, but not always true 20:03 - ...some stories are good while other leave deep wounds 24:17 - ...healing in community 25:40 - Letting go of wrong beliefs 25:56 - ...ask God to reveal our wrong beliefs 26:29 - ...does God really love me? 28:27 - Realizing God's plan for us 28:50 - ...ask God to show us His heart 28:54 - ...ask God what our gifts are 29:14 - ...find others who want to do the same 29:51 - ...take...

    43 min
  4. #143. 2025 Countdown #1 - Stop Trying to Revitalize Your Church-- Do This Instead

    12/30/2025

    #143. 2025 Countdown #1 - Stop Trying to Revitalize Your Church-- Do This Instead

    Josh has recently authored Remissioning Church, A Field Guide to Bringing a Congregation Back to Life, where he talks about transforming a church from the inside out to bring a new missional presence that brings life and flourishing to the neighborhood. Book: Remissioning Church WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:How and why congregations might be dyingRemissioning vs RevitalizingInside-out transformation ABOUT THE GUEST: Josh Hayden is the co-founder and co-president of `Iwa Collaborative, which helps leaders fly high and live low as they lead through change processes in their community. He runs remissioning trainings through `Iwa Collaborative across various denominational, non-denominational, and global networks. Josh Hayden is the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Ashland, Virginia. For over 20 years he has worked and led in nonprofit organizations, church plants, and established churches. He has a doctorate in leadership and organizational change from Duke Divinity School and is the author of Remissioning Church and Sacred Hope. He serves on the boards of numerous nonprofits. He and his family live near Richmond, Virginia. RELATED LINKS:Iwa CollaborativeFirst Baptist Ashland VA TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:01:22 - Introducing Pastor Josh Hayden 05:32 - How and why congregations might be dying 06:04 - ...churches in survival mode 06:21 - ...counting, not reflecting Jesus 06:42 - ...want people to lead, but rarely invite or train up leaders 07:16 - ...afraid of conflict, stuck in tradition 07:45 - How Josh's journey influenced the writing of the book 09:22 - Established church vs church plant 10:53 - Exploring the book title: Remissioning Church 11:42 - ...Remissioning vs Revitalizing 14:44 - ...Remissioning was not a word that people were using regularly 16:27 - ...Is it RE-missioning or re-MISSION-ing? 19:12 - How does church leadership assess if the church should be remissioned? 19:28 - ...awareness of where the church is in the life cycle 19:45 - ...spiritual health of the church 19:53 - ...counting vs measuring 20:02 - ...honest evaluation 21:55 - How does the church leadership manage feelings in assessing a church? 24:24 - ...helping people navigate loss and change 25:35 - ...embrace conflict 26:45 - What does a healthy church look like? 26:47 - ...clear sense of how to make disciples who are good for the community 27:30 - ...common life with the community 27:36 - ...see change as God inviting us into a life-death-resurrection journey 28:03 - ...disciple people inside the church so not to export the mission of God to others 30:35 - What is the goal of remissioning a church? 32:51 - What needs to happen for inside-out transformation to take place? 33:19 - ...people discipling someone 34:18 - ...learn to live on mission with God 34:50 - ...live with more purpose and intention 35:25 - How and why is discipleship the mission of the church? 35:57 - ...a...

    47 min
  5. #142. 2025 Countdown #2 - Revealing the Lord's Love to Muslims

    12/16/2025

    #142. 2025 Countdown #2 - Revealing the Lord's Love to Muslims

    Brandon has extensive experience living and serving among least-reached peoples in the New York City metropolitan area. His time spent in the Middle East cultivated a deep passion for diaspora Muslims residing in gateway cities. Brandon's website WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:Christians may be hesitate or fearful about engaging with Muslim neighborsMuslims might not have significant relationship with ChristiansHeart for Muslims as a Resource ABOUT THE GUEST: Brandon lives and serves least-reached peoples in the New York City metropolitan area. After spending significant time in the Middle East, he grew to have hearts for diaspora Muslims living in gateway cities. Brandon is the Executive Director of Heart For Muslims, a mission initiative with a passion to love Muslims, equip the Body of Christ, and connect people for gospel-centered service Heart for Muslims TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:03:17 - Calling to minister to Muslims 04:33 - Christians may be hesitate or fearful about engaging with Muslim neighbors 05:07 - ...seek out Heart for Muslims and tour a Muslim neighborhood 07:30 - ...Vision and Mission trip 07:55 - ...Muslims can be in the US for a long time and not have a significant relationship with a Christians 12:55 - A Story of a Meaningful Relationship Illustrates the Power of Faithful Presence in Muslim Community 20:05 - Engaging with Muslims during Ramadan 25:10 - Getting involved with Heart for Muslims 28:39 - HeartForMuslims.com DID YOU APPRECIATE THIS PODCAST? Checkout previous episodes, leave a review, drop us a note or support the mission here: oururbanvoices.com

    32 min
  6. #141. 2025 Countdown #3 - Connecting Your Life to Theirs

    12/02/2025

    #141. 2025 Countdown #3 - Connecting Your Life to Theirs

    Brandon has extensive experience living and serving among least-reached peoples in the New York City metropolitan area. His time spent in the Middle East cultivated a deep passion for diaspora Muslims residing in gateway cities. Brandon's website WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:The Gap Between the Christian and Muslim CommunitiesMost Effective Ways for Churches and Believers to Serve MuslimsHeart for Muslims as a Resource ABOUT THE GUEST: Brandon lives and serves least-reached peoples in the New York City metropolitan area. After spending significant time in the Middle East, he grew to have hearts for diaspora Muslims living in gateway cities. Brandon is the Executive Director of Heart For Muslims, a mission initiative with a passion to love Muslims, equip the Body of Christ, and connect people for gospel-centered service Heart for Muslims TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:01:21 - Introducing Brandon 03:25 - Calling to minister to Muslims 04:39 - Journey from the Middle East to NYC and Approach to Ministry 05:32 - ...interdenominational seminary 05:43 - ...international students 05:56 - ...studying abroad at Jerusalem University 06:52 - ...teaching ESL at Bethlehem Bible College 07:03 - ...connecting point on seeing all people as God's creation 07:57 - ...the only difference was knowing Jesus 08:39 - ...journey of repentance 09:13 - ...began feeling a calling to serve full-time in the Middle East 10:22 - ...heard of work with displaced Muslims in North America 11:19 - ...neighborhood in northern New Jersey and it's like Palestine 13:46 - ...very limited concerted effort to reach Muslims around NYC with the gospel 14:11 - ...freedom to share the gospel in NY/NJ that's not available in the Middle East 15:10 - ...protection for Muslims who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior 15:34 - Executive Director of Heart for Muslims 16:18 - ...vision for the future of the Heart for Muslims conference 18:07 - The gap between the Christian and Muslim communities 19:11 - Most effective ways for churches and believers to serve Muslims 19:44 - ...lack of knowledge 20:03 - ...focus on a particular local people group 20:40 - ...Step 1: Pray about whom to engage 22:10 - ...Step 2: Who is already doing work among these people? 22:40 - ...the Lord will reveal needs 23:59 - ...Step 3: connect your life to theirs 24:50 - ...Connect and Live with People 25:51 - ...Heart for Muslims as a resource DID YOU APPRECIATE THIS PODCAST? Checkout previous episodes, leave a review, drop us a note or support the mission here: oururbanvoices.com

    29 min
  7. #140. 2025 Countdown #4 - Becoming All Things to All People in Order to Save Some

    11/18/2025

    #140. 2025 Countdown #4 - Becoming All Things to All People in Order to Save Some

    Carl Jamal dedicated his life to serving underserved communities, equipping churches, and empowering individuals through faith-based outreach. Our conversation today will center around effective urban ministry—how churches can serve inner-city communities with dignity, navigate challenges, and build lasting relationships. We’ll also explore Carl’s unique approach to ministry through hip-hop, prison rehabilitation, and youth outreach. Carl Jamal's Website Book Link: Urban Missionary Survival Guide WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:People, Not ProjectsDo's and Don'ts of Urban MinistryRole of Urban Missionaries in the Church ABOUT THE GUEST: Carl Jamal is a dedicated community leader and music educator who has overcome significant personal challenges to empower others. Finding refuge in music during a difficult youth, Carl relocated to Atlanta over ten years ago and committed himself to community outreach and charitable work, earning recognition as a respected leader and volunteer. His passion for hip hop fuels his impactful work in prison rehabilitation and youth outreach programs, where he teaches music production and fosters self-expression. Through his resilience and dedication, Carl shares his wisdom and skills, empowering marginalized communities and inspiring positive change. Born and raised in Baltimore, Carl Jamal faced many challenges in their youth as their mother struggled with addiction and father was absent. Despite these obstacles, Carl Jamal found hope and inspiration in music, channeling their faith and creativity into a pathway toward a brighter future. After relocating to Atlanta over ten years ago, Carl Jamal dedicated his life to community outreach and charitable work, becoming a respected local leader and volunteer throughout the nation. His passion for hip hop music inspired his life's work in prison rehabilitation, and Youth outreach where he teaches prisoners and at-risk teens the art and technical know-how of music production, writing, and engineering. Carl Jamal’s unique approach to hip hop education helped him pioneer a new way to reach and connect with local youths. His workshops and events encourage youth to unleash their creativity through hip hop as a means of self-expression and empowerment. Despite the many setbacks and obstacles Carl Jamal encountered in their young life, they persevered with grace, skill, and ingenuity. Now Carl Jamal shares his wisdom, his love of hip hop, and life skills with others, continuing his journey of empowerment and positivity in the world. RELATED LINKS:Carl Jamal's WebsiteBook Link: Urban Missionary Survival Guide TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:01:21 - Introducing Carl Jamal Rumsey 03:21 - How has Carl Jamal's childhood experiences shaped him? 03:57 - ...visited Atlanta and saw church community and Christ 05:43 - ...full-time in urban ministry 06:27 - ...Maverick City Music Initiative 07:07 - ... dedicated life to be a voice for the voiceless 07:25 - Importance of Principle: People, Not Projects (Book) 07:42 - ...church may treat people as a project or a program 09:07 - Top 10 of Do's and Don'ts of Urban Ministry 12:14 - ...why are you serving in urban ministry? 12:36 - Importance of Serving with Dignity 12:54 - ...Where is your heart? 13:25 - Role of Urban Missionaries in the Church 13:40 - ...use urban interests 14:13 - ...be a missionary anywhere 14:20 - ...be mission -minded 15:39 - ...examples of using...

    27 min
  8. #139. 2025 Countdown #5 - Hope Dealer on the Block: Amy Williams' Mission to Love the Forgotten

    11/04/2025

    #139. 2025 Countdown #5 - Hope Dealer on the Block: Amy Williams' Mission to Love the Forgotten

    Youth ministry veteran Amy Williams ministers to teens involved in gangs and those lost in the criminal justice system with a key strategy of life-on-life mentoring. Amy Williams' Website Worth Seeing: Viewing Others Through God’s Eyes Amy Williams on IVPress WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:Seeing People “through the lens of God” in Daily Interactions and Decision-MakingMeaningful Inclusion with At-Risk YouthLearning More from These Youths than Any Other Group ABOUT THE GUEST: Youth ministry veteran Amy Williams ministers to teens involved in gangs and those lost in the criminal justice system with a key strategy of life-on-life mentoring. As a certified gang intervention specialist, she heard God's call to move into a Latino gang neighborhood in Chicago's Humboldt Park community to be a "Hope Dealer" doing street outreach and walking life with young people on her block. Amy is project coordinator at New Life Centers, bringing in restorative justice programming to youth at juvenile prisons. Amy has been a youth pastor, a reentry coordinator, and a youth mentor and advocate. She is a graduate of both University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and National Louis University. She resides in Chicago and loves salsa dancing and is a true beach baby. TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:01:22 - Introducing Amy Williams 05:42 - Amy's inspiration to work with high-risk youth 06:42 - ...deepest pain can become greatest passion 07:25 - ...pull for the underdog 07:54 - Seeing People “through the lens of God” in Daily Interactions and Decision-Making 08:07 - ...evaluate ability to see people through the lens of God 08:42 - ...seeing the value and worth of young people 09:09 - ...God created them for a purpose 09:48 - Meaningful Inclusion with At-Risk Youth 10:13 - ...moving from being watched to being seen 10:49 - ...inviting them into a space where they should already be invited to 11:12 - Justice and Mercy 11:37 - ...the call is to serve both the harmed and the harm-doer 12:05 - ...spirit of mercy 12:31 - ...not "What's wrong with you?" but "What happened to you?" 13:02 - ...compassion for both 14:54 - ...understanding but not agreeing 15:40 - ...opportunity to chnage the direction of kids' lives 16:57 - ...hope that her book would inform us about the issues and help turn compassion into action 17:25 - Learning More from These Youths than Any Other Group 19:55 - The Need to Belong 21:26 - Doing Better 22:07 - ...include people who are involved in the situation 22:57 - ...create spaces for the voices 25:08 - What keeps you going after decades of such intense work? 26:12 - ...God-given work 26:37 - ...community of support 27:06 - ...lost too many young people-- someone is praying for help 28:43 - Give our young people a chance 29:21 - Getting in touch with Amy Williams: ahopedealer.org 29:49 - Book on ivpress.com DID YOU APPRECIATE THIS PODCAST? Checkout previous episodes, leave a review, drop us a note or support the mission here: oururbanvoices.com

    32 min
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About

Deep conversations with diverse voices about urban ministry and Christian narratives. In "Our Urban Voices with Dr. Alfonse Javed," we will cover everything from churches and church planting efforts, missions and missions organization, evangelism and unreached people groups, emerging movements and initiatives, justice, current events related to faith and the persecuted church, to author interviews and reviews.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Alfonse Javed
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    145
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024, Our Urban Voices
  • Show Website
    Our Urban Voices