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Just FYI, you’ll notice that I’m a little hoarse in this episode. It’s worth it though.

Leroy Barber is the Executive Director of Word Made Flesh Ministries, and former president of Mission Year and of Focus Community Strategies (FCS) Urban Ministries. He is the author of two previous books, New Neighbor and Everyday Missions. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

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You don’t have to have been Christian for very long before you become apart of some sort of mission. Most of us have experienced short-term missions, worked at a church sponsored food pantry, or maybe even went over seas with an organization. The reality is that far to many of the leadership of the organizations that take on such endeavors are overwhelmingly white, from the board of directors to the executive director. How does this happen to a people who are called by an all loving, boundary-breaking God, and what are the consequences when the people who supposedly benefit from the mission of these organizations come from vastly different backgrounds than those who are providing the services? These are the questions Leroy takes on in Red, Brown, Yellow, Black, White—Who’s More Precious In God’s Sight?.

In the interview we discuss…

…the push back Leroy experienced as a person of color working in the Christian non-profit cholesterol lowering realm.

…the changes made to make the non-profit DOOR more diverse.

…missionary invaders.

…the Rooney rule in the NFL is and how that relates to Christian Mission Agencies.

…how many Christian non-profits have workers raising their own support, and what’s wrong with that model.

…how ministries can be contextual to the poor.

Remember our beloved sponsor for this episode is Deidox Films. If you like the podcast and want to support it then please check out Deidox and tell your pastor, worship leader or whoever organizes your worship gatherings about it.

Deidox produces beautiful, high quality, short documentaries about the real lives of Christians.This week I recommend the short film Robert.

Deidox Films is a 501(c)3 film production and distribution company. They are media missionaries. Their mission is to produce and promote documentary films that help the Church reflect Christ and redeem culture.

Their purpose is to partner with Pastors and Church leaders to help make disciples and fulfill the Great Commission. They do this by creating visual models of faith that provide practical examples of modern-day disciples.

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