Al Gordon on Kingdom Creativity, Audacious Dreaming & Blessing the City with More Than a Religious Gathering
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In this episode, Brent Ingersoll interviews Al Gordon. Their conversation explores the planting of Al’s church in East London and his congregation’s vision to bring hope to the 99 percent of people who don’t attend religious services in their neighbourhood. Hope is not just a word — it represents a mission to honor God and neighbour, stay open-hearted to people who are exploring faith, live in proximity with the poor and the powerful, and empower others to grow as followers of Jesus.
The creativity of Al’s ministry is both intriguing and inspiring to any entrepreneurial leader. Whether it involves hosting concerts in their church building, opening a brewery like monks of old, or keeping bees as a prophetic reminder of the crucial role the church is to play in the ecosystem of human interactions — Hackney churches’ commitment to bring light and hope to their community is beautiful to behold.
In the end, the listener is challenged to:
Pray in such a way that requires a miracle from God
Refuse to limit oneself by realism and instead embrace audacious faith
Prioritize the presence of God
Take a five-year hiatus from perfecting the next version of the hip, young leader and, instead, spend the next five years serving the poor.
We hope you enjoy this conversation with Al Gordon.
Al Gordon
Al Gordon leads Hackney Church, a thriving church on a mission to bring hope to the heart of East London. His church features unique projects of renewal including an apiary, a fruit orchard and a micro-brewery. He is married to Olivia, an architect, and they have three children. Al is a trustee of Alpha International and Charity: Water.
Show Notes
“The job of the pastor is to hold the Scriptures in one hand and hold the hand of culture with the other.”
YouTube Links
We have also posted some of our favourite sections of this interview on our YouTube Channel - here is one of them:
Coming Up Next
Ken Costa
Ken Costa is an internationally renowned banker, having worked as Chairman of UBS Investment Bank for EMEA and Chairman of Lazard International. He is the Chairman Emeritus of Alpha International, Emeritus Professor of Commerce in Gresham College London and Dean of the Leadership College London. He and his wife, Dr Fiona Costa, live in London. They have two sons and two daughters. He is the founder of God at Work and author of three books. Ken has made two film series, the God at Work Conversations and Strange Kingdom - meditations on the cross.