Welcome back to The Stoop Sessions—where we gather for honest, down-to-earth conversations about ministry and the life of the church, straight from a Baltimore stoop.

What does it actually mean for someone to be converted? And how can a local church know whether someone has truly been changed by the gospel?

In this episode of The Stoop Sessions, Joel, Akin, and Stephanie talk about the importance of rightly understanding conversion in the life of the local church. They begin by asking what biblical conversion actually is and why churches need to be careful not to confuse a profession of faith, a prayer, or a desire to be baptized with genuine saving faith. The conversation emphasizes that the church has been given the gospel message, but only God can truly make disciples.

The conversation then turns toward some of the ways churches can misunderstand conversion. What does it look like when someone's testimony centers on being a good person, believing for a long time, giving, or doing the right things rather than on Christ and his saving work? Joel, Akin, and Stephanie discuss why a person's understanding of their own sin, their need for Christ, and their inability to save themselves are essential when discerning a credible profession of faith.

They also talk about baptism and church membership, particularly the responsibility of the local church to look for evidence of genuine conversion. What should pastors do when someone desperately wants to be baptized but may not yet understand the gospel? How should churches think about the age and maturity of children who profess faith? And how can we patiently walk with people while still taking conversion seriously?

Finally, the conversation turns toward discipleship and the evidence of conversion. Rather than simply teaching people to imitate a pastor or follow a set of Christian behaviors, the goal is to help people know God's Word, depend on the Holy Spirit, and see the gospel transforming the way they think and live.

True conversion is not simply making a decision for Jesus. It is God making a new creation in Christ.

In this episode, we discuss:

Why churches need to rightly understand biblical conversion

What genuine conversion actually looks like

The difference between a profession of faith and evidence of true conversion

Why our stories must begin and end with Christ How churches can discern whether someone is ready for baptism

How pastors should respond when someone desires baptism but may not understand the gospel

Why baptism is a church's affirmation of a person's credible profession of faith

How churches can patiently walk with children and young people toward baptism

The role of God's Word and the Holy Spirit in discipleship

Why discipleship should produce genuine spiritual transformation rather than mere imitation

How evidence of conversion can encourage Christians in their faith

Joel Kurz is the Lead Pastor at The Garden Church and Director of ONE HOPE.

Akin Omisanmi serves as Pastor at Southwest Baptist Church, a ONE HOPE church.

Stephanie serves with The Garden Church and alongside ONE HOPE, laboring for rooted discipleship in the city.

📍 Learn more about The Garden Church: thegardenbaltimore.com

📍 Learn more about Southwest Baptist Church: swbcbaltimore.com

🌱 Learn more about ONE HOPE: onehope.gives

❤️ Support the show: onehope.gives/donate

More than a Decision: What Does True Conversion Look Like?

ONE HOPE

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Are Christian celebrities helping or hurting the Church? What are the dangers of platform, influence, and celebrity culture for pastors, Christian influencers, artists, and everyday believers?

In this episode of The Stoop Sessions, Joel Kurz, Stephanie Greer, and William "Duce" Branch (founding member of Cross Movement) tackle one of the most important conversations facing the church today: Christian celebrity culture.

Why do Christians gravitate toward celebrity pastors and influencers? How do public platforms shape our hearts? Can artists, content creators, and Christian leaders build influence without making themselves the center of attention? And what role should the local church play in keeping gifted believers grounded?

Drawing from decades of ministry and leadership in Christian hip-hop, Duce shares how the movement developed, why many prominent Christian artists and influencers have drifted from Christ-centered ministry, and what the church can learn from that history.

Together, the conversation explores the difference between ministry and industry, the temptation to build a personal brand, the importance of church membership and discipleship, and why the greatest platform any Christian can have is one that points people to Jesus—not themselves.

Whether you're a pastor, worship leader, Christian artist, influencer, content creator, or simply a believer trying to faithfully follow Christ in a platform-driven world, this conversation will challenge you to examine your heart, treasure the local church, and pursue a ministry that exalts Christ above self.

In this episode:

What defines Christian celebrity?

Why many Christian influencers and artists drift from the faith The rise of Christian hip-hop and what it teaches the church

Ministry vs. industry

The dangers of platform-building and personal branding Why the local church is God's plan for spiritual formation

How to use influence without becoming the message Making disciples instead of building followers

Featuring:

William "Duce" Branch — Pastor, speaker, and founding member of Cross Movement.

Joel Kurz — Lead Pastor of The Garden Church and Director of ONE HOPE.

Stephanie Greer — Staff Member at The Garden Church

🌱 Learn more about ONE HOPE: https://onehope.gives

🏡 Learn more about The Garden Church: https://thegardenbaltimore.com

❤️ Support the mission: https://onehope.gives/donate

If this conversation encouraged you, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with someone who is seeking to faithfully follow Jesus in a culture obsessed with platform and influence.

Christian Celebrity with William "Duce" Branch

ONE HOPE

Morgan Proudfoot was brought up with an unstable childhood. From inner city Seattle to the cornfields of Pennsylvania, his only understanding of “Jesus” was as a word of profanity. As a teenager, his elderly neighbors undeterred by the generational gap, invited him to know Jesus in a new way: as God himself. When life did not become easier, he clung to the belief that God was loving, and that a loving God would not abandon him in suffering. Morgan is now a pastor of Grace Harbor Church, a recently planted church in New Bedford, Massachusetts, In this episode, Morgan chats with the Stoop crew and reflects on how God brought him through insurmountable challenges and has been at work throughout his entire life. Morgan now hopes to display the gospel to an underserved city and share this hope of Christ with the lost and broken.

Jesus Was Just a Curse Word: The Story of Morgan Proudfoot

ONE HOPE

“I’ve gotta get myself together,” is a refrain which aptly marks our present culture. It can be a point of pride, and a stumbling block for any who believe they have to “arrive” before meeting to Jesus. Must we reach a certain standard, accomplished by their own power, before coming to God? We think outward to appearances, when change can only come through the inward work of Christ. And while “I gotta get myself together” can be a works-based salvation, it can also simply be an excuse. In this episode, Joel, Eric, and Stephanie discuss some of the narratives that drive this false gospel, the barriers we put up, and excuses we make to put off the clear call of the true Gospel.

I Gotta Get Myself Together

ONE HOPE