Welcome back to The Stoop Sessions, where we have casual, down-to-earth conversations about ministry—straight from a Baltimore stoop. In each episode, Joel Kurz, Stephanie Greer unpack topics around healthy church ministry in the inner city.

In today’s culture, everything is on the move—always running, always grinding, always reaching for more. But where’s it all going? There’s no finish line, just an endless chase for greatness. Sadly, pastors, ministry leaders, and church members often get caught in the same cycle. Even in the midst of doing great things for God, many are running on empty—exhausted, burned out, and wondering if this is how it’s supposed to be.

In this episode, we explore how pride can quietly fuel our exhaustion. Joel and Stephanie discuss how pride in place, planning, and purpose often leads to spiritual—and even physical—burnout. But there is a remedy: humility. In humility, we learn to rest—not by striving, but by trusting. This episode calls us to a deeper dependent trust in God, the only true source of rest.

In addition to their work with ONE HOPE, Joel serves as lead pastor at The Garden Church, where Stephanie also serves on staff. Visit thegardenbaltimore.com to learn more.

Learn more about ONE HOPE and how you can help build churches in the inner city: www.onehope.gives

Support the show: www.onehope.gives/donate

Welcome back to The Stoop Sessions, where we have casual, down-to-earth conversations about ministry—straight from a Baltimore stoop. In each episode, Joel Kurz, Stephanie Greer unpack topics around healthy church ministry in the inner city.

In this episode, we explore a tension every one of us feels: the balance between work and rest. Our culture runs at a frantic pace, and “just one more thing” can often push us into overload. The result? A double-edged problem: we idolize rest, dreaming of a utopia of leisure, while also idolizing work, tying our identity to productivity. Neither extreme satisfies—both lead to burnout.

Joel and Stephanie reflect on the cultural exhaustion we all feel and take a biblical look at why work is good, why rest is essential, and why both can become broken. Whether you’re a ministry leader feeling stretched thin or just someone trying to live faithfully in a demanding world, this conversation offers hope and a call back to rhythms rooted in creation and grace.

In addition to their work with ONE HOPE, Joel serves as lead pastor at The Garden Church, where Stephanie also serves on staff.

Visit thegardenbaltimore.com to learn more.

Learn more about ONE HOPE and how you can help build churches in the inner city: www.onehope.gives

Support the show: www.onehope.gives/donate

The church is weakened when its mission is unclear. Is the mission of the church simply to make disciples? Or is it also expanding or ushering in God’s kingdom? How does community transformation relate to our mission? Is it the church’s mission to paint every fence and feed every belly? If not, should the church do these things anyway? It is easy to confuse the church’s mission, and start acting as if we are God, instead of relying on God. In this episode, the Joel, Eric, and Stephanie discuss the primary mission of the church, as well as, the nuanced role it plays in the community. As the church makes disciples, disciples “love their neighbor.” And things change. Listen in and join the conversation!

In scripture, elders are addressed as a plurality, not as a role to be served by a single individual. Joel and Eric, both pastors at The Garden Church, share insight into the importance of having both paid and lay (unpaid) elders serving the inner city church. What does it look like for an elder to have full-time secular work, but still hold the same authority as the senior Pastor? Listen in as we discuss various challenges and dangers from the lack of a plurality of elders, to unchecked authority and the weight of ministry. God’s grace remains necessary in equipping all elders.