What Happens After 30 Years of Being on Call 24/7/365

Phil Jackson has served full time in urban ministry to youth for thirty years. He is currently a church planter and the lead pastor of The House and founder and executive director of The Firehouse Community Art Center.


I have served Christ for thirty years in urban youth ministry in the Lawndale community of Chicago. The need to be “on call” 24/7/365 has been a way of life for me all these years. While I was aware of the need for self-care and spiritual formation, over time this became more like a spiritual triage effort than real restoration and connection to Christ. Hard and grueling ministry was relentless and old practices became rote to the extent that they lost their potency.

As I was finishing up seminary, two friends carried me financially so I could join a Transforming Community. Like the story in Mark 2 where, out of love, the friends of a paraplegic man were so bold they busted a roof open to get him to Christ for healing, my friends knew I NEEDED HEALING.

My two friends carried me to Jesus to be healed. They knew I would obey Jesus’ voice, pick up my mat and walk again. My two-year Transforming Community experience has been healing, my walk with Christ is fresh, and I have discovered a healthier way to live and serve God in the world. My life after the Transforming Community is filled with the same challenges, but I am serving Christ from a stronger place than ever before.


Phil longs to see the next generation of leaders in the Lawndale community experience a Transforming Community now – rather than waiting until they are depleted from being on call 24/7/365.

We have excellent next generation leaders and influencers who have been accepted for Transforming Community 15 and are waiting for God’s provision. Your year-end gift of any size makes it possible for leaders like Phil to join a Transforming Community

Transforming Center

We desire to see churches and Christian organizations become communities of authentic spiritual transformation – and that begins with transforming leaders. We seek to strengthen the souls of pastors and leaders, equipping them to guide their churches and organizations to become spiritually transforming communities that discern and do the will of God in their settings. Read more about the Transforming Center.
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