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The latest episode of “Sheepdog and Shepherd” delivers a deeply personal look at what it means to live out faith beyond the walls of a church. Filmed on location at the Church of Eleven22’s in Jacksonville, Florida, the conversation centers on manhood, calling, and what true workplace ministry looks like when faith is lived out in the marketplace.
“Who would have known a guy from the projects would go to business school,” guest Lewis McKennon said. “My whole goal in life was to make it out of the projects. I think that was the hardest thing, because I was trying to figure out what it was truly to walk as a man of God.”
Lewis now owns a growing salon business, Honey and Sage, with more than 60 employees. But his journey has been shaped through adversity, calling, and obedience.
“I got into the ministry because… I was trying to figure out what my calling was,” Lewis shared. “Was I supposed to do business inside of the church, or was I supposed to be doing it with my wife, or was I supposed to be doing it for me?”
That question is where the idea of marketplace ministry comes into focus. Pastor Greg, who oversees prison campuses and first responder ministry at the church and also serves as a chaplain for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, offered a clear explanation.
“People that have a desire to do ministry but are actually working in the marketplace don’t have to actually go to work for a church,” Greg said. “They can actually do ministry where God’s got them… they’re promoting the gospel. They’re sharing Jesus with people in their day to day lives out in the market.”
For Lewis, that realization changed everything. “We let God shine through us, through our business. We have a lot of girls have been accepted Jesus in their lives because of our business.”
That themes of surrender and stewardship run throughout the conversation. Lewis described how criticism and racial attacks from his own community tested his faith in a very real way.
“I got a lot of Facebook hate,” he said. “Asked me, did I forget who I am or what race I am? I’m like, I’m part of the human race. I’m a child of God.”
Instead of responding with anger, Lewis chose prayer and grace.
“I sat and prayed two days straight,” he said. “I could just see when Jesus died on the cross and said, forgive them, for they know not what they do… I still love you, and I don’t hate you. I just want you to see the truth.”
Pastor Greg closed the episode by sharing a moment that captured Lewis’ faith in action. When a man came to the church looking for confrontation, Louis met him with kindness.
“Lewis loved him,” Greg said. “He offered him, hey, would you like to come in and sit down… and it was the first time ever that the guy had gotten a positive review of a church.”
The episode stands as a reminder that faith is not confined to church buildings or traditional ministry. It is also lived out in businesses, families, and in communities. God is at work in the marketplace, shaping men and women who are willing to be faithful wherever they are called.
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Watch the full episode now at https://www.pray.com/series/sheepdog-and-shepherd-season-one.
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