Editor’s Note: Read part two of this interview.
Dr. Eric Mason is the founder and pastor of Epiphany Fellowship. He is the recipient of multiple earned degrees, including a B.S. in Psychology from Bowie State University, a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is the founder and president of Thriving, an urban resource organization committed to developing leaders for ministry in the urban context. He is the author of four books, the most recent of which is Woke Church: An Urgent Call for Christians in America to Confront Racism and Injustice.
This is part one of Faithfully Magazine’s interview with Mason, conducted by phone. It has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Let’s begin with a little background information. Tell us a bit about how you came to saving faith in Jesus and what called you to pastoral ministry.
I grew up in Washington, D.C. I grew up in the church, yet didn’t notice the call of the gospel. It wasn’t that the church didn’t preach it; it’s just I didn’t notice it. But it did, because it was an extremely liturgical church, a United Methodist Church. You heard the gospel and the historical Christian faith, doctrine, and everything. So, once I went to college, I went to a campus ministry outreach that had church service there on Sunday mornings. And I ended up just stumbling into one and ended up hearing the gospel clearly for the first time and ended up placing my faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross and His resurrection and propitiation for my sins. That’s how I came to faith. But, I wasn’t in a local church and wasn’t getting discipled when I was in college. But, I ended up getting discipled by a young man to get into church, and once I started dating who would be my wife, I started going to that church and sensed a strong call to ministry.
