Noel Castellanos is the CEO of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) and the author of Where the Cross Meets the Street: What Happens to the Neighborhood When God Is at the Center. Noah Filipiak interviews Noel about the downside of American Evangelicals being obsessed with going to heaven, but neglecting much of Jesus’s example and teaching. Noel talks “behind the curtain” about the challenge of doing urban ministry, but also the call behind it and the purpose it brings.
The CCDA National Conference is coming to Detroit, MI on October 4-7th, 2017 so be sure to save the date to join us.
Get info on the CCDA’s small group curriculum
You can listen to Noah’s interview with Noel Castellanos below via the Podbean Player or you can subscribe to all “Behind the Curtain” Ministry Podcast episodes on iTunes
From August 20 – 30, 2016 CCDA practitioners walked a 150 mile pilgrimage from the border of Mexico and California––El Camino del Inmigrante––to share in solidarity with immigrants who are migrating across the world. You can follow walkers’ blogs, stories and reflections along the way. This video made me weep:
Recommended reading from Noel:
Where the Cross Meets the Street: What Happens to the Neighborhood When God Is at the Center by Noel Castellanos
Let Justice Roll Down by John Perkins
Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective by
The Future is Mestizo: Life Where Cultures Meet by Virgilio Elizondo
Galilean Journey: The Mexican-American Promise by Virgilio Elizondo
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (on mass incarceration)
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (on mass incarceration)
Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible by M. Daniel Carrol R.
Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate by Jenny Yang and Matthew Soerens
Related posts:
Podcast Interview on why Pastors Look at Porn & Have Affairs, with Covenant Eyes' Luke Gilkerson
From the Gospels: trending Bible verses on money, the poor, & "consumer church"
Lenting for the Most Vulnerable: Will You Join Me?
Ep. 36: Dr. John Perkins on the need for multi-ethnic churches, racial reconciliation
"Behind the Curtain" Podcast Episode #2 with author Ted Kluck
He is:
Author of Beyond the Battle: A man's guide to his identity in Christ in an oversexualized world
Host of the The Flip Side Podcast
Join an online men's small group led by Noah and team at BeyondTheBattle.net
- Free Webinar: Dealing with Pornography in Everyday Discipleship - February 5, 2026
- Nate’s Beyond the Battle story of overcoming porn and finding emotional wholeness - January 21, 2026
- Why Ministry Leaders Have Moral Failures - January 8, 2026
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