Joe Johnson is an activist, writer, teacher, pastor and the founder of Rebellious Love Ministries. Through this ministry he serves addicts, homeless and youth, as well as his congregation. He also ministers to youth at Central Christian Center in Joplin, Missouri. He is a sought after speaker, but has limited availability due to his ministerial duties.
Joe lives in Southwest Missouri with his wife Vanessa, as well as his four children.
Joe Johnson is the founder of Rebellious Love Ministries. His “ministry” has brought him to the gutters, alleys and crack houses of America. He has literally taken on City Hall, demanding relief for the hundreds of homeless living in the streets. His non-conventional approach to activism as ministry has taken him into places that most “preachers” would not dare to enter.
Abandoned at the age of six-months by his biological mother, Joe spent the first 17 years of his life in an environment of neglect and abuse. He was “raised” by the woman he had been “left” with, who showered him with love amidst the turmoil he and she faced. At the age of 14, Joe accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, but had no discipleship to speak of. Turning to drugs, alcohol and sex as a form of escape, Joe wandered around the country, and through life, a prodigal. His journeys took him all across the United States and to countries such as Sri Lanka, Australia, the Philippines and Mexico to name some. There he witnessed persecution and exploitation at every level. And to his regret, participated in much of it. Years later, he was haunted by what he witnessed and partook in.
Since 1982 Joe has worked with and in various churches. His experiences have not always been pleasant, mostly due to his intolerance of religion. His first endeavor was at an Independent Baptist church as an “assistant youth leader.” In this particular instance, the experience lasted a mere three weeks. Just long enough to write and produce a play entitled, “Teenage Wasteland” which the youth put on. The breaking point in this experience came when the official Youth Minister made it clear to Joe that he would not “tolerate anyone trying to take over “his” ministry.” Sadly, the ministry was not God’s. Joe moved on.
In 1985, hearing the call to “real ministry”, Joe again attempted to align himself with a church that had a goal of simply sharing Christ. This was the beginning of a journey that led Joe from one church and/or denomination to another. He was a Youth Sunday school teacher in one church, while working as a youth minister in another. Two completely different denominations. At the same time. Joe was speaking at various events and conferences. He worked with the likes of Rich Mullins, Josh McDowell, PETRA, and many more immediately recognizable names in ministry. He appeared on numerous television programs, including the Geraldo Rivera Show. He appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS and PBS. He worked in radio broadcasting, published both fiction and non-fiction literature and served on-staff of several churches, and including what was then the largest church in the four-state region.
“Fighting Religion” in this particular case, simply means that in every endeavor, things appeared “Okay”, yet never quite right. In 1989 Joe took the position of Associate Pastor/Youth Minister at the First Church of God in Joplin, Missouri. At their first youth meeting, there were three youth in attendance. The following week there were five and seven the week after. From there, the group continued to grow, topping out at around 70. The Youth outnumbered the Adults by about 15.Very few of the youth who attended had parents that attended church. Most were from troubled homes. Two vans and a bus regularly made the rounds to pick up the young people and bring them to church. The church was very supportive of the Youth Program, and no young person ever missed out on any trip or event that required funding. Joe had a missions approach with the youth, regularly organizing events that facilitated serving others within the community. After about two and a half years the Pastor retired, and the new Pastor had a totally different vision of what “youth ministry” should consist of and within three months the program basically ended.
Joe then moved onto a non-denominational church near Carterville, Missouri and began a youth program there. This program flourished for about a year, but by then most of the youth had either moved away or married. Joe continued to attend there until he was led back to traveling.
Throughout the years, Joe ministered in other capacities, preaching at The Souls Harbor Rescue Mission, being a Chaplain at the Jasper County Juvenile Detention Center, Counseling at various Church camps. He was also a Chaplain for the Jaycees, as well as ministering to county jail inmates.
In 1995, Joe went on staff at what was that time the largest church in the Four-state area. That church will remain nameless for the purpose of this writing due to the “ugly” break that occurred. Joe worked in the pre-kindergarten department of the church’s school and also Directed a middle-school age children’s program that ran about 200 children on Wednesday evenings. He also filled other various capacities within the congregation. This experience allowed Joe to see “church politics” first hand and frankly, it sickened him. He had two supervisors who basically “hated” one another, and made no secret about it. The final straw with this particular fellowship came when Joe complained to the Senior Pastor about the poor eating conditions in the pre-kindergarten program, and was “blown off.” He was dismissed from his duties working in that area, but was still asked to direct the middle-school program. Disgusted with the whole religious atmosphere that prevailed in this body, Joe resigned his position in the fall of 1996.
In 1997, burned out by what he viewed as “nothing but religion” in the Body of Christ, Joe walked away from a 12 year marriage, his daughter and his God. For the next seven years, he floundered about in a world controlled by “self.” Yet, even during this time away from what he termed “religious politics”, he remained active in his determination to “speak out for those who could not speak for themselves.”
In 2004, this prodigal “came to his senses,” and began the journey home to His Father. Since then, the road has been rough, with obstacles that have knocked him to his knees. Although his witness has never been perfect, he always knew that “the One who began a good work in him, would be faithful to complete it.”
In the summer of 2004 Joe joined an outreach ministry headquartered near Baxter Springs, Kansas, and began to take the Gospel to small towns in the Four-state area. They would make contact with a local body, and then set up in a city park or other venue. There they would have different music groups play following up with a presentation of the Word. During this time, Joe also served as the Associate Pastor of small church near Baxter Springs. Joe also on occasion filled in at small country churches that had no full-time pastors. After discovering that the Senior Pastor and Director of the outreach ministry was having an affair and misrepresenting the ministry’s finances, Joe once again moved on.
For the next couple of years, Joe did part time street ministry in Joplin and Carthage, Missouri. In 2007, Joe was approached by a Pastor and asked to help start a storefront church in Joplin, Missouri that was going to focus on homeless and “imperfect” people. Joe helped found The Abyss Church( NOT the actual name) in the winter of 2008. It was during this time that Joe’s love for street ministry blossomed. His work in the streets has taken him into the inner-city and many other areas, including crack houses and taverns. By late 2009, Joe once again discovered that the Senior Leadership of this church was involved in various corrupt activities, including fraud and misrepresenting church finances.
After this experience, Joe decided to shift his focus strictly to street ministry, and spent a period of time homeless himself. By 2010 Joe’s street ministry in Joplin, Missouri was gaining quite a bit of attention, including with the media. He was known on the streets as “Pastor Joe” and became a strong advocate for the homeless and poor in the area.
In 2011, Joe took the Associate Pastor position at King’s Chapel, a small church in Carterville, Missouri. There he helped create a children’s Sunday School program and shelter up to 20 homeless individuals, many of which actually slept in the church sanctuary. During this time Joe also founded The MISSION, an outreach church that held meetings on Sunday afternoons. In the spring of 2012, The MISSION moved to Carthage, Missouri and Joe left King’s Chapel to devote his full attention to the outreach church.
Today, Joe has one MISSION:proclaim this message of love(John13:35) while reconciling the Church to it’s original mission: To Make Disciples. (Matthew 28:18-20) His ministry has been called “Extremely Radical” and he has been called “The Man Who Walks Through Walls.”
As you can see, Joe’s direct work within the church has been rocky at times. His intolerance of religious politics and corruption has caused him to become dis-illusioned with the “church” as an institution.
Joe Johnson is a writer, teacher, vagabond evangelist and the founder of Rebellious Love Ministries. Through his work with various outreach ministries he serves addicts, homeless and youth. He also ministers to youth at Central Christian Center in Joplin, Missouri. He is a sought after speaker, but has limited availability due to his outreach activities.
Joe lives in Southwest Missouri with his wife Vanessa, who is a worship leader and youth minister, as well as their four children.
Q: If you could only use one word other than love, holiness, surrender or revival to describe your vision of the church, what would it be?
A: Giving. I believe when the church develops a spirit of giving, through sacrifice, those other four words will be present. And I am not talking about a Sunday morning offering. I am speaking of the individual. When a follower of Jesus is operating in love, holiness and surrender, then giving to others will be a natural response. And I also believe that church bodies need to operate from a giving spirit.
Q: So you believe that the church is lacking in their giving?
A: Yes. Most people in this country, regardless of their source of income, receives anywhere from 25 to 100 times more than the average person on this planet. Compared to the rest of the world, we are disgustingly wealthy. I have spent time being homeless, yet during that time I was wealthier than 53% of the world’s population. I honestly believe that it’s either a paralyzing mentality that we don’t have enough so we give nothing at all, or a genuine lack of love, that prevents people from giving. I have had people say to me, “If I ever win the lottery, I am going to open a soup kitchen.” My typical response is, “In the meantime, buy a can of soup and give it to someone who could use it.”
Q: Do you consider yourself to be missions minded?
A: A lot of people and or churches today refer to themselves as “missions minded.” It’s pretty vogue to be such. It can range from giving a certain dollar amount per month to an overseas mission trip, typically within their own denomination, to sponsoring a mission’s trip. None of that is particularly wrong, but I would hardly qualify it as “missions minded.” I consider myself to be “on a mission” and that simply means that I do not put any qualifiers on where I go or how I serve. I am not so much “missions minded” as “mission focused.” I am striving primarily to be the church described in the Bible”
Q: What do you mean when you say “primarily to be the church described in the Bible”?
A: Ultimately, I believe our objective is to reconcile people with God through the Sacrifice of Christ. The Church in some places is called to minister to “widows and orphans”, as well as to “rescue the perishing.” And I totally agree with that. But also, in the 25th Chapter of Matthew, beginning around verse 34, Jesus says that the people who will inherit the Kingdom are those who “feed the hungry, give the thirsty a drink, shelter strangers, clothe the naked, comfort the sick and encourage prisoners.” I believe that all believers are called to do this. I do not necessarily have an issue with other activities the Church is involved in, as long as their ultimate goal is to reach the lost, and to encourage the body to do the things I just mentioned. The Bible states that “faith without action is dead.” I think we have gotten way off track in many areas. It is going to take work to regain our focus, but I believe it is possible. The Church has some pretty good arguments to “justify” their various programs, positions and plans. Ultimately God will decide the validity behind them.
Q: There seems to be a lot “church bashing” going on today. Much of it comes from within the Body itself, especially among Pastors. You have been accused of that yourself. How do you respond to this?
A: I realize that some of the statements I make may come across as someone who is guilty of “church bashing.” It bothers me when my mouth does a lousy job of revealing my heart. It happens. The truth is, I am passionately in love with the church. It has taken me a long time to accept that God has called me to be a pastor. Part of that hesitation was a reluctance to be “guilty by association.” That may sound a bit harsh, but people tend to get lumped together, especially when they are labeled. But the truth is, I am a pastor, and as such I am attempting to present a church that is representative of Christ. I am relying solely on Scripture, and getting back to the basics, so to speak. This is a mission God has called me to.
Q: Obviously there are problems within the Church. How do you recommend that we begin to address the church’s problems?
A: For one, we need to quit giving people excuses and/or reasons not to believe in God. Many people say that it’s not God they have a problem with, but organized religion. If the church actually responded in the way we were called to, I don’t believe people would be so inclined to say that. If the church was fully committed to what Christ called us to do, then people would have to be more honest and say, “I don’t believe in God.” The first step is for us to look at how the Bible calls us to live our lives. We tend to compare our Spiritual lives by the people around us, who tend to be “like” us. We must address our incorrect view of God, and as a result, ourselves. Before we can really look at what is wrong and take steps to correct it, we must first address “why” we are this way. I believe it’s because overall, we have an incorrect view of God. We see Him as all loving, which is true, but because we only see Him in this way, we are content with just fitting Him into our lives.
Q: Why do you think so many Christians blame the church for their problems?
A: When we are not living according to how God has called us to, it’s much easier to place the blame elsewhere. And it’s not just a mentality we find strictly in the church. People tend to place the blame on their problems on anything and everything but themselves. “I have emotional problems.” “It’s my parents fault.” “My spouse is the blame.”etc… The answer is ultimately relying on the Holy Spirit to effect any legitimate change in our lives. If we have the Holy Spirit in us, which if you are saved you do, then we have the capability to live how God has called us to. Sadly though, we tend to take the easy out and blame others. And again, I believe the answer lies in gaining an understanding of who God is.
Q: An understanding of who God is?
A: That’s a good first step. I believe we take God’s love for granted. Imagine the Creator of the universe being in love with you. This absolutely blows me away. He doesn’t need you or me. And add to that the fact that Jesus came to literally die for us; I can’t imagine how anyone could not be humbled by that. But somehow, I think we have departed from that somewhat and in our minds, God has simply become this being that lives in Heaven. But He says, “I love you. I treasure you. I am willing to give you everything that I am. I long for the day when you will be with me for eternity.” Yet we tend to do just enough to get by and hope we don’t make Him angry. I believe that some people truly do not understand just how much God wants a personal and passionate relationship with us. So I believe the first step in understanding who God is comes with the realization of just how much He loves us.
Q Why do you believe people have such little understanding of who God is?
A: One reason is because people tend to rely on the preacher to make God real to them. As a result, they are taught very little about who He is, but are delivered a “what can God do for me” sermon week after week. There needs to be a genuine desire to know Him within the individual. After a person is assured that they are not going to hell, then they really have nothing else they desire to know. They stop inquiring, searching and seeking. The church in this country seems to be so focused on numbers; they tend to leave God out. Perhaps if they discover too much about Him, then more will be expected. I don’t know. But the truth is, we need to dig deeper. We need to discover the truth of God. We need an honest personal relationship with Him. Then we can model Him in our lives and in the process, draw others to Him.
Q: Do you believe it is possible to take the Bible too literally?
A: Absolutely not. I believe a person who refuses to take the Bible literally has either been influenced by others to not do so, or has not reconciled within themselves if they believe any of it at all. They need to look into their own heart and make the decision on their own. This covers a lot of ground in respect to getting people to think for themselves. I strongly encourage people to do so. Don’t take my word for it; search the Scriptures and seek God to reveal His Word to your heart. When you get alone with God and His Word, then His amazing Truth will come alive. Over time, you will not only take the Bible literally, but you will be thankful for it.
Q: Do you believe that there is a certain amount of fear that may come with taking the Bible literally?
A: In some respects I believe that we have developed a mindset that causes us to read Scripture, or hear a message without even considering a response. In too many cases, sermons have become little more than entertainment. And if some vague Biblical truth slips its way out, then that’s good enough. However, if we are truly reading or hearing the Word and do nothing with it, then we are deceived. I preach quite a bit on Matthew 25 where we are called to minister to the poor. But it seems that even that passage seems optional in the minds of many church people. When God says “feed the hungry” then we have two choices; “Yes, I will” or “No, I won’t.” There is no middle ground. Would we actually say to God, “I refuse to shelter a stranger?” Probably not. But we do so by our inaction everyday. We basically refuse to obey God. A person who takes His Word literally would not, with good conscience, do that. When we take His Word literally, we will apply it.
Q: There are many people who claim that the church has become “lukewarm” as stated in Revelation 3. Do you agree with this view?
A: To a point. I believe that there are many people in the church that fit the definition of lukewarm; neither hot nor cold. I believe that this is an extremely dangerous spot to be in. In fact, according to Revelation, lukewarm people will be spit out of God’s mouth. That does not even sound like someone who is even saved to me. I know that is a pretty bold thing to state; questioning ones salvation will certainly not win you a popularity contest. However, the Bible clearly teaches that a person who says they love God but does not obey Him is a liar. Are we perfect? Not in our flesh. Will we sin? Yes, but we need to repent when we do. I do not believe that I have, or ever will be able to do anything to earn my salvation. It is totally by grace that we are saved. However, if we truly have the Holy Spirit in us, we will be producing fruit. So do I believe there is a “lukewarm” church? No. What I do believe is that in many ways the church has died. Much like the church in Sardis in Revelation 3.
Q: The “dead” church of Sardis?
A: Yes. Sardis is a church that had an “appearance” of life and even a “reputation” for being alive. Yet Jesus said it was dead. It is the only church of the seven addressed in Revelation 2 and 3 that absolutely nothing good was said about it.
Q: How does the church come back to life?
A: It’s a process. Jesus told the church in Sardis it needed to “wake up.” That is definitely the starting point. It starts with each individual and requires a surrender that leads to revival. One thing I believe is that the church needs to “rebel” against the status-quo that has basically killed off much of its purpose. I addressing this rebellious concept in a book I am currently working on entitled “Rebellious Love.”
Q: “Rebellious Love”?
A: Yes. Among other things, Jesus was a rebel. And He IS love. I believe that if we truly start loving the way He did, in the eyes of many, we will appear rebellious. Imagine standing on a platform in your local tavern and preaching the Gospel. I know it can be done, I’ve done it. Imagine attending church somewhere other than where you “normally” attend next Sunday. Or holding VBS in your front yard. I believe that God is calling us to love without the limitations that have been put on us by religion. And to do so, may seem quite rebellious.
Joe Johnson is a writer, teacher, vagabond evangelist and the founder of Rebellious Love Ministries. Through his work with various outreach ministries he serves addicts, homeless and youth. He also ministers to youth at Central Christian Center in Joplin, Missouri. He is a sought after speaker, but has limited availability due to his outreach activities.
Joe lives in Southwest Missouri with his wife Vanessa, who is a worship leader and youth minister, as well as their four children.
Due to his ministry with his home church and the outreach to the poor and un-churched, Joe’s availability is limited. He considers these to be his main priority.
However, Joe is available for speaking at various churches, conferences and other events on a limited basis. Due to his schedule you should try to contact him at least 2 months in advance.
Email Joe at rebelliousloveministries@gmail.com
Telephone contact: 
417 793 3122
For more information or to schedule Joe you may contact him here as well.
AUGUST 2012
August 16-Carthage Municipal Park Outreach-Carthage, MO-7pm
August 17-The Road Church-Webb City, MO-6pm
August 23-Center Creek Park Fellowship-Carl Junction, MO-7pm
August 24-Revolution Church-Joplin,MO-7pm
August 30-Landreth Park Outreach-Joplin, MO-7pm
SEPTEMBER 2012
September 6-Comet Park Outreach-Carterville, MO-7pm
September 7-Central Christian Center/Revolution Church-Joplin, MO-7pm
September 13-Central Park Fellowship-Carthage, MO-7pm
September 20-Memorial Park Outreach-Webb City, MO-7pm
September 27-Kellogg Lake Fellowship-Carthage, MO-7pm
September 28-Central Christian Center/J316-Joplin, MO-7pm
September 29-The Hideout-Monett, MO-7pm
OCTOBER 2012
October 4-Jasper City Park-Jasper, MO-7pm
October 5-The MISSION’S Clothing-Give-Away-Jasper, MO-7pm
October 6-The Road-Webb City, MO-Time TBA
October 12-Friday Night Revolution Church-Joplin, MO-7pm
October 14-Webb City Amphitheater-Webb City, MO-12pm
October 18-The Cove-Carthage, MO-7pm
October 19-J316 Revolution-Joplin, MO-7pm
October 25-TBA
October 26-Central Christian Center-Joplin, MO-7pm
October 27-Jasper, MO-Location TBA
NOVEMBER 2012
November 2-Revolution Church-Joplin, MO-7pm
November 9- Generation…NOW-Joplin, MO-7pm
November 16- Revolution Church @ Central Christian Center-Joplin, MO-7pm
November 17-Teen Talk @ SNL-Joplin, MO-7pm
November 22(Serving Thanksgiving Dinner @ Central Christian Center)-Joplin, MO-7pm
November 23-Revolution Church @ Central Christian Center-Joplin, MO-7pm
November 24-Teen Talk @ Central Christian Center-Joplin, MO-7pm
November 28-The Road-Webb City, MO-7pm
November 30-Central Christian/J316-Joplin, MO-7pm
DECEMBER 2012
December 1-Teen Talk @ SNL-Joplin, MO-7pm
December 7-Revolution Church-Joplin, MO-7pm
December 8-Teen Talk @ Central Christian-7pm
December 12-The Road-Webb City, MO-7pm
December 14-Central Christian Center-Joplin, MO-7pm
2013
**Joe will be at Revolution Church in Joplin, MO each Friday in January-March unless otherwise noted**
**”Wednesdays With Jesus”-May 1st-TBA @ 501 South Madison in Webb City, MO (Get Real Whole Foods)-6:30pm
March 21-22-Tulsa, OK-Tulsa Workshop with Francis Chan
April 12-Central Christian Center-Joplin, MO-7pm
Dallas, TX-TBA
Joe Johnson 