Praxis is the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practiced, embodied, or realized. Paulo Freire defines praxis in Pedagogy of the Oppressed as “reflection and action directed at the structures to be transformed.”
Over the years, I have participated in a variety of praxes that cultivate learning communities to affect social engagement and spiritual development. I operate within a conceptual framework where the process is often as important as the end result. Through these processes, I have engaged in a variety of social experiments, ranging from the development of an intentional community in Brooklyn, New York, to a photography project with those experiencing homelessness.
Blessing of the Skateboards at Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship 
Sharing good news at the historic Bowery Mission chapel 
Leading liturgy at a gathering of communities 
Radical Living youth 
Washing the feet of the poor
Currently, I serve as pastor at Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship, a faith community oriented toward peace and social justice, non-violent resistance, and faith formation as key themes of their Christian witness.
And for nearly a decade, I have served as Director of Compassionate Care at the Bowery Mission, where I provide pastoral care to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. Recently, I spent two years designing and providing support to the implementation of a holistic curriculum for the Mission’s recovery programs.
Most recently, my wife Vonetta and I are serving as co-directors of a new project called the Brooklyn Peace Center. This peace center will officially launch in August 2020. Check out the website to learn more!
EDUCATION
- BA, International Studies, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- MDiv, Church & Society, Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
- DMin, Transformational Leadership, Boston University School of Theology (anticipated 2020)
BOOKS
- Last Stop on the Z Train (2019)
- Bowery Mission: Grit and Grace on Manhattan’s Oldest Street (Plough, 2019)
- Radical Spirituality: Repentance, Resistance, Revolution (Orbis, 2014)
ARTICLES FEATURING JASON
- Brooklyn Kids Learn Sustainable Living and Urban Farming (BK Reader)
- New York City Skateboarders Receive a Blessing (Mennonite World Review)
- Sharing the Faith, Splitting the Rent (New York Times)
- Bowery Mission Residents Photograph Their Lives (Gothamist)
- Roommates for Jesus (New York Press)
- Boys of the Bowery (Wisconsin State Journal)
To learn more, and to connect with Jason, visit the Contact page.
STORBAKKEN 