Phelps champions community needs through ministry

As a young pastor at Concord Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood, Phelps tended to the needs of his biracial community by providing health resources, back-to-school support for youth, and assistance for those who had fallen on hard times. In 2022, the city saw an influx of migrants from Texas and states along the Mexico border. Thousands of men, women, and children arrived in Chicago, and Phelps welcomed hundreds into his church family through a partnership with a city-run shelter in the neighborhood. Today, he splits his time between helping new arrivals navigate immigration concerns and building racial solidarity among long-standing members of the community.

“I’ve always loved to help people. It all started with my mother. She was always a compassionate person and would often shelter people who didn’t have a home. I am an only child, but there was always someone living in the house or stopping by to get something to eat,” Phelps said. He also credits his time at Wartburg with growing his desire to help others. “When I came to Wartburg, there weren’t many African Americans on campus, but there were so many people who welcomed me and cared for me.”

Phelps didn’t always intend to be a pastor. He graduated with a degree in computer information systems and worked for LexisNexis for 37 years. In the mid-’90s he started preaching at Concord, and in 2002 he graduated with a Master of Divinity from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. He later earned a Doctor of Ministry from Northern.

Now he’s the senior pastor at Concord, the church where he was baptized as a child, and chief executive officer of the Concord Community Organization, a nonprofit connected to the church. With Phelps’ guidance, the church has partnered with Kennedy-King College to offer English as a second language to newcomers and conversational Spanish to longtime community members to encourage positive interactions. Bilingual church services are now common, and the church kitchen is being renovated so it can be used to host meals highlighting different cultures and promoting community.

“The church is situated in a food desert, and we are actively fundraising to establish a community kitchen and remote classroom for Kennedy-King College Culinary School. This initiative aims to empower migrants and celebrate the diverse cultures within the community by enabling them to prepare their authentic meals,” Phelps said. “Additionally, it will provide opportunities for community members to share meals together and pursue culinary sciences education, fostering pathways for employment in the food services industry.”

Despite setbacks — whether city mandates, lack of resources, or changing federal policies — Phelps continues to push forward with hopes of building an infrastructure of support at the church that will outlive his time in the congregation.

“The needs of the community will always shape the work that we do. It was migrants being bused up from Texas. Today we are doing education to bring healing and wholeness to a community that feels like there are systemic forces pitting us against each other. Tomorrow it could be something else,” he said. “I want to build the infrastructure that meets the needs of our community regardless of race, creed, or culture. I want to keep expanding our capacity to serve more. There isn’t always a lot of money available, but we are writing grants and finding partners to do as much as we can.”

Though the work is tireless, it is far from thankless.

“It’s sometimes hard to see the impact you are having in the short term, but I know that I have reached people when they come back and say ‘thank you’ or you see them on the street and they tell you they have an apartment or they were on drugs and now they are clean,” he said.

“That is what gives me the greatest joy, knowing that I have helped them begin to reach their full potential. My goal is to help as many as I can win at this thing we call life.” 

The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Phelps recently published Hold On: God Is in Control: A Collection of Uplifting Sermons for Trying Times.

“These sermons are ones I have been preaching through this season as I try to encourage the congregation to put their faith in God’s steadfast presence. I hope these sermons can foster encouragement but also inspire hope in chaotic times,” Phelps said. The book was published by IMANI Publishing, which Phelps started more than 20 years ago.