A Conversation with Jonathan Parnell, Pastor of Cities Church in Saint Paul, MN
On January 18th, 2026, protestors marched into a church building in Saint Paul, Minnesota in the middle of the worship service. They began chanting and disrupting the space, forcing the church ushers to evacuate the children's wing and the congregation. The pastor of that church is Jonathan Parnell. Parnell also serves as the Send Network's City Missionary in the Twin Cities, where he works to encourage fellow pastors and train church planters. He is the author of Mercy for Today: A Daily Prayer from Psalm 51 (2020), Never Settle for Normal: The Proven Path to Significance and Happiness (2017) and coauthor of How to Stay Christian in Seminary (2014). A graduate of Bethlehem College and Seminary, he previously worked on the content team at desiringGod.org where he's written hundreds of articles over the years. He and his wife, Melissa, live in the Twin Cities with their eight children. For more information, visit https://www.jonathaneparnell.com/about TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 1:00 How did you end up doing what you're doing today? 4:42 Tell us a little about church planting 8:08 How receptive is the population of Minneapolis to hearing the gospel? 10:44 Tell us about the ICE protests on January 18th 18:50 As a leader, what was the first thought going through your mind? What did the Spirit do in you in that moment? 24:40 How do you keep upper congregation from being distracted during the service as the protests continue? 29:30 Have you been able to engage with the protestors? 33:05 In hindsight, is there anything you would have done differently? Do you have any advice toward other pastors and leaders today? Questions or comments? Email us at podcast@blackaby.org DONATE: If you have enjoyed this podcast and want to support our ministry into the next 20 years, click here: https://bit.ly/382Exi3 RESOURCES: Desiring God website: https://www.desiringgod.org/ Order Experiencing God in Everyday Life now at: https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/experiencing-god-in-everyday-life-bible-study-book-with-video-access-P005853831 CONNECT: X: @richardblackaby Facebook: https://bit.ly/2WvZPzw Read Richard's latest blog posts at www.richardblackaby.com