Joseph Mattera has been in full-time ministry since 1980 and is currently the overseeing Bishop of Resurrection Church in New York.
Known as “a leader’s leader,” Joseph is also a virtuoso on the guitar. He has received formal education in Kingsborough Community College, Elohim Bible Institute, received ministerial training from The International Christian Center, and has received an honorary diploma from Zion Bible Institute. Joseph earned a Doctor of Divinity from the Christian Leadership Seminary, participated in BILD (Biblical Institute for Leadership Development), successfully completed a one-year certificate program with the Wilberforce Forum, and has earned a Doctor of Ministry from Bakke Graduate University, with a concentration in Biblical Worldview and Urban Ministry.
He serves as a consultant and mentor to numerous political, business and church leaders and has worked extensively with the NYPD, the local community board and numerous other service agencies. In 1989 he formed a grassroots organization that successfully closed down a pornographic store and has since helped lead the charge in his community against the proliferation of pornography. In addition, he has helped formulate and facilitate a prayer movement in the New York metropolitan area and has launched numerous citywide initiatives for unity, reconciliation and reformation. Recently, he also served as a vice chair for the final Billy Graham Crusade in New York City (June 2005).
Joseph and his wife Joyce founded Resurrection Church in 1984. A multiethnic congregation of 40 nationalities, Resurrection Church has developed and sent out high-impact leadership and numerous non-profit corporations that have greatly impacted nations and the New York region, such as Children of the City (COC regularly ministers to more than 2,000 at-risk children with counseling, after school programs, tutoring, mentoring, and other holistic ministries) and The Ekklesia Leadership Institute (which held intensive monthly seminars and week-long summits with a focus of raising up the next generation of leadership with a Christian world and life view).
Resurrection Church has a goal of “advocating for the powerless and speaking to the powerful.”
Joseph’s driving passion is his jealousy to see the Lordship of Christ manifest over every realm of society so the church can fulfill the cultural mandate in Genesis 1:28. This passion has resulted in extensive ministry nationally and internationally, reaching out to many nations of the world including the former Soviet Union, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Holland, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Canada, Mexico and Cuba.
In November 1999 he started City Covenant Coalition, a network of clergy and marketplace ministries. They have come together to build the Body of Christ and work for citywide, national and global transformation (CCC has since become one of the largest and most influential clergy groups in the greater New York region). In 2004 CCC led the charge for traditional marriage in the New York region. CCC’s efforts for traditional marriage in 2004 positively influenced the social/political landscape of New York and included possibly the largest ever assembly of clergy for a press conference on the steps of New York City Hall. CCC incited another event at City Hall in which thousands of citizens renewed their vows and opposed same-sex unions and marriages. This event received extensive media coverage including network television news, radio and major local and national newspapers. These political and social events have given birth to City Action Coalition and American Action Coalition, local and national clergy led non-profit organizations that educate and activate the Body of Christ in regards to engaging the culture by applying the biblical worldview to culture and public policy.
Joseph also has hosted his own radio show “Light Your City” and a weekly cable television programs “The Ekklesia.” He is a regular contributor to Christian newspapers, and through the years has given numerous radio and television interviews and press conferences, including guest appearances on TBN. His first published book Ruling in the Gates was released in April 2003 and has already had international acclaim.
In recognition of his years of faithful service and significant influence, numerous local and national bishops and apostolic leaders consecrated Joseph to the Office of Bishop on April 29, 2006.
Joseph, his wife, Joyce and their five children live in Brooklyn, New York.
In the progressive church, leadership means having to successfully deal with many different kinds of leaders in our church in order to fulfill our vision. Truly, learning how to release different kinds of people is the key to releasing your vision. Noah is symbolically a great model for this kind of leadership because he had to navigate a ship that had animals together as diverse as a lion and a sheep. Today’s progressive apostolic leader must learn how to shepherd emerging political, financial, and church leadership all in one ship.Noah is symbolically a great model for this kind of leadership because he had to navigate a ship that had animals together as diverse as a lion and a sheep.
Today’s progressive apostolic leader must learn how to shepherd emerging political, financial, and church leadership all in one ship.
Today’s apostolic model:
I. Multiethnic model
1. The model church, Antioch, had a diverse leadership.
A. Acts 13: They were multiethnic.
B. Most urban churches today are homogeneous.
C. We have to learn what the demographical trends of our communities are going to be and plan to reflect that if we are going to have a future.
D. Sunday morning is still the most segregated part of the week. (This is ok if your church is in a community that has only one ethnic group or if your church speaks in a particular ethnic language.)
E. Christians sometimes still carry their ethnic nuance as something more important than Christianity.
II. The church was multi-vocational
1. Barnabas: Real estate mogul
2. Saul: Religious leader
3. Manaen: Political leader
4. The biblical model shows that it takes a combination of marketplace and religious leaders to transform culture.
A. Persia was transformed with Esther, Nehemiah, and Ezra working together (a politician, celebrity lay person, and religious leader).
B. Daniel was both a prophet and political leader.
5. Today’s pastors need to understand how to effectively minister with both church and marketplace leaders in order to impact their community.
III. How to pastor marketplace leaders
1. Don’t have a cookie-cutter approach.
A. You must understand the demands on their time and treat them differently.
B. Can’t have weekly cells if they are traveling or have 18 hour days and are often stuck in business meetings until 9 p.m.
2. Need to affirm their place in the kingdom as a minister.
A. Ephesians 4:10-12 teaches that God’s plan is to release ministers in every realm of life so that “He can fill up all things.”
3. Need to allow their input if they are faithful.
A. Don’t treat them as a cash cow or as a political platform for your own agenda.
B. Be careful how many favors you ask of them, even if they are your leaders.
C. I don’t even ask my son Jason for too much even though he is nationally connected to media and political leaders.
4. Care for their souls. Don’t try to give them advice about the marketplace unless it is on the how their vocation fits with the biblical worldview or they ask for it.
5. Use them to help form alliances with community leaders and religious leaders to advance the kingdom.
A. They love it when they are affirmed and used to advance the kingdom.
B. My charter school experience in putting together a board of educators, community and business leaders.
6. Protect them from other Christian leaders with agendas.
A. They will believe you are condoning the ones you introduce to them.
B. They will be exposed to business schemes with ignorant people that will make you look bad.
7. Don’t allow those with money to pay for all the meals and programs in the church; they will feel used.
A. They want to see that the whole congregation has ownership before they put a lot into your building fund.
B. When I take a business person out for dinner, I always offer to take the check.
8. Teach your congregation to accept people of influence and treat them with courtesy and respect.
A. Insulate them from leeches.
B. Don’t announce what they gave or what they make.
C. Don’t show them favoritism.
9. Respect the fact that the wealthy in your church may want to give offerings to other charities and organizations besides your church.
10. Treat them with respect.
A. Don’t preach at them like they just came out of a halfway house. If a pastor only preaches “at” people he will only have the kind of church visitors who want to be controlled or treated like children, which means he will not have many high-end leaders visiting and/or staying in the church.
B. Give them reasons why you do things instead of just expecting them to listen to everything you say.
C. Give them financial information regarding the status of your projects if you want them to give a large amount.
For more information, please visit Joseph G. Mattera