The Redemptive Landlord

Not everyone living in a distressed neighborhood is associated with gang members, parole officers, employers, social workers, or pastors. But nearly all of them have a landlord.

—Matthew Desmond, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (Crown, 2017).

From Housing Crisis to Redemptive Real Estate 

That there is a housing crisis in America is something that just about everyone agrees upon—one of those few things uniting people on both sides of the aisle [1]. Places to live are hard to find and costs just keep going up. Those who rent are spending a bigger share of their paycheck than ever just to keep a roof over their head—if they can even find somewhere to rent [2]. The causes are complicated and it is easy to demonize landlords. But there is an opportunity for taking a Kingdom perspective in this crisis.

I am part of a growing movement of real estate professionals who are coming to understand the enormous potential to reflect the Kingdom within communities as stewards of place. Our aim is to use place as a vehicle to impact lives. Places matter to God, and we seek ways to enrich those places. We believe that investing in real estate can be beneficial for both investors and the community AND can ultimately create an impact for the Kingdom of God.

We are excited about redemptive real estate. It is a small, hands-on part of the larger faith-driven investment movement. Groups of like-minded real estate professionals have been uniting over the last two years at the Redemptive Real Estate Summit to exchange ideas and inspire each other about living out our faith through our profession.

This requires us to move beyond the real estate lens that sees tenants, assets, units, markets, ratios, and demographics.  Instead, as faith driven investors, business owners and ministry professionals, we see an alternative—one that impacts human lives in real, tangible, beautiful, and complicated ways.

Exploring this alternative starts with Genesis 1:26-27, acknowledging that we are all made in the image of God. Applying this truth means treating people with love, compassion and dignity. We want to see people as more than tenants who occupy units. They are people who God has sovereignly ordained to be in this community in this very place and time.

A second keystone verse for redemptive real estate professionals is Jeremiah 29:7,

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (ESV)

 What does seeking the welfare of the city mean? Real estate investment should not be exploitative or destructive; it should be additive and contribute to flourishing.  And it should not just promote the flourishing for those fortunate enough to invest in real estate, but it should promote the flourishing for the individual resident and the broader community.

Joining People in Their Stories

Redemptive real estate investment requires caring for the welfare of the image-bearers who our profession brings us into contact with. It starts with relationships. An example may help. After purchasing an apartment complex, we met a young mom who lived there. On the first day we met her, we learned that she was caring for three of her nieces and nephews. Their mother had recently been tragically killed, and they were now suddenly staying in our small one-bedroom apartment. We were stunned by this. We had literally purchased this apartment complex days before. We were still navigating the transition. This news was part of our first introduction to this community. What should we do? Do we go by the letter of the law or do we enter into this story?

Entering someone else’s story is complicated. It requires sensitivity and listening rather than barging in and “fixing” things. As landlords, instead of going by the “letter of the law,” we extended what grace we could. We asked her how we could serve her needs. She had the freedom to tell us what she needed or even if she wanted our assistance at all. And we prayed for her. As it happened, before she was sure how we could help, grace intervened. The kids were able to move to a more permanent situation with a family member. Extending grace and listening respected her as an image-bearer and established a relationship for the future.

As people designed for community, we each need such relationships. This was not the first hard thing she has endured and, sadly, her situation is not unique in our neighborhood. In a city marked by poverty, violence and racial scars, her apartment and the complex are marked by some of these realities.

Approaching real estate ownership and management with a Kingdom lens means being challenged to make decisions to help our residents thrive instead of just focusing on “the bottom line.” For example, moving this same mom and her baby to an updated apartment because she needed it, despite there being little “financial upside.” Instead of just seeing her as a tenant, we see her as a young mom on a fixed income, navigating hard situations and simply trying to provide a healthy place to raise her baby.  Her story is still unfolding and we are grateful for the ways our stories continue to interweave. 

Jesus Moved into the Neighborhood

Being a landlord is complicated. As landlords, we step into the most intimate parts of people's lives. Death, disability, job loss, domestic violence, financial hardship, drugs, disease, incarceration, hygiene, and more are all issues that we have encountered. We have a front row seat for the generational and systemic realities and shadows cast by history.

Working in real estate can be ministry. My work gives me the opportunity to be pastoral, to be gracious, to be resourceful, to be encouraging... to be a good news person.  My passion for real estate began when I realized that my work as a landlord was just as much ministry as my day job on staff at a local church.  

There is so much opportunity to be salt and light. 37% of the US population live in apartments.  Of those, 90+% do not have a connection to a faith community [3].  As landlords, we must seek the welfare of the people and places where we invest.  My colleagues and I see enormous potential to meet not only the physical needs of residents, but their spiritual needs, too, through faithful stewarding of real estate.

John 1:14 says that “Jesus moved into the neighborhood” (MSG).  We believe that when we approach real estate from a “moving into the neighborhood” perspective, our words, compassion, resources and efforts can all tell a story of how God cares for these people and this place. 

The housing crisis reminds us that housing is a basic need. We all need it. And viewing real estate through a Kingdom lens can transform the basic relationship between renter, landlord and the surrounding community into something life-giving.  I’d love to see a new narrative written around the idea of being a “landlord.” I believe that by infusing Gospel principles we can reimagine a “landlord” from a place of vilification to an integral community “housing provider.” 

Landlords can’t do this alone.  We need partnerships within the faith, business and non-profit communities that can help us build a holistic network of care.  That is what redemptive real estate is all about.

The Harvest is Plentiful—The Workers Are Few

This may sound like an enormous task but it looks like the people of God making often small, intentional movements with their time and resources.

Are you or your church interested in learning more about redemptive real estate? The Faith Driven Investor website has a great series of videos on redemptive real estate to watch and share with your congregation. If your church is interested in learning more about how to engage the people in multi-family communities specifically, Mission98 offers training options to help you and your church get started. 

To connect with me or learn more about my own experiences with redemptive real estate, connect with me on LinkedIn.

[1] Alex Horowitz & Tushar Kansal, “Survey Finds Large Majorities Favor Policies to Enable More Housing,” Pew Research (November 30, 2023).

[2] “No State Has an Adequate Supply of Affordable Rental Housing for the Lowest-Income Renters,” “The Gap Report,” National Low Income Housing Association (March 2024).

[3] Mission 98 website.

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