Go Make Disciples: Pursuing Hearts Through Hospitality

In the bustle and noise of Washington D.C., there is a quiet, unassuming home where Josh and Abby have set out on mission to make the love of Jesus known to the individuals they interact with each day. During dinners, walks, and coffee dates, they have pursued discipleship in the everyday. By specifically using their home as a place of ministry, Josh and Abby have had the opportunity to love their neighbors well and fulfill the Great Commission through hospitality.

While reflecting on ministry in their home, Josh and Abby explained the heart with which they approach hospitality: “Since we were married, our goal has been to use our home as a place to invite people in — to hear their stories and to learn how God has been at work in their lives. A prayer that we wrote several years ago and now have hanging in our living room,” they added, “is, ‘May our home be a fire to which others might be drawn to warm their hands. May the flame that beckons them not be our pride or our things or our prestige but may it be the loving kindness of Jesus that is on display.’ This prayer is one we find ourselves praying often.”

Experiencing Campus Community

While the Puryears have been practicing hospitality for many years, they learned to do so by experiencing it first-hand within the community at Southeastern.

In 2015, Josh and Abby arrived on Southeastern’s campus young, eager, and ready to start their new degrees. God had already done a significant work in their lives by drawing them together, redirecting their plans for the next steps in their careers and schooling, and prompting them to go to seminary together — even before a place of study had been decided on. In God’s providence, Southeastern turned out to be the perfect fit. Josh enrolled in a master’s degree in ministry leadership while Abby began her bachelor’s in theology.

“Southeastern felt like a safe place to learn and grow,” Abby recalled. “The culture at Southeastern is kind and welcoming in a ‘we seek after what is important, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously’ kind of way. What stood out to me, even while touring campus, was the sincerity of the people at Southeastern. When I would meet someone new, I could tell their love for Jesus was genuine, and that encouraged me to love him more too.”

When I would meet someone new, I could tell their love for Jesus was genuine, and that encouraged me to love him more too.

Within this community, Josh and Abby received a warm welcome and found men and women who were eager to invest in their lives. Professors such as Mark Liederbach and Jerry Lassetter, as well as their families, had a strong impact on the Puryears’ time at Southeastern. Through the simple moments of conversations and meals together, these families demonstrated discipleship through hospitality and unknowingly laid the groundwork upon which Josh and Abby would seek to model their future ministry.

In spring of 2017 Josh graduated with his master’s degree, and less than a month later he and Abby were married. Soon after, she graduated with her bachelor’s in 2018, and that same year Josh would begin his EdD. In this season of close community with fellow mission-oriented people, Abby and Josh grew both individually and as a couple. It was a unique time of cultivation that encouraged and equipped them to live with intentionality and develop hearts for disciple making.

“Before moving to Southeastern,” Josh recalled, “I believed that ministry was only for those who were pastors and missionaries and only for those who had a particular type of gifting or set of skills. Slowly but surely, through coming into contact with various professors and classmates, I came to understand that that was not the case.”

“Ministry is for all who are followers of Christ,” he explained, “and each, as a specific part of the body of Christ, has a responsibility and calling from God to be faithful to serve him in whatever place or capacity in which he has us.”

Ministry is for all who are followers of Christ, and each, as a specific part of the body of Christ, has a responsibility and calling from God to be faithful to serve him in whatever place or capacity in which he has us.

The Puryears would remain at Southeastern for another three years, and in that time Josh and Abby had the opportunity to begin practicing hospitality in their own home in campus housing. It soon became a habit to have people over at least twice a week. It was during this time, in the wake of some significant health issues, that they also experienced the support and care of their Southeastern community in coming alongside them and lifting them up.

A New Mission Field

In the early spring of 2022, God began to move again, working in the Puryears’ hearts and opening them to the possibility of ministry in a place far from Southeastern. At the Lord’s prompting and through the encouragement of friends, Josh and Abby moved to Washington D.C. where they would begin work together at a local nonprofit.

Upon arrival in their new city, Josh and Abby quickly became aware of how different work and life culture was in the nation’s capital.

“D.C. is a fast-paced and high-pressure city,” they explained. “Many come to D.C. to advance their careers, and we have seen how someone’s work easily becomes their identity. Even though we work at a religious organization, we have seen how the performance-minded culture of D.C. can seep in. This can make it a lonely place for many despite it being a crowded city. Our goal is to come alongside others and point them to Jesus — towards his love and kindness. We talk a lot about how our identity is found in him and in who he says we are.”

Our goal is to come alongside others and point them to Jesus — towards his love and kindness. We talk a lot about how our identity is found in him and in who he says we are.

Drawing from their training and experiences at Southeastern, Josh and Abby turned to their new coworkers and friends and started inviting them over for dinner and out on walks. They saw people desperately in need of the hope of the gospel, and this strengthened their resolve to act as God’s hands and feet wherever he sent them, towards whomever they would meet.

Thinking back on those first few months, Josh and Abby remembered how surprised others were when they first invited them over for dinner. However, it was those first initial interactions that then blossomed into friendships and further interactions.

“We’ve found — from our experience with Southeastern families such as the Lassetters and Liederbachs — that the greatest and most meaningful conversations come either around a campfire or a dinner table,” Josh and Abby recalled. “We want to be present in the lives of others and offer our home as an oasis and place of rest from a busy city. We’ve found it to be true that providing food, space to breathe and think, laughter, and prayer are some of the most valuable things we can offer to others who have grown weary.”

Called to the Mundane

By loving their neighbors, Josh and Abby are living out the Great Commission in the everyday moments, driven by a deep desire to see men and women become disciples of Jesus Christ. For those on mission in the mundane, it is often the little moments that can be overlooked. One such moment, however, is crucial for the Puryears’ focus. Every morning, Josh and Abby meet in one of their offices to pray over the day and their interactions within it. While conducting research for his dissertation at Southeastern, Josh was particularly struck by the extent in which prayer is often neglected in Christian marriages, specifically those of seminary students. This knowledge motivated him and Abby to make it a priority to bring each day before the Lord before it even began.

“It has really been out of these times of prayer,” Josh and Abby commented, “that the Lord has set up encounters with others that have begun meaningful relationships and friendships — whether that’s been simply sharing a silly story about our cat or by sharing a struggle we have been walking through.”

“We understand,” they added, “that God has never sent us to a place of ministry solely for the position we might hold, but for the people we’d be rubbing shoulders with on a daily basis.”

Each day still presents new challenges, whether health concerns or a busy pace of life. However, in his goodness and sovereignty, God remains sufficient. Josh and Abby are thankful for their training and formation at Southeastern, the hospitality that they experienced first-hand from the faculty and staff, and the time in community that allowed them to grow and become equipped for their current season of life. Josh and Abby’s mission is a clear example of the way in which God calls his people to fulfill the Great Commission in the mundane rhythms of daily life.

Join us in praying for Josh and Abby, that they would be strengthened and encouraged in their pursuit of the Lord and of others. Please pray that God would strengthen their love for him and for each other and that words may be given to them in opening their mouths boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel. Pray also for Abby as she faces ongoing health issues and seeks to rest in God as her Shepherd and loving Father.