Social justice is the fuel that drives Rev. Joel Simpson.
He is a fierce advocate for a moral budget, which he asserts is the propellant for how we treat our neighbors. For instance, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and Medicaid cuts have far-reaching impacts on how we care for our neighbors. Likewise, the budget affects access to housing, medical insurance, and other essential resources to life-giving support. Joel’s commitment resulted in his May 2025 arrest for praying in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. He was the first United Methodist pastor to be publicly arrested as part of a “Moral Mondays” demonstration against the federal budget. The ministry of El Plan and serving the Hispanic/Latine community is a natural fit with Joel’s commitment to social justice.
In 2024, Joel was involved with Siembra North Carolina (NC) in planning a weekend training for churches and faith communities in how to be allies with the Hispanic/Latine community. At the same time this training was being planned, they learned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was coming to Charlotte. The training quickly shifted to a hands-on, how-to-respond training. They trained 2,500 people that weekend, and it became a significant influence on Joel’s commitment to this work.
Joel is working closely with El Plan’s Accompañimiento program. He led trainings at the Accompañimiento training launch in December 2025 and again this past October. These Accompañimiento events are a launchpad for partnerships between El Plan and annual conferences to equip congregations with theological grounding, congregational tools, and practical advocacy and care strategies to accompany immigrant communities with compassion, courage, and faithfulness. Each team committed to identifying and training ten congregations within their annual conference that will commit to walk with immigrants.
To ensure the success of these teams, Joel is serving as one of the Accompañimiento coaches whose role includes monthly meetings with annual conference teams to check on their progress and serves as a sounding board and resource.
Rev. Joel Simpson is the Pastor of First UMC Taylorsville (North Carolina). has a book coming out in February: “Saving Christians: The Gift of a Multifaith World.” You can learn more about Joel here.