Portfolio

Hello, I’m Ejay Tupe.

Urban Missiologist. Catalytic Collaborator. Public Theologian.

Welcome to my portfolio. I describe myself as a “Pracademic”—a practitioner-academic who refuses to separate the rigour of scholarly inquiry from the raw, complex realities of urban life.1 My vocation is built on the belief that deep theological reflection must happen where the rubber hits the road: in the “groans” of the street and the “grammar” of the academy.3

I operate at the intersection of the Sanctuary and the Street. Whether I am lecturing on organizational theory at the University of Toronto or advocating for housing justice in Leslieville, my goal is the same: to interrupt the logic of “Empire” with the logic of Shalom—the holistic peace and restoration of human dignity.4

My Story: The “Double Vision”

To understand my theology, you have to understand my history. I was born in the Philippines and immigrated to Canada at the age of 11, settling in Mississauga.5 Growing up in the diaspora gave me what I call “double vision”—the ability to see the world through multiple cultural lenses simultaneously.2

I didn’t find my calling in a quiet library; I found it in the “hustle and bustle” of downtown Toronto. The city streets became both “my classroom and my sanctuary.”3 My early years at the Yonge Street Mission (2008–2013) were formative. Rising from front-line roles to Community Capacity Builder, I learned that God is often found in the margins, among the street-involved youth and the “tapestry of humanity” that makes up our urban core.1 This “pavement theology” continues to ground everything I do today.

1. Academic Research: The “Ambidextrous” Organization

I am currently a Ph.D. student in Residence in Contextual Theology at the University of Toronto (Toronto School of Theology).1 My academic work is driven by a critical question: How can religious institutions survive and thrive in a rapidly changing, diverse world?

The Galatian Project

My research focuses on Organizational Ambidexterity—the ability of an organization to simultaneously exploit its current strengths (tradition, stability) and explore new opportunities (innovation, diversity).6

I apply this business theory to the church through what I call the Galatian Project.1 Drawing on the biblical crisis in Galatians regarding the inclusion of Gentiles, I argue that “diversity” isn’t just a secular buzzword; it’s a primal theological mandate. My goal is to help Christian organizations move from “Multiculturalism” (presence) to “Interculturalism” (shared power), ensuring that we don’t just host diversity, but are shaped by it.8

2. Urban Missiology: “Our City” & The Street

As the Director of Our City Toronto (Mission Canada), I have the privilege of architecting a movement that supports the local urban ministry practitioner 10

The “Our City” Movement

I launched the “Our City” conference not just as an event, but as a “hub” for the weary urban worker. We are interdenominational, intergenerational, and intercultural.11 My vision is to create a “knowledge exchange” where we can tackle gritty topics like “Critical Race Theory,” “Cycles of Poverty,” and “Community Exegesis”—reading our neighbourhoods like a sacred text.1

The Sidewalk Pastor

I often refer to myself as a “Sidewalk Pastor.”2 I reject the model where the clergy waits inside a building. Instead, I practice a “Theology of Presence.” My office is often a backpack or a coffee shop, and my congregation includes the asylum seeker, the “gangland preacher,” and the neighbour facing eviction.14 I believe in “hanging around” until strangers become neighbours, and neighbours become family.

3. Advocacy & Public Theology: Faith in Action

My theology is useless if it doesn’t move my hands and feet. I am deeply committed to Public Theology—bringing faith into the public square to advocate for justice.

  • Housing Justice: I have publicly challenged the City of Toronto’s encampment strategies, arguing that we cannot view our unhoused neighbours as “nuisances” to be managed, but as citizens with capacity and dignity. Living in a gentrifying neighbourhood, I believe privilege carries a moral obligation to protect the vulnerable.16
  • Refugee Response: When over 200 African refugee claimants were left on the streets of Toronto, I worked with partners like Matthew House Windsor to open church sanctuaries as emergency shelters.13 This was Kapwa in action—treating the stranger as kin.

My Theological Frameworks

Three core concepts define my worldview:

  1. Kapwa (Shared Identity): Drawing from my Filipino heritage, I use the concept of Kapwa (“the self in the other”) to critique colonial mission models. I believe we are not fully human until we recognize our profound interconnectedness with the “other.”1
  2. Theology from Below: I align with the Street Psalms movement, believing that we must read the Bible and the city “from below”—through the eyes of the marginalized.19
  3. Shalom vs. Empire: On my podcast appearances, particularly Sidewalk Skyline, I speak often about the tension between “Empire” (domination, accumulation) and “Shalom” (peace, wholeness).4 My life’s work is an attempt to build Shalom in the cracks of the Empire.

Connect & Learn

I am always looking to collaborate with fellow “thought disturbers,” researchers, and practitioners.

  • Listen: Catch me on the Sidewalk Skyline Podcast, where I discuss everything from “Let Nothing Be Wasted” to “Asylum Seekers.”13
  • Read: Check out my writing in Testimony/Enrich Magazine, specifically my manifesto, “Our Cities Matter.”21
  • Engage: If you are interested in having me speak on Urban Ministry, Diversity/Interculturalism, or Organizational Ambidexterity, please reach out.

“God’s plan may have started in a garden, but it ends in the city.”21 Let’s build that city together.

Works cited

  1. CV Ejay 2025.pdf
  2. EJAY TUPE | Street Worker | Messy Jesus Lover | Musician | Public Talker | Rebel | Thought Disturber | Lover of life, people and laughter | Justice advocate | Urban Missionary, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://ejaytupe.com/
  3. About Me. | EJAY TUPE, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://ejaytupe.com/about-me/
  4. Mission Canada – Sidewalk Skyline Podcast, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/category/Mission+Canada
  5. Ejay Tupe – 700 Club Canada, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://700club.ca/ejay-tupe/
  6. Organizational Ambidexterity and Its Impact on Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Case Study in Islamic International Arab B – Richtmann Publishing, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://www.richtmann.org/journal/index.php/ajis/article/download/12996/12588/45858
  7. Hallmarks of Organizational Ambidexterity – Integrative Innovation, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://integrative-innovation.net/?p=1731
  8. “IN OUR OWN TONGUES AMPLIFYING PENTECOSTALISM’S MINORITIZED VOICES, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://sps-usa.org/download/programs/program_2023.pdf
  9. (PDF) Both Diversity and Meritocracy: Managing the Diversity‐Meritocracy Paradox with Organizational Ambidexterity – ResearchGate, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353394097_Both_Diversity_and_Meritocracy_Managing_the_Diversity-Meritocracy_Paradox_with_Organizational_Ambidexterity
  10. Ejay Tupe – The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://paoc.org/donate/ejaytupe
  11. Our City Conference Toronto – Urban Ministry – Wix.com, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://torontoourcity.wixsite.com/our-city-conference
  12. Community Exegesis (Ejay Tupe) – Sidewalk Skyline Podcast, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/community-exegesis-ejay-tupe
  13. Ejay Tupe – Sidewalk Skyline Podcast, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/category/Ejay+Tupe
  14. Chaplaincy – Sidewalk Skyline Podcast, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/tag/Chaplaincy
  15. Yonge St. Mission – Sidewalk Skyline Podcast, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/tag/Yonge+St.+Mission
  16. mission canada – City of Toronto, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ec/comm/communicationfile-180104.pdf
  17. Matthew House Windsor – Sidewalk Skyline Podcast, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/category/Matthew+House+Windsor
  18. (PDF) Towards A Kapwa Church: Concept and Method – ResearchGate, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/391891488_Towards_A_Kapwa_Church_Concept_and_Method
  19. Street Psalms trains and connects leaders around the globe to build communities of peace – Thriving Congregations Coordination Program, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://thrivingcongregations.org/fandl_feed_topics/missions-community/
  20. Living Justice and the City: Discerning the Spirit in Toronto, accessed on January 7, 2026, http://crc.sa.utoronto.ca/files/2018/01/The-Living-Justice-Research-Project.pdf
  21. Our Cities Matter Pentecostalism – Testimony Magazine, accessed on January 7, 2026, https://testimony.paoc.org/articles/our-cities-matter

EJAY TUPE