Dr. Eric Mason is an American pastor, author, and urban ministry leader who founded Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2001. Known to his congregation as “Pastor E” and “the Bishop,” Mason built a multi-ethnic, city-focused church from home Bible studies into a congregation that now supports church plants across the United States and Africa. He became a nationally recognized and debated voice in evangelical circles following the 2018 release of his book Woke Church, which pushed American Christians to confront racism directly and sparked one of contemporary evangelicalism’s more heated theological disputes.
[IMAGE: Dr. Eric Mason preaching at Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia]
Eric Mason at a Glance
| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Eric Mason |
| Born | Not publicly confirmed |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Yvette Mason |
| Children | Three sons, Immanuel, Nehemiah, and Ephraim, and one living daughter, Amalyah |
| Education | |
| Undergraduate | Bowie State University (B.S. in Psychology) |
| Graduate | Master of Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary (2000) |
| Doctorate | Ph.D., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary |
| Ministry | |
| Title | Founder and Lead Pastor |
| Church | Epiphany Fellowship, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Denomination | Southern Baptist, non-denominational in practice |
| Other roles | Founder and President, Thriving; adjunct professor, College of Biblical Studies (Houston) and Biblical Theological Seminary |
| Media | Host, The Sanctuary Podcast |
| Career | |
| Books | Manhood Restored; Beat God to the Punch; Unleashed; Woke Church; Urban Apologetics; Nehemiah For You; Rebranding the Church |
Early Life and Background
Detailed public information about Eric Mason’s birth date and childhood has not been widely published through official sources. His publicly available biography focuses on his education and ministry career rather than early personal history, and Flicxa does not report unverified specifics that cannot be confirmed.
Education
Mason earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Bowie State University before pursuing formal theological training. He completed a Master of Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary in 2000, followed by a Ph.D. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. That academic background later shaped his role as an adjunct professor at the College of Biblical Studies in Houston, Texas, and at Biblical Theological Seminary outside Philadelphia.
Ministry Career: Founding Epiphany Fellowship
Mason’s ministry began in 2001, when he and his wife, Yvette, felt called while living in the South to plant a church on the East Coast, targeting what Mason has described as an unreached mission field in the cities of North America. After confirming Philadelphia as their target city, the couple began building relationships in North Philadelphia by meeting neighbors, hosting fellowship gatherings in their home, and spending time in prayer and teaching.
Within six months, those home gatherings had outgrown the house and spilled onto the front steps. In 2006, the growing congregation moved into the basement of the building it still owns and worships in today, a space that became the permanent home of Epiphany Fellowship. Mason built the church around a vision he has described as Christ-centered, biblically sound, come-as-you-are, and multi-socioeconomic, aimed specifically at reaching Philadelphia’s varied and historically underserved communities.
Founding Thriving and Church Planting
Mason founded and now serves as president of Thriving, an urban resource organization dedicated to developing ministry leaders equipped for city contexts. Through Epiphany Fellowship, Mason has helped coach and train families to plant churches in cities including Camden, New Jersey; Germantown, Philadelphia; Brooklyn, New York; Los Angeles; Southwest Philadelphia; Wilmington, Delaware; and Baltimore, along with helping plant roughly a dozen churches across Africa.
Rise to Prominence: Woke Church
Mason’s national profile grew substantially with the 2018 release of Woke Church: An Urgent Call for Christians in America to Confront Racism and Injustice. The book argued that American evangelicals needed to actively engage with racial injustice rather than remain neutral, drawing endorsements from a range of Reformed and evangelical leaders while also becoming one of the more contested books in recent evangelical publishing.
Mason has continued building on that public platform through The Sanctuary Podcast, co-hosted with Epiphany Fellowship’s worship pastor, and through frequent national speaking engagements, including a widely discussed 2025 conversation with Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae addressing the assumption that Christianity is fundamentally a “white man’s religion.”
Books and Publications
Mason has written seven books over his career, most centered on urban ministry, racial justice, and biblical manhood. Notable titles include:
- Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole
- Beat God to the Punch
- Unleashed
- Woke Church: An Urgent Call for Christians in America to Confront Racism and Injustice (2018)
- Urban Apologetics: Restoring Black Dignity with the Gospel
- Nehemiah For You
- Rebranding the Church: Restoring the Image of God’s People in the World
Personal Life
Eric Mason is married to Yvette Mason, and the couple has three sons, Immanuel, Nehemiah, and Ephraim, along with one living daughter, Amalyah, a phrasing consistently used across Mason’s own official ministry biographies. He has described his son Nehemiah’s emotional reaction, at age eight, to learning about human trafficking in Libya as a formative moment that shaped how the family discusses justice issues at home.
Outside of ministry, Mason has described himself as a self-identified foodie and coffee enthusiast who enjoys reading, writing, art, and biking in his personal time.
Theology and Ministry Philosophy
Mason ministers within the Southern Baptist tradition, though Epiphany Fellowship operates with a strong non-denominational, urban-focused identity in practice. His theology centers on what he calls “gospel wokeness,” a framework built around holding several convictions simultaneously: refusing to be colorblind about race, embracing black identity unapologetically within a Christian framework, working actively toward reconciliation with white Christians, and pursuing unity within the church despite disagreement.
Mason’s ministry philosophy places urban contexts at the center of the Great Commission, arguing that cities represent an underreached mission field within domestic American ministry, a conviction that has directly shaped Epiphany Fellowship’s church-planting strategy across major East Coast cities and internationally in Africa.
Influence and Legacy
Mason has become one of the more prominent voices in a broader movement of Black evangelical pastors pushing majority-white evangelical institutions to engage directly with racial justice, working alongside and sometimes in tension with prominent white evangelical leaders. His partnership with Matt Chandler‘s Village Church, which funded a community playground for Epiphany Fellowship’s North Philadelphia neighborhood, has been cited as a model of cross-racial church partnership in evangelical circles.
Epiphany Fellowship’s growth from home Bible studies to a church supporting plants in seven U.S. cities and roughly a dozen African congregations reflects a significant, sustained expansion of Mason’s original 2001 vision, extending his direct influence well beyond his own Philadelphia pulpit.
Criticism and Controversies
Woke Church drew sustained and pointed criticism from Reformed apologist James White, who publicly disputed Mason’s characterization of a controversy involving White in the book. Mason responded by calling for what he described as an “ecumenical council” to address what he called “heretics” on issues of racial reconciliation, a comment that drew further criticism from White and other Reformed commentators who viewed the framing as inflammatory.
The book also became entangled in a widely reported 2019 controversy at First Baptist Church of Naples, Florida, where a pastoral candidate’s endorsement of Woke Church reportedly contributed to the congregation’s rejection of his candidacy, a dispute that drew public commentary from prominent Southern Baptist leaders including J.D. Greear and Russell Moore. Separately, some Reformed critics, including reviewers at Founders Ministries, argued Mason’s book reflected an uncritical embrace of Critical Race Theory concepts, while other reviewers, including some sympathetic to his broader argument, noted passages suggesting more openness to women in pastoral roles than traditional complementarian readers would accept. Mason has continued to defend the book’s core argument publicly and has not retracted its central claims.
Net Worth
No independently verified net worth figure exists for Eric Mason. Neither Epiphany Fellowship nor Mason’s personal ministry materials publicly disclose salary or personal financial details, and Flicxa does not present a speculative figure as fact given the absence of any verified disclosure.
Awards and Recognition
- Founder of Epiphany Fellowship, which has grown to support church plants in seven U.S. cities and roughly a dozen African nations
- Founder and President of Thriving, an urban ministry leadership development organization
- Author of seven published books, including the widely discussed Woke Church (2018)
- Adjunct professor at the College of Biblical Studies (Houston) and Biblical Theological Seminary
Interesting Facts About Eric Mason
- Epiphany Fellowship started as informal gatherings in Mason and his wife’s own home before outgrowing the space within six months
- He and Yvette have helped plant nearly a dozen churches across Africa through Epiphany Fellowship’s outreach
- He co-hosts The Sanctuary Podcast with the church’s own Worship and Creative Arts Pastor
- His 2018 book Woke Church contributed to a real pastoral search controversy at a Southern Baptist church in Naples, Florida, the following year
- He describes himself as both a foodie and a self-proclaimed coffee snob
Timeline of Key Events
- 2000: Earns a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary
- 2001: Founds Epiphany Fellowship, beginning with home gatherings in Philadelphia
- 2006: Epiphany Fellowship moves into the building it still occupies today
- 2018: Publishes Woke Church, sparking national debate within evangelical circles
- 2018: Calls for an “ecumenical council,” drawing criticism from Reformed apologist James White
- 2019: A pastoral search controversy at First Baptist Church of Naples, Florida, becomes tied to Woke Church
- 2022: Gives an extended interview with Faithfully Magazine on wokeness and evangelical identity
- 2025: Publishes Rebranding the Church and appears in a widely shared conversation with Lecrae
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is pastor Eric Mason?
Eric Mason is an American pastor who founded Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia in 2001 and became a nationally known voice in evangelical circles following the 2018 release of his book Woke Church.
Is Dr. Eric Mason married?
Yes. Mason is married to Yvette Mason, and the couple has three sons and one living daughter.
What is the Woke Church?
Woke Church is a 2018 book by Eric Mason urging American Christians to actively confront racism and injustice rather than remain neutral. The book, and Mason’s related public comments, sparked significant debate within evangelical circles, drawing both support and sharp criticism from Reformed leaders.
What denomination is Eric Mason?
Mason ministers within the Southern Baptist tradition, though Epiphany Fellowship operates with a strongly independent, urban-focused, non-denominational identity in practice.
What is Eric Mason’s theology?
Mason’s theology centers on what he calls “gospel wokeness,” combining racial awareness, unapologetic Black Christian identity, a commitment to racial reconciliation, and a pursuit of church unity, framed within a broader conservative evangelical theological foundation.
How old is Eric Mason?
Eric Mason’s exact birth date has not been publicly confirmed. Given his 2000 seminary graduation and more than two decades of documented ministry since, he is generally understood to be in his fifties as of 2026.
What books has Eric Mason written?
His books include Manhood Restored, Beat God to the Punch, Unleashed, Woke Church, Urban Apologetics, Nehemiah For You, and Rebranding the Church.
A Note on Related Search Terms
“Can you provide a biography of John Mason?” refers to a different public figure entirely, likely author and pastor John Mason, known for motivational Christian books like An Enemy Called Average, and is not connected to Eric Mason of Epiphany Fellowship. That would work better as its own separate biography.
Final Word
Eric Mason turned living-room Bible studies into a Philadelphia church that now helps plant congregations from Camden to the African continent, then wrote a single book that made him one of the most argued-about pastors in evangelical Christianity. Whatever side of that debate a reader lands on, Mason has never backed away from the conversation he started, and that alone has kept Woke Church part of the discussion nearly a decade after its release.
