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Father Gregory Boyle

Greg Boyle

Follow Forward with Gregory Boyle (Part 2)

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Trust, Compassion, Love and Joy

Adapted from a conversation with Gregory Boyle on the Follow Forward Podcast

This is part two of my reflections from my discussion with Fr. Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries (click here for Part 1).

One of the aspects of our conversation that particularly encouraged me was Fr. Greg’s engagement with the central theme of the Follow Forward podcast:

“I really admire the focus of your podcast… which is about following and about going forward.”

He explained that he has previously defined the marks of authentic discipleship as “joy and fearlessness.” More recently, he has added a third: moving forward.

“…sometimes we get into this frightened stance that wants to go backwards… Part of the expectation in following is that we’re moving forward. We’re putting one loving foot in front of the next.”

I find that a wonderful summary of what Follow Forward is all about. We want to help people put one loving foot in front of the next. We can only do that if we continue to follow in our Master’s footsteps.

There are four primary ways I have observed Fr. Greg embodying this approach through his work at Homeboy Industries.

1. Building Communities of Trust

Father Greg believes that healthy people are trusting people. He suggests that many gang members struggle to trust because of the emotional wounds and trauma they have experienced. Trust, therefore, is an outcome of healing.

At Homeboy Industries, trust is not taught. It is cultivated through creating an environment where people feel safe, seen, and cherished.

“If people feel safe and seen and loved, then their ability to trust will grow exponentially.”

He believes that unconditional acceptance is the primary building block of trust. People begin to trust when they discover that they belong. Creating this kind of environment requires Christlike compassion.

2. Embodied Compassion

In his book Tattoos on the Heart, Boyle writes:

“Here is what we seek: a compassion that can stand in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it.”

This kind of compassion sees dignity in people, even when they fail. It refuses to write people off. At Homeboy, the goal is to create a community where no one remains on the fringes. Instead, everyone is welcomed towards the centre, where true kinship can be found.

As Boyle puts it:

“The answer to every question is compassion.”

Compassion refuses to define someone by their mistakes. It recognises that no one is beyond healing and transformation. It also invites humility, challenging us to consider where we might be had we not experienced the compassionate love of Christ ourselves.

3. Love Never Fails

Compassion is the practical outworking of love.

At its heart, Father Greg’s message is one of love. He believes love is the transformative force that restores people to who God created them to be.

Reflecting on Paul’s words that “love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8), Boyle argues that history cannot point to a single moment when love itself failed. He challenges us with this simple but profound observation:

“What we’ve lost really is a confidence in our love.”

In a world often driven by fear, outrage, and division, his words serve as a reminder that love remains God’s primary instrument of transformation.

4. Follow the Joy

Many people might mistakenly view ministry among the marginalised as a self-sacrificial calling requiring extraordinary endurance and perseverance.

Boyle’s experience at Homeboy offers a refreshing challenge to that perspective. His focus is on joy.

“God is only calling any of us to where our heart is and where the joy is.”

This is a beautiful correction. Following Jesus, even into the margins and the most challenging spaces of society, is ultimately an invitation into greater joy.

“He’s standing in the lowly place because that’s where the joy is.”

Questions for Reflection

Boyle’s insights invite us to consider our own journey of following Jesus:

  • Are we committed to creating environments of unconditional acceptance where trust can flourish?
  • Do we respond to society’s challenges with greater compassion?
  • Do we truly believe that love never fails?
  • Is our service leading us into deeper joy in Christ?

His final challenge is to resist viewing ministry among the marginalised through a saviour lens. Rather, it is often through this ministry that we ourselves are transformed.

“You don’t go to the margins to make a difference. You go to the margins so that the folks at the margins make you different.”

This is what it means to follow forward: putting one loving foot in front of the next, trusting that Jesus is already present in the places where He is leading us, and allowing Him to transform us along the way.

*To find out more about the Follow Forward Podcast, click here.
To listen to Father Greg’s interview, choose your preferred platform: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

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Follow Forward with Gregory Boyle (Part 1)

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Healing, Hope and Gang Transformation

Adapted from a conversation with Gregory Boyle on the Follow Forward Podcast

I walked through the doors of Homeboy Industries in 2015. I was fascinated to experience the environment, hear the stories, and be inspired by the largest gang intervention programme in the United States. But I was particularly looking forward to meeting the visionary leader behind Homeboy Industries, Father Gregory Boyle.

Avuncular, warm, humorous, and exuding wisdom, Father Greg, affectionately known as G-Dog, did not disappoint. I shared with him the first steps we were taking to develop a reintegration programme in South Africa to address the huge challenges of gangsterism, crime, and reoffending within our context. He expressed great interest, shared some pearls of wisdom, and we discussed the possibility of him visiting.

Eleven years on, that visit has not yet materialised. However, Gangstar Enterprises, a micro-business owned by The Message Trust South Africa, has grown into a Christ-centred initiative that provides a fresh start for those turning their backs on gangsterism and crime.

Given that we sought to follow the example of Father Greg and his team, it seemed appropriate to invite him to feature on the Follow Forward podcast. I was delighted when he responded to my email and agreed to the interview. I hoped to glean more wisdom on how to create an environment where those society has written off can have the opportunity to thrive. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Violence Is About Something Else

Father Greg has walked alongside gang members for more than three decades. He has seen the devastation caused by the violence in which gang members become immersed. Yet one of his most striking insights is that violence is not the core problem. He says:

“Violence is always about something else … Gang violence was about something else. It was about a lethal absence of hope.”

He believes we need to move beyond confronting the symptoms and get to the root cause. Young people do not join gangs because they are attracted to violence, or even because they want a place to belong.

“No gang member is seeking anything when he joins a gang. They’re all fleeing something.”

Father Greg claims that young people join gangs because they want to die. This striking statement rang true for me. This is the ultimate absence of hope, when emotional, spiritual, and physical death can appear to be the best, or only, option available. As he succinctly states:

“No hopeful kid has ever joined a gang.”

Healing Changes Everything

I have often quoted Father Greg as saying, “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.” For many years, Homeboy Industries focused heavily on job creation as the avenue to a fresh start. However, Boyle told me:

“Fifteen years into working at Homeboy, you discover that it really was about healing. It wasn’t about employment.”

He went on to say:

“An employed gang member may or may not go back to prison. An educated one may or may not. But a healed gang member won’t ever reoffend.”

Homeboy Industries is therefore primarily a place of healing. Healing is at the centre of everything: therapy, community, belonging, safety, and unconditional acceptance. Through this uncompromising and holistic approach, Homeboy becomes a place of restoration. And healed homies become great employees, family members, and contributors to society.

The Power of Kinship

To provide this kind of space requires an environment of service, which in turn builds kinship. As Father Greg eloquently states:

“Service is the hallway that leads you to the ballroom. The ballroom is kinship.”

For him, ministry is not simply helping people from a distance. It is creating spaces where people belong. This emphasis on kinship transforms both the giver and the receiver. It moves beyond charity towards genuine relationship. 

“People become resilient and sturdy as a result of having found themselves in kinship with other people.”

This is a compelling vision of transformation. And the fruit is tangible. Whether in LA, Cape Town, or elsewhere, the challenge is to follow Christ’s example of compassion. As Boyle has written,

“Compassion isn’t just about feeling the pain of others; it’s about bringing them in toward yourself. If we love what God loves, then, in compassion, margins get erased. ‘Be compassionate as God is compassionate,’ means the dismantling of barriers that exclude.”

In Part 2 of this article, I will further explore how trust, compassion, and love combine as key components of the Homeboy pathway to healing.

*To find out more about the Follow Forward Podcast, click here.
To listen to Father Greg’s interview, choose your preferred platform: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.