Relationship Over Religion
Moving from knowing about God to developing an honest, personal pursuit of Him.
A faith found in pursuit
Move beyond the walls.
Chase God.
Stories, truth, and hard-won wisdom for people ready to trade religious performance for an authentic relationship with God.
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“The church exists to point people toward God—not to substitute for Him.”
01 / About
Meet Eustace
Faith shaped in the places people overlook.
For more than three decades, Eustace D. Payne Jr. has walked alongside people navigating courts, incarceration, reentry, faith, family, and purpose.
A former state and federal probation officer, ordained minister, and founder of the Massachusetts Community Outreach Initiative, Eustace writes from lived experience—not a pedestal.
His work invites people to move past the walls that imprison them mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and economically.
Explore speaking topics →
30+Years serving people
and communities
and communities
2009Founded the Massachusetts
Community Outreach Initiative
Community Outreach Initiative
2013Ordained by the
AME Church
AME Church
02 / The Book
Discover freedom · Find purpose · Pursue HimForthcoming · September 2026
Chasin’ God,
Not Church
A journey from religion to relationship.
What happens when church attendance, titles, and tradition become confused with intimacy with God? Through stories from courtrooms, prison ministry, family, and church life, Eustace challenges readers to recognize a limitless God at work far beyond familiar walls.
- Relationship over religious performance
- Honest faith without masks or easy answers
- Purpose found beyond institutional expectations
03 / Speaking
Conversations that move people
Truth. Purpose.
Transformation.
Eustace brings a rare combination of pastoral insight, criminal justice experience, and community leadership to churches, nonprofits, men’s groups, and conferences.
Beyond the Walls
Recognizing purpose, dignity, and God’s movement in overlooked people and places.
Men, Identity & Purpose
Helping men move beyond roles, isolation, and past experiences into healthy leadership.
Planning a gathering that needs an honest voice?
Contact Eustace →04 / Reflections
Reflections for the chase
Faith beyond
the familiar.
Short reflections on God, church culture, purpose, leadership, and the courage to live without a mask.
The Mask Protects.
But It Also Suffocates.
In some church cultures, faith is visible while vulnerability is filtered. What do we lose when looking faithful matters more than being known?
Get future reflections →God Was Never Limited to the Building
The places we overlook may be the very places where God’s work is clearest.
Stay connected →When the Pulpit Becomes a Pedestal
Healthy leadership prepares others to move—not merely to maintain a position.
Stay connected →