About us

Simple Church is a movement that connects you into life-changing relationships with Jesus and others through deliberately simple, conversational-style churches.

We've been connecting people since the beginning.

At the start of 2014 seven people met to pray about starting a new way of being the church - a church that focused on connecting with each other in meaningful and authentic relationships. On Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014, 50 other people joined us for the first service of Simple Church at the Event Center West in West Des Moines, Iowa.

We connect people just like you every single week.

We believed God was leading us to be an authentic, relational, and yet outreaching church which would be a network of Jesus followers gathering together to encourage each other in our spiritual lives and then going out, moved by the Holy Spirit, to share and demonstrate the Gospel. Our model was, and is, the New Testament Church found in Acts 2:42-47.

We seek to live out this model by always meeting around round tables, always renting or leasing facilities, practicing servant-leadership, caring for the needs of everyone in our local church and ultimately have campuses throughout West Des Moines, Des Moines, and the surrounding areas.

We care more about changed lives than church membership, community than activity, belonging than just attending, and reaching a hurting world than just growing a big church.

Our prayer, for Simple Church, is that God will help us always be a place that exists for the sole purposes of loving God, loving others, and serving our world. That’s all God wants us to do. We believe people are hungry to know God in a personal way, be part of real relationships where people know & love each other, and believe they belong and find God’s purpose for their lives.

What this means for you.

You need to get connected and feel known and loved and we know how to help you get connected. You're welcome at Simple Church. We're saving a seat for you. Wherever you are at in your faith journey, you'll get connected and be accepted as part of the Simple Church family.

We were created for connection. At Simple Church where this happens best is within a House Church. House Churches are small groups of people who meet in homes regularly to grow in life together, and to encourage one another, like we are told about in Hebrews 10:24-25. Their purpose is centered around relationship with both Jesus and each other. Their model is a shared meal together, followed by discussion centered around teachings that help you grow together as a community in your discipleship with Christ. We do House Church because we want to see you belong in life-giving community, where you can experience life to the full.

We are encouraged to live a life that reflects the love Jesus has for us, but how do we do that? Building habits in our lives that Jesus practiced is the best way to start. None of which is meant to be legalistic or constricting. That was not the way of Christ.

He was never in a rush. Unhurried.

He spent a lot of time in Community as well as practicing Hospitality.

He spent a lot of time alone in Silence & Solitude and in Prayer.

He Fasted regularly.

He spent a lot of time reading the Scriptures and at synagogue.

He took part in Sabbath.

He lived Simply.

If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to practice the way of Jesus.

By practicing the way of Jesus you find freedom to not only love like Christ but also to delight in the freedom of living like him. (Romans 8:1-2)

You’re a one-of-a-kind creation. But what did God create you to do? How will God use you? 1 Peter 4:10 says we have each received spiritual gifts from God's great variety, but it's not enough to just know your gifts. You need to put them into action as it says in Ephesians 4:11-12.

-We serve when we see a need and have the ability to meet it

-We serve by taking the need to Jesus and doing as he says

-We serve because it blesses others and glorifies God

But there is one final piece we need to remember that we forget far to often and that is "Who We Serve."
The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the name above all names, Jesus, who said I have come to serve, not to be served (Matthew 20:28 / Mark 10:45)

So let’s discover your purpose, together.

What does it mean to “bless”? Hebrew “barak” & New Testament “eulogeo” & both words have the same general meaning -- “to enrich – to add to that which is already good to make it even better."

Every person you lay eyes on is loved, valued, & designed by God & we are to enrich all of that, in every person, in our world.

"May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." Romans 15:5-7

2 Corinthians 9:7-8 also states that God loves a person who gives cheerfully. How blessed are we that we get the opportunity to bless others while showing the love of Christ. At Simple Church there is no fear. Due to the generosity of the Simple Church community we have been able to help many people in not only our Simple Church family but our community as well!