During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Zero Hour Ministries was ignited out of a desire to shift the tide of a hurting and lost generation through specific disciple-making trips and trainings. We believe God’s people are made for more. It is the birthright of every child of God to be a loving missionary and disciple-maker where they live, work, learn, and play. Our aim is to plant the gospel in networks of relationships across the city, see disciples made, and witness Student Teams emerge in every high school in the Kansas City metro area. Zero Hour Teams are specialized Disciple-Making Teams that are filled with students who have been trained through Zero Hour to be disciple-makers who live in everyday gospel community, led by ordinary students, and who own the mission of Jesus in their school. The focus in these clubs is on missional prayer, sharing the gospel, and community. They are intended to be missional in nature to help students live as disciple-makers to bring the beauty, justice, and Good News of Jesus to Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Brandon and Courtney live off the main town square in a suburb of Kansas City. They’ve recently become much more intentional about planting the gospel in their neighborhood. They decided one of the best ways to get people out of their houses and interacting together was a block party. They took over 60 flyers around to their neighbors. They were able to meet and speak with some neighbors and for others, they left the flyer in the door. God brought nearly 50 people to the block party! Many spiritual conversations were had. From this intentional reaching out to the community, they now have a DBS with one neighbor, are serving a single mom by letting her borrow their car, and are able to let other neighbors serve them. Recently, they took dinner to one neighbor who is fostering and adopting children. Then, that neighbor brought his children to Brandon and Courtney’s for dinner. Intentional prayer and action is leading to spiritual conversations and beautiful relationships. Neighbors are now asking about another party, so they are planning one for next month.

Leah and her husband went to Bible school to be missionaries. They yearned to go overseas, but those doors never opened for them. When they moved to Kansas City, Lea knew that they were in their neighborhood for a reason. She began to go to the park with her son to play and while they were there, she began to meet mothers who were refugees from other countries. The skill of being able to speak Spanish quickly became a gift to these mothers. She quickly realized the vast number of needs in these women’s lives: clothing, food, jobs, transportation, help getting their IDs, WIC, Medicaid, and on and on. After hearing one specific mother’s story of fleeing her country to get to the States, Lea’s heart broke and she knew she had to jump into action. One by one, she began loving and building relationships and meeting the needs in the lives of these women. Now she is planting the Good News of the Gospel in these women’s lives every day by praying, listening, serving, and sharing the Good News.

Haylee wants to be a light for Jesus wherever she goes. She also has a heart for the nations and for children. However, finding the context where she could make the most impact for Jesus seemed to be challenging. Then she learned about other missionaries seeking to plant the gospel among children by helping coach their soccer teams. Even though Haylee did not have much experience with the sport of soccer itself, they paired her with a head coach who does. That frees her up to be able to bless the children and their parents. As an assistant coach, she’s at every practice and game, but she is praying and building relationships. After each practice or game, they share a meal with the kids and their families, do a Discovery Bible Study, and have conversations about life together. Parents join in as well, so the gospel is reaching the entire family.

Thrive Hub emerged in 2022 from a Hesed space where a couple of guys decided to extend the Kingdom by including friends and their spouses who wanted to be spiritual family together. From there, a microchurch emerged with 8 people, and then the year after grew to over 20 people. Thrive believes in the 5-fold APEST expression of shared leadership. Their mission is to encourage, equip, and activate everyday, ordinary people to discover their destiny and live fully alive from the heart Jesus gave them. They help individuals become thriving disciples of Jesus by learning how to create an emotionally healthy Kingdom culture together. Now 1 year in, they continue to make disciples that make disciples that make disciples.

6 years ago, James found himself attending one of the first Share the Hope microchurch gatherings ever. After a life filled with what he describes as “thuggin’, druggin’, and muggin’” he fully surrendered his life to Jesus. Within the Share the Hope family (a network of microchurches emerging out of the post-incarceration and addiction communities in KC), James grew as a disciple and a disciple-maker. Over time, he launched a new Share the Hope microchurch gathering, and later stepped into a primary leadership role for the Share the Hope Hub. James has a passion for sharing the Good News of how Jesus transformed his life with anyone and everyone he encounters. He now spends his days pouring into men who have a similar background as himself, as he mentors and disciples those coming out of jail and walking through recovery. He also has a heart to launch new Share the Hope communities throughout the city, and see the Gospel saturate this entire city.

Though David and Cheryl had seen a microchurch family emerge in their neighborhood, they sensed it was time to downsize. They chose to move into a maintenance-free community not far from where they lived. The microchurch family from their old neighborhood came to meet with them in their new neighborhood, yet they knew they must shift their focus to begin building relationships with the people in their new neighborhood and planting the gospel there. They began prayer walking, participating in community potlucks, going to the swimming pool to meet new people, and joining the gardening club. This missional activity opened doors for them to get to know many people in their new community. People began opening up to them about things going on in their lives and David and Cheryl were able to pray for them, listen, and serve their neighbors. Today, a couple from their new community have joined the worship gathering of neighbors from their old community. They are all on mission together to bring the Good News to their neighbors.

For the Nations is a team of people who have a desire to see the Gospel move in and through international communities in Kansas City. Their primary focus is to engage immigrant and refugee families in Kansas City, KS through the ministry of soccer. Last year, God miraculously connected this team with a faith-based soccer club called KCK United. With 250+ youth athletes on the various KCK United teams (ranging from 3rd grade through High School), the For the Nations crew is now engaging over a hundred families representing more than a dozen nationalities. In addition to a head coach, each KC United team has an assistant coach who has been trained in the Missionary Pathway and is actively living as a missionary among the kids and families that represent their club team. This fall they’re seeing Discovery Bible Studies and microchurch communities getting started among many of these teams, with the hope that the Good News of Jesus would be unleashed among the families and communities in Kansas City, KS.

Rob and Michelle moved into the suburbs of Kansas City nine years ago. New to the community, they knew no one in their neighborhood. But they did know God had planted them in this context for a reason. The beginning of their missionary journey in this new neighborhood was slow. Extraordinary prayer and fasting and relationship-building took place over months and even years. This hard but important work laid the foundation for the extended spiritual family they have there today. One neighbor sharing her story with them and then accepting Christ at their kitchen table led to another young man sitting in their garage asking if he could really hear from God. This led to families coming over for meals and eventually, they saw an extended spiritual family emerge: a group of neighbors gathering for worship, community, and who are on a mission to their neighbors around them. This extended spiritual family is made up of varying ages, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds. Now, there are so many people in this extended spiritual family that they are multiplying new gatherings!

Joshua, Rachel, and their five kids have lived in their neighborhood for several years. They have been praying over this community and are starting to see relationships develop. As they begin to hear the stories of their neighbors, they find ways to serve them in the name of Jesus. As these relationships deepen, they're starting to see rhythms. They're opening their home and property to those around them for smores around the fire pit, chili cook offs, sundae bars, and backyard movie nights. Recently, God has allowed for some conversations to move to a more spiritual level. They are now seeing interest in people meeting together to talk about Jesus and how he informs their lives. There is so much more to come on the horizon as the Vaughns influence and impact their community for Jesus.

In fall ‘21, the Equip and Encourage Army Discipleship Network (E-2) was launched as a Hub of the KC Underground. Our mission is to serve disciple-makers in the US Army by equipping and encouraging them virtually to make disciples wherever they are sent around the world. Soldiers are mission-oriented. They voluntarily embrace a difficult and dangerous lifestyle. They are used to spending time away from their families. They understand the sacrifices required to do a mission greater than themselves, and, they are willing to embrace ambiguity and chaos.

Rick and Alice have a passion for people who live on the street. They started by getting involved handing out food clothing and other supplies, but felt like there was more. God told Alice to prayer walk a certain park. They did. God told them to take the Good News there and give these people an opportunity to see, hear, experience, and respond to this news. So, they started a weekly Discovery Bible Study at this park. Over the last several months, Street Church has emerged. The homeless people who live in or near this park know that they can count on Rick and Alice to be there every Friday afternoon with food and drinks, a listening ear, and some Good News—rain or shine—providing consistency in the lives of their microchurch members.

Angie and her husband have a beautiful family with five children. For years, they have sought to find the school that would be the best fit for their children. Montessori education has been deep in the foundation of Angie’s educational thoughts for years. Then God gave her the vision to start a Montessori school. But not just so kids can receive that type of education; so that they can also hear the word of God, be loved and prayed over, and also give their families an opportunity to engage with Jesus. Over a year's time, God provided Angie and her team with funds, a building, beautiful piece of land, students, and a teacher and classroom aide! As they walk further down this road, they are seeking ways to plant the gospel in the lives of these students and their parents and families.

Ted and Tami, along with their two kids have been faithful missionaries in Peculiar, Missouri. Their rural context is unique in that the geographical distance between neighbors requires some greater creativity in creating spaces of belonging. Through consistent presence in their city, relationships have formed. Whether it be camping, bonfires, community festivals, outdoor concerts, serving neighbors or allowing neighbors to serve them, God is on the move. But they don't see gospel planting as just for their community - it's evident in their home as well. Their daughter just stepped into the waters of baptism last month.

The Independence Hub of the KC Underground emerged in 2022. We’ve had over 40 people commit to living on mission after going through the missionary pathway. Eight microchurches have emerged just in the last two months.

One friend in particular, never viewed herself as a missionary or church planter, but because she listens to Jesus and does what Jesus says she started a Discovery Bible Study. That study went from one person to 38 in about six weeks and is equipping ten new leaders to step into their roles as missionaries in their contexts to see ordinary people come to Jesus.