Formed in Mission with Zephan and Taylar
Episode Summary
On this episode of the Kansas City Underground Podcast, we interview Zephan and Taylar Allenbrand and explore how they’ve personally been formed as they join Jesus on mission. In this episode, they share their personal stories of faith, their current missional context, and the profound impact of serving within the intellectual and developmental disabilities community. This episode is all about embracing vulnerability, finding purpose, and being formed in mission.
Key Themes & Takeaways
1. From Church Backgrounds to Deep Longing
Taylar grew up as a pastor’s kid, deeply involved in church but longing for faith that felt personal and alive.
Zephan encountered Jesus later in life through brokenness, addiction, and a slow rebuilding of hope.
Both carried a growing sense that traditional church models weren’t fully aligned with what Jesus was inviting them into.
2. A Shift Toward Simplicity and Presence
Exposure to disciple-making movements challenged their assumptions about success, scale, and branding.
COVID became a turning point, creating space to listen, slow down, and discern what God was actually asking.
Their move back to Kansas City opened unexpected doors into the KC Underground community.
3. Discerning a New Mission Field: The IDD Community
What began as “just a job” slowly revealed itself as a long-term calling.
Taylar received a vision of spiritual family forming within the IDD community—marked by prayer, worship, and belonging.
Zephan experienced deep confirmation, recognizing this as a place he could give his life to.
4. Formation Through Weakness, Not Mastery
Zephan describes a season of depression where clarity came not through effort, but surrender.
Mission shifted from planning and control to trust, presence, and dependence on God’s grace.
Both reflect on how God forms them through vulnerability rather than performance.
5. Becoming People of Rest, Tenderness, and Surrender
Mission in the margins cultivates patience, humility, and attentiveness.
The IDD community reflects the image of God in powerful ways—revealing joy, honesty, and freedom.
True disciple-making flows from being with Jesus, not trying to impress others for Him.
Final Thoughts
This conversation reminds us that mission is not a task we accomplish but a journey that reshapes us. As Zephan and Taylar share, joining Jesus often looks less like clarity and momentum and more like surrender, slowness, and trust. When we pay attention to who we are becoming—not just what we are doing—we discover that God is at work even in silence, weakness, and uncertainty. Formation happens as we stay present, remain open, and allow Jesus to meet us exactly where we are.
