When we think of missions, our minds often drift to distant lands—Dubai, Mumbai, or the Philippines. But sometimes, the most challenging mission fields are the ones just a two-and-a-half–hour flight away. After serving for a decade at Bellevue, Chris Phillips never expected God to call him to Denver, Colorado, to plant a church, but that’s exactly what God did. The transition wasn’t easy; in fact, Chris and his family “left kicking and screaming,” but sometimes God’s greatest works begin with reluctant steps.
When Chris and his family moved to Denver in 2017, they automatically recognized a spiritual shift. While Memphis has approximately one evangelical church for every 500 people, Denver has one for every 32,000. This means that more than nine out of 10 people in Denver are spiritually disconnected from Christ—a statistic that sounds more like an overseas mission field than a major American city.
“I think everybody understands there’s lostness right now and that people are spiritually disconnected from Christ, but when you really start to look at a major metropolitan city like Denver, you can’t help but be shocked,” Chris said. “When you hear that 95 percent of people here are lost or are spiritually disconnected, you think that I am talking about some overseas country, but I’m not—I’m talking about Denver, Colorado.”
Not only did Chris recognize a spiritual shift, but he also recognized a cultural shift. He was no longer in the South, where basic Christian terminology is understood by nearly everyone. In Denver, these terms draw a blank stare.
“When we moved here, one of the things that we learned is that people don’t talk the same language,” Chris said. “Here you say the word ‘Gospel,’ but nobody has any idea what the word ‘Gospel’ means. You say something like, ‘We’re going to read through the book of Matthew,’ and people have no idea what you’re mentioning.”
This cultural shift reflects a broader change in American society. Chris explained by citing research by Aaron Renn: “We’ve moved from a ‘positive cultural world’ pre-1994—where being Christian was viewed positively—into today’s ‘negative culture world’—where identifying as a Christian often comes with immediate negative assumptions about political and social stances.”
Recognizing these challenges, Chris spent his first year and a half in Denver just learning the language of his community. He invested time in places where he could intentionally meet people who were far from God. The goal wasn’t immediate conversion but building bridges of understanding.
“If I don’t learn the language to learn how to help people belong before they believe, then when I go to have a Gospel conversation, it’s going to be a really hard-pressed conversation,” Chris said.
Chris’ vision eventually evolved into planting churches that would plant more churches. In a sprawling metropolitan area like Denver, where most people won’t drive more than 10–15 minutes for church, the solution isn’t building one megachurch—it’s establishing multiple community-focused churches that can reach their immediate neighborhoods.
“Denver doesn’t need one big church; Denver needs more churches that reach their communities,” Chris said. “That’s why we want to plant churches that plant churches.”
During his time as pastor of Riverside Church and pouring out to the community, Chris has realized how the Lord has grown him as a leader in ministry and as a leader to his family.
“He changed the trajectory of our family in a way that I wasn’t anticipating, and I don’t think I would be the dad that I am now or the husband that I am now had God not called us to come out here,” Chris said. I love my wife and my kids more because I see the sacrifices that we’ve had to make as a family. I’m a better leader because of these things that I witness here in Denver, and I’m more compassionate than I ever was. Only God could have done this.”
Chris’ heart for unchurched people has grown deeper, and his appreciation for his sending church, Bellevue, has only increased. His prayer now is that more established churches would embrace the vision of becoming church-planting churches, sending missionaries not just overseas but also to America’s mission fields.
“God has a big plan in store for us, and He wants to use you right where you are,” Chris said. “There are people that God is ready and willing to begin stirring in their hearts to call them up within the church and then out from the church. If we serve in a place where we can actually see ourselves doing life and loving the people there, then God starts to use that to draw us closer to Himself.”
The mission field is closer than we think. It might be just a short flight away, in a city where people speak the same language but live in a completely different cultural world. The United States, with its rapidly changing spiritual landscape, presents unique challenges and opportunities for ministry. As our society becomes increasingly post-Christian, we need ministers willing to learn and foster cultural connections, even when staying within our national borders. And just like international missions, this work requires dedication, cultural sensitivity, and a willingness to be transformed in the process of serving others.