“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew – 28:19 

Since the early days of Abundant Life, the church has been committed to making disciples. What started as Pastor Phil taking his congregation of about 40 through the first iteration of a discipleship curriculum led to a legacy of discipleship that is still bearing fruit today. 

That first group of disciples didn’t just grow in knowledge—they grew in obedience. They began to disciple others, who then discipled others, and on and on. This multiplying movement is how Abundant Life has grown—not just in numbers, but in spiritual maturity. 

As a church, we took our next step in discipleship as we rolled out our own curriculum to teach and equip our church to make disciples.  

Serving is one of our Core Values at Abundant Life, and it’s so ingrained in who we are that there are countless volunteers who have given their time, energy, and resources to serve and support our church over the last 25 years. 

Whether you drive a shuttle, rock babies in the nursery, deliver cookie jars, take photos, sing on stage, or offer a warm smile to a first-time guest—we see you. And from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you. 

Each and every one of you is a God-given gift to the ministry of Abundant Life. You help bring our mission to life—to be living proof of a loving God to a watching world. 

While we wish we could thank every single one of you personally (and trust us, we would if we could!), this short video is just one small way our staff can say thank you to the leaders and volunteers who make ministry happen every single week. 

We love you. We’re grateful for you. And we truly couldn’t do this without you. 

To see lives changed by Jesus—that’s why we’re here. It’s the mission God has given Abundant Life, and it’s the heartbeat behind everything we do.

Jesus changes everything. He comforts the brokenhearted, heals the sick, restores what’s broken, and brings the dead to life. And for the past 25 years, we’ve been passionate about sharing those stories—because each one is living proof of His power.

That passion is what led to the creation of the Story Room—a place where we capture and share real stories of life change, miracles, and transformation. Like the early Church, we believe testimonies have power. They remind us that God is still moving in the lives of our neighbors, our friends, and our families.

These are your stories. And they are worth celebrating.

Watch the stories here

When we talk about discipleship at Abundant Life, we’re not just talking about adult Bible studies. Discipleship has always been a whole-church mission—and that includes the next generation.

From the very beginning, our children’s ministry—now known as Abundant Life Kids—has been a place where kids can come to learn, grow, and build a foundation of faith that lasts a lifetime.

Early leaders like Cindy Silber, Susan Dunham, Tiffani Hughes, and Jeremy Brownlee and many others have helped shape what Abundant Life Kids is today. While the ministry has grown and evolved over the years, the heart has remained the same: helping kids know Jesus and follow Him.

Watch this video to see how the vision of discipling the next generation has always been a part of our story at Abundant Life.

At Abundant Life, we believe God did not create us to do life alone. People need people. From the early days of being a small, close-knit church where everyone pitched in to bring the vision to life, to Sunday morning classes, to today’s Connect and Community Groups, biblical community has always been part of who we are.

Real community is more than friendship, it’s where we come alongside each other to not only celebrate the good, but to bear one another’s burdens and challenge each other to grow in Jesus. It’s where faith becomes personal, supported, and lived out together.

Hear some powerful stories on why community is so important to our faith and if you’re not living in community with other believers, now is the time to start! Sign up to check out a Connect Group today.

Like most new church plants, there were struggles—attendance dwindled, resources ran thin, and leaders came and went. By 1999, the little church was on the brink of closing its doors. But the families who remained refused to give up. They came together, they prayed, and they trusted God to provide. 

That night of prayer became the turning point. Out of those humble beginnings, God birthed Abundant Life. He answered with provision—bringing the people, the resources, and the renewed vision that would spark a movement. 

Families like Don and Shirley Carney, Pat and Justine Koontz, John and Trisha Pygman, Mike and Cindy Silber, Terry and Wanda Allen, Kendall and Tammy Sheets, Todd and Michele Hulsey, and others gave themselves fully to the mission. They shoveled snow from parking lots, set up chairs, discipled one another, served shoulder-to-shoulder, and created a culture of unity that became the heartbeat of Abundant Life. 

Their faithfulness, sacrifice, and devotion laid the foundation for a church that would grow far beyond what they could have imagined. Abundant Life is here today because of the families who chose prayer over fear, service over comfort, and obedience over ease. 

Abundant Life has always been about reaching others. Our vision—to be living proof of a loving God to a watching world—goes far beyond the walls of the church. And it shows.

From first responder funerals to mentoring teens, hosting community events, and cleaning up city streets, Abundant Life has built a reputation as a church that shows up, serves well, and puts people first.

In this video, you’ll hear from local leaders—Lee’s Summit Mayor Bill Baird, Deputy Fire Chief Brian Austerman,  who share how partnerships with Abundant Life have made a real difference in our city.

Because when the church loves like Jesus, the city takes notice. And lives are changed.

Over the last 25 years, Student Ministry at Abundant Life has grown from small youth group gatherings in living rooms to a thriving multi-campus ministry. The opening of the Core Building in 2009 marked a major step forward—but the heart has always been the same: ministering to and discipling the next generation.

Today, Fusion meets across four campuses, welcoming more than 400 students each week. Even Church Houses are getting involved—like the one in Quebec, Canada, which hosts their own Fusion Nights by streaming the Lee’s Summit service and gathering in community.

“I believe the game changer for Fusion Student Ministry was post-COVID when we brought the students back together, but we started to build the student ministry around community. It was the thing we knew students needed and the thing COVID taught us. We have to have community.” – Toshaun Avery, Former Fusion Student Pastor 20XX–2024.

Every Wednesday, students come hungry to know more about Jesus. They bring friends. They worship. They pray. They find belonging. Fusion is reaching middle and high school students across Kansas City—and even beyond—and God is moving.

From the very first sermon he preached to the small church that would become Abundant Life, Pastor Phil’s messages have made a lasting impact. Week after week, God has used his preaching to teach truth, challenge thinking, and call us to live out our faith in real and practical ways.

Over the years, there have been moments we’ll never forget: preaching “Eagles” in a Kingdom Hall, delivering “The Letter” in the Main Auditorium at Lee’s Summit, standing in the center of the stage inside a jail cell for the “Bars” series, casting vision for the Imagine campaign of 2018 while walking a balance beam, and teaching on the Weapons of Our Warfare as his first book launched.

These messages haven’t just been sermons—they’ve been mile markers in our church’s story, moments when God spoke clearly to our hearts, and times when vision for the future became clear. We are grateful for a pastor who faithfully preaches the Word of God and points us to Jesus every single week.

For the first 20 years of Abundant Life’s history, we were one campus in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. As the church grew, we expanded buildings and gathered in unconventional places. But eventually, God made it clear that the vision needed to shift—from being a single location church to becoming a multiplying movement, planting campuses to reach people across the Kansas City area and beyond.

In December 2020, we launched our first official campus in Blue Springs, Missouri. Just a year later, a church in Independence, Missouri, approached us with an opportunity to breathe new life into its long history and become our second campus. Around the same time, the COVID pandemic revealed the need for an intentional online ministry. Out of that came a robust online campus that has connected with thousands and sparked the birth of church houses across the U.S., Canada, and even across the world.

As God continued to open doors, we saw the need to minister in the heart of Kansas City. We purchased and renovated a building in the Crossroads Arts District to reach the inner city. And now, in August 2025, we are opening the Johnson County Campus—our first location across the Missouri/Kansas state line—serving Overland Park, Olathe, Leawood, and beyond.

We are grateful for a church family on a multiplying mission—reaching people where they are, not for the glory of a building, but for the glory of God.

In the lobby of the Main Building at the Lee’s Summit Campus stands a massive globe, crowned with the words of Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

From its earliest days, Abundant Life has been about reaching the unreached and serving the underserved. We’ve supported and sent long-term missionaries across the globe, and we’ve mobilized short-term teams to bring the Gospel and practical help to those in need.

Through the A-Life Discipleship Journey, we are fueling a movement with one focus: that every person in every place will have the chance to hear the name of Jesus. We will not be a church that stays. We will be a church that sends—until the ends of the earth know Him.

In the early 2000s, Abundant Life had a growing college ministry led by Pat Koontz. Students were hungry for God’s Word, and their passion laid the groundwork for what would come next.

In 2014, Paradigm Young Adult Ministry launched, creating a dedicated ministry for people in their 20s and 30s. What started as a weekly gathering quickly grew into a movement, reaching young adults across Kansas City with the gospel.

The impact has been undeniable. In 2023, Paradigm launched a second Tuesday night gathering at the Crossroads Campus, and in 2025, a third will begin in Johnson County. The ripple effect continues even beyond official campuses—like a church house-style gathering in a coffee shop near the University of Central Missouri, where students meet to worship, study God’s Word, and live on mission.

This generation has often been called one of the most unchurched and un-Christian in modern history. But through Paradigm, hundreds of young adults are finding life in Jesus, growing in discipleship, and boldly inviting others to follow Him too.

God is raising up a generation on fire for Him—and Paradigm is at the center of that movement in Kansas City.

Jesus has a heart for the broken. At Abundant Life, we believe one of the most powerful ways we can reach our community is by offering hope and healing through Christian counseling.

In 2010, Abundant Life opened its first counseling center—and it filled almost immediately. The need was overwhelming. Since then, God has expanded this ministry through additional centers at the Blue Springs and Crossroads campuses, and even through a partnership with a church in Springfield, Missouri, where a fourth Abundant Life Counseling Center now serves that community.

These centers not only minister to people walking through pain and brokenness, but they also train the next generation of counselors. Through our residency program, licensed counselors are being equipped to provide Christ-centered care with a Biblical worldview.

What started as one step of faith has grown into a movement of healing and restoration—living proof of a loving God to a hurting world.

From the early mornings in Abundant Life Kids classrooms, where the Curriculum and Production teams clean, restock, and prepare for each service, to the shuttle drivers, greeters, and Guest Services volunteers who welcome people with a smile, the church is full of people faithfully serving in ways that often go unseen.

Heroes include Jim Holt leading the shuttle team to help get people from off-site parking straight to the front door on Sunday mornings in Lee’s Summit. Daryl Haley serves as a deacon and on Guest Services, and Larry Friedline, who meets every need with quiet determination. Amy Cason supports the Next Steps desk and Lee Davenport cheerfully greets guests every Sunday.  Kevin Quinn faithfully manages parking, while Mary Dawson helps behind the scenes every Sunday—showing up with energy and dedication even through personal challenges.

At the Independence Campus, Shelley Ratcliff helps manages the office when staff needs to be at training and helps hosts baptisms.  Annie Herndon leads the Care Portal and ensures families’ needs are met, and Mick and Sheri Brown coordinate Guest Services, shuttles, and hospitality.

At Blue Springs, Paul and Amy Bragaw, owners of Pappy’s BBQ, have served faithfully for years, generously donating food to the campus and blessing the church in countless ways. At Crossroads Campus, Rachel Bolton tends to the plants, Debbie Lalli carefully enters connect card data, and Larry Lanning faithfully delivers café supplies.

And then there’s the Food Pantry team, prayer warriors, men who pick up groceries, and countless others who work in extreme heat and cold—quietly, faithfully, tirelessly. There are too many names to list them all, but every person who gives of themselves is part of the story.

This is a story of faithfulness, generosity, and hearts surrendered to God. The unsung heroes are not seeking recognition, yet their dedication changes lives, fuels ministry, and reflects God’s love to everyone who walks through the doors of Abundant Life.

Anyone who has listened to Pastor Phil preach knows he carries wisdom and insight that has been entrusted to him by God. His words inspire, challenge, and encourage countless people each week. Over time, it became clear that these messages were meant to reach beyond the pulpit.

Pastors write books because they believe the message they’ve been given to preach needs to live outside the four walls of the church on a particular Sunday. When Pastor Phil began writing his first book, Defeating the Enemy, he hadn’t shared it with anyone. But one day, the person cleaning his office picked up the book from his desk and read it—and was changed. That moment gave him the courage to seek a publisher In 2018, Defeating the Enemy was released, followed by Weapons of Our Warfare in 2020. Earlier this year, in 2025, he released his third book, Living Your Love Story—and he’s not done yet.

Watch the video to learn more about Pastor Phil’s journey from pastor to author and get a glimpse of what he’s planning next.

Once burdened by shame and addiction, Carol found healing, purpose, and freedom through Abundant Life’s Re:Generation ministry. In her own words, “Because of Re:Gen, I found out I didn’t really have low self-worth, I had a low image of God.” Today, she serves as a ministry administrator, helping others discover the same life-changing grace she experienced. Carol’s journey reminds us that no one is beyond God’s reach and that transformation is always possible through His Spirit.

At Abundant Life, we believe the mission Jesus gave in Matthew 28 is too big for one church to accomplish alone. A multiplying church creates ripple effects—changing neighborhoods, cities, and even nations. Through the A-Life Discipleship Journey, we are engaging cities with the gospel, making disciples, and planting churches.

The vision is bold: to launch more campuses in Kansas City, start 100 new church houses, and partner to plant 200 churches across the country—including 10 in Boston, one of the most unreached cities in America. But it all begins with one. Your one. As we each share Jesus with those around us, God multiplies the impact. Together, we will go and be the Church.

The story of Abundant Life is still unfolding, and the next chapter is all about living the “A-Life” God has called us to. Rooted in John 10:10, the A-Life Discipleship Journey is designed to help each of us deepen our relationship with God and live fully for His Kingdom.

Over the next two years, we are pursuing one primary goal: 100% engagement. Together, we will ask the hard question—What am I pursuing instead of Jesus that is preventing me from living the Abundant Life in Christ? Our challenge is simple but bold: surrender anything standing in the way of obedience to Jesus, and take your next step in each of our six core values—Discipleship, Evangelism, Worship, Community, Serving, and Generosity.

Alongside this, we have a secondary goal: to raise $64 million over the next two years to see three gospel-centered initiatives achieved.

• Church Life – $30 Million
  We will continue to declare the gospel and make disciples who make disciples.
• Eternal Life – $21 Million
  We commit to finding our ONE, to see lives transformed by Jesus, and to be a multiplying church through launching new campuses, evangelism, sending missionaries, and planting churches.
• Compassionate Life – $13 Million
  Our awareness of the needs of “the least of these” will move us to action, providing support for those in need.

When everyone takes their next step, we won’t just see lives changed by Jesus—we’ll see a movement of disciples fully living the abundant life He intends.

Worship has always been at the heart of Abundant Life. It’s one of our Core Values because when we truly worship Jesus, we surrender ourselves completely—giving all of us for all of Him. Over the years, the way we’ve expressed worship has changed, but the heart behind it has never wavered: worship is central to who we are as a church.

In this video, Shawn Struckmeir, Executive Director of Worship, shares some of the most powerful memories of how we’ve come together over the years to lift high the name of Jesus. Today, that legacy continues as the Abundant Life Worship team writes and produces original music. Their first full-length album, Not By Sight, is now available on all streaming platforms, offering fresh anthems for us to sing together as we worship the King.

The role of a lead pastor is never simple. Vision, ministry, finances, people, and preaching—all of it ultimately falls on their shoulders. Yet for 25 years, Pastor Phil has carried that weight with faith, courage, and humility. From the earliest days in Lee’s Summit to campuses across the metro, church houses across the country, and church plants around the world, his leadership has never wavered from one mission: to see lives changed by Jesus. 

Pastor Phil has led Abundant Life through seasons of trial, revival, and remarkable growth. He has preached the truth of God’s Word with boldness, cast vision that only God could accomplish, and inspired thousands to live life rooted in Christ.  

We are deeply thankful for a pastor who leads with courage, loves with compassion, and stands unwavering on the Word of God. Today, we celebrate and honor Pastor Phil—25 years of shepherding Abundant Life and pointing people to Christ. 

The story of Abundant Life is not about a building, a pastor, or even a church. It’s the story of Jesus changing lives—one person at a time.

What began in a Kingdom Hall with a handful of families has grown into a church with multiple campuses, church houses, global missions, and thousands of people living on mission. For 25 years, we’ve seen God move through His Word, His Spirit, and His people to bring hope, healing, and transformation.

We’ve celebrated thousands of baptisms, witnessed miracles, discipled generations, planted churches, and served communities near and far. We’ve seen God rescue the broken, provide when it seemed impossible, and His love extend far beyond what we could have imagined.

But the story doesn’t stop here. The same God who has written the last 25 years is still writing today. The next chapter is about all of us stepping into the A-Life—living fully surrendered to Jesus, making disciples, and multiplying the movement until the whole world knows Him.