Mile-high Denver, Colorado, is home to the Broncos, the Nuggets, and a stunning Rocky Mountain view. But there’s another part of Denver. The one colored by the 20% poverty rate. Just north of downtown Denver, sits a pocket of poor, urban neighborhoods outfitted with some homes barely suitable for habitation. This is where Desi Starr, a native Californian, lives, plays and works. 

Starr and his wife moved to this area of Denver in 2003 to plant a large, missional church with friends. They quickly discovered God had a slightly different plan. What soon developed was a network of simple, organic house churches. They found that adapting their own model to fit the needs of their neighbors actually spread the hope of Jesus much more quickly and more effectively.

“I was pretty skeptical as I had preconceived ideas of house churches as small groups of disgruntled people who were angry at the church and were hiding away from the big, bad world,” he says. “But as I started reading some material on what house churches can be, I became intrigued about the possibilities of seeing multiplication really take place in ways that I’ve never seen in the traditional church.” In these settings, all people are active participants, bringing something to share. Starr is one of several who are leading the way for the organic movement in Colorado. He was recently featured in a short documentary, “Simple Church”, along with other organic-church planters among the southwestern states.

Last year the Starr’s, along with their community, befriended a particular family through a park outreach. This family was resistant to the gospel, but were drawn to this intentional community of people. Not long after, the father of the family faced criminal charges from his past and was jailed. While there, someone gave him a book on prayer. It encouraged him and he surrendered his life to Christ. Later, when his charges were dropped, he returned to his family and led them in a new direction—straight to God. Today they are hosting an simple church in their home with a focus on reaching others facing addictions and hopelessness. Starr sees this example paralleling the beginnings of the church in Acts. “I am anticipating God using ordinary people more and more all the time to reach their own spheres of influence,” he says. “I want to help empower people to hear the voice of God and simply obey, knowing that they have all that they need to live out the calling God has placed on them.”

Starr regularly meets with other planters in the city hoping to share ideas and collaborate, he facilitates urban outreaches for traveling mission teams, and coaches others on starting their own organic gatherings. In a time where more and more people are craving deep community, Starr believes this expression allows for that family-like authenticity and participation. And most importantly, he says, it creates more room for God to lead because everything is flexible. Nothing is fixed. “I believe that God is raising up an army of lovers to lead a revolution of love,” he says. “A revolution where ordinary people do extraordinary things through the leading of the Holy Spirit as we recognize that no man is the head of the Church only Christ.”

(this article which was featured in the latest issue of RELEVANT magazine was written by Kate Cremisino, who helps lead a house church network in the Cheeseman park neighborhood of Denver, and was about Desi who helps lead the Ancient Paths network of house churches in the five points area near downtown Denver also. Desi can be reached at desistarr@gmail.com)