While Jason Best, worship pastor at LifeGate Church, and his friend, Vinny, stood in line at a coffee shop, they met Chris. During their conversation, Chris opened up to them about a difficult situation. By the time they left the coffee shop, Vinny had paid for Chris’s coffee, and Jason had his email address, telling him that he’d love to hear more of his story. In the meantime, another LifeGate member, Kevin, met Chris at a triathlon and invited him to play volleyball with other young professionals from the church. When Jason and Chris met for lunch, Chris admitted, “God must be trying to get my attention.”
After attending a Sunday morning gathering at LifeGate, Chris told Jason, “I want more of what Nirup was talking about.” That day, Jason told him about Jesus, and he decided to follow Him. These days, Chris is living a new life in Jesus Christ, surrounded by the faith community at LifeGate Church, Denver, Colorado, where he serves on the set-up and tear-down team and participates in a Bible study.
Chris represents the largest demographic that LifeGate Church is reaching in the Denver metro area, people aged 19-35. That demographic, combined with the number of children 0-18 years old, represents over 80% of the church. LifeGate lead pastor, Nirup Alphonse conveys the gospel in a relatable way for young professionals, aged 22-35, who are exploring different worldviews and asking questions.
LifeGate Church was planted four years ago in the Denver Tech Center area, south of downtown, by 45 individuals from Pine Hills Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Since then, the church has experienced exponential growth. They envision a multicultural church that reaches 1% of the Denver metro area, a city of more than three million people and a growth rate outpacing the national rate (according to Metrodenver.org).
