Essential Church is launching in 2026, and we’re preparing a place for you and your family. Whether you’ve been in church your whole life or this will be your very first time, our heart is that you’d feel at home the moment you walk in. We believe God is building something beautiful in the Des Moines Metro — a community where lives are transformed by the Gospel, one family, one neighbor, one story at a time.

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Welcome To

Essential Church

Zach & Ashley Morris

We’re Zach and Ashley Morris—husband and wife for nearly a decade, parents to three incredible kids (Nash, Cohen, and Vivienne), and passionate followers of Jesus. Long before we ever dreamed of planting a church together, God was writing our story in ways we couldn’t see yet.

Everything changed for both of us as teenagers. At 17 and 18 years old, we each had a life-altering encounter with God at church camp. It was there that we sensed His unmistakable call to ministry. Those early encounters marked us, shaped us, and planted a deep conviction in our hearts: one day, we would help build a church where people could meet Jesus the way we did—personally, powerfully, and unmistakably.

For the past 10 years, we’ve served in full-time ministry, preaching and teaching about Jesus. We’ve watched God transform lives through relationships, discipleship, and Spirit-filled, Bible-anchored teaching. We’ve sat across tables, prayed through tears, celebrated victories, and walked with people through the highs and lows of life. And somewhere in the middle of all those moments, the dream God placed in our hearts began to take shape.

Through every season, our love for God, our love for each other, and our love for people has only grown stronger. Ministry for us has never been about building something impressive—it has always been about building people. We believe deeply in the power of genuine connection, authentic community, and creating an environment where every person is seen, known, and welcomed like family.

Today, as we step into this new chapter, we do so with full hearts and open hands. We aren’t just planting a church—we’re building a home. A place where you can encounter God, discover who you were created to be, find real community, and walk into your God-given purpose.

We’re grateful for every step that’s led us here… and we believe with all our hearts that this is only the beginning.

Welcome to the journey. We’re honored to walk it with you.

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ZACH

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ASHLEY

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Our vision is to bring the culture of God’s Kingdom to earth—making Here look like Heaven. In our homes, schools, neighborhoods, businesses, and city, we carry His presence and reflect His Kingdom.

HERE AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

Our Vision

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Our Mission

Leading People to ENCOUNTER God, ESTABLISH Identity, EXPERIENCE Community, EMPOWER Purpose, and EXPAND God’s Kingdom

Our Values

  • 1. Jesus Is Our Image

    Jesus is the model we mirror. He is our example, our standard, our way, our truth, and our life. We live, lead, love, and serve like Him. We don’t build identity from culture, comparison, or convenience—Jesus defines who we are and how we live. If it doesn’t look like Jesus, we don’t want it. We’re not trying to make a name for ourselves; we’re trying to reflect the name that is above every name.

  • 2. Prayer Is Our Priority

    Before we plan, we pray. Before we move, we listen. Prayer isn’t our last resort—it’s our first response. It’s how we fight, how we listen, and how we lead. We don’t rely on talent, strategy, or strength alone, we depend on God. Prayer keeps us humble, hungry, and aligned with Heaven. If we’re not praying, we’re just performing.

  • 3. Presence Is Our Pursuit

    It’s Presence over Performance. We don’t move without Him. More than hype, noise, or crowds—we want Jesus. His Presence is our priority in every moment, every gathering, and every decision. Like Moses said, “If Your Presence doesn’t go with us, we’re not going.” We don’t just want to talk about God—we want to be with Him, led by Him, and filled with Him.

  • 4. Community Is Our Calling

    We are called to live in community. We believe life is meant to be shared, not isolated. God designed us for family, to walk with, grow with, and strengthen one another. Real growth happens in real relationships. Freedom is found in the context of community. We choose to show up, stand together, and fight for unity. We make no apologies for being intentional about discipling and developing people into real followers of Jesus.

  • 5. Honor Is Our Posture

    True Honor is honoring someone for who they are without stumbling over who they’re not. We are vocal with our honor, meaning we are not stingy with our words. We submit to leadership, and we are thankful for spiritual authority. We choose joyfully to submit to those God has placed over us. We honor and care for those God has placed under us.

  • 6. Servant Leadership Is Our Identity

    Leaders add value by serving others. If we are too big to serve, we are too small to lead. We believe the most significant leadership is service to others. We lead by lowering ourselves, not lifting ourselves up. Leadership isn’t about titles—it’s about towels. Every leader is a servant first from our home, the public, and the pulpit. Every role is different, but they are all important. If you’re not helping, you’re not helping!

  • 7. Generosity Is Our Joy

    Generosity is about giving more than what is required. We see generosity as a Joy. We are generous with our time, talents, and treasure. It’s not the number of people who give to us; it's the number of people we give to. God has given richly to us; it's our honor to give back to him. If we are enslaved by greed, we cannot lead.

  • 8. Excellence Is Our Spirit

    Excellence is not what we do—it’s how we do it. It’s an attitude, a spirit, a decision to bring our best in everything, every time. We’re not perfect, but we’re intentional. We are on time, engaged, and prepared. We don’t cut corners or settle for average. We believe God is worthy of our best, so we give Him nothing less.

  • 9. Multiplication Is Our Mission

    We’re not called to maintain—we’re called to multiply. Jesus didn’t just make followers; He made disciple-makers. We invest in people who invest in others. We don’t just grow wide—we grow deep. Everyone is a leader in the making. Every gathering is a seed. We believe healthy things grow, and growing things multiply.

  • 10. Humility Is Our Heart

    We’re not here to be impressive—we’re here to be obedient. We don’t serve to be seen; we serve because it’s who we are. Humility keeps us grounded, grateful, and dependent on God. We don’t need the spotlight—we’d rather shine it on Jesus. We stay low so He can be lifted high. Pride builds platforms; humility builds people.

Our Beliefs

  • The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, it is inspired, infallible and inerrant.
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    II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26

  • There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and co-eternal.
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    I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11

  • Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind, and therefore, atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory.
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    John 1:1,14, 20:28; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 2:5

  • Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary's womb; therefore, He is the Son of God.
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    Matthew 1:18, 25; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27-35

  • Mankind was created good and upright but, by voluntary transgression, fell; mankind's only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
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    Gen. 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21

  • We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ: His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts.
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    II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26

  • Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, through repentance, we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation.
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    Acts 2:21, 3:19; I John 1:9

  • Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ's character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life.
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    I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; II Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18, II Thessalonians 2:1-3, Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11

  • The Blood that Jesus Christ shed on the Cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death.
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    I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29

  • Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to Him, making Jesus the Lord of their life as well as Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from the dead.
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    John 1:12; John 14:17, 23; John 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelation 3:20

  • Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth.
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    Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5,2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6

  • The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible's lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters.
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    Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8; Ephesians 4:16; I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6-7; I Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; I Peter 4:10

  • The church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus' Great Commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the church as a member of the body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
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    Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23

  • Water Baptism: Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the new follower of Jesus is commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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    Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48
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    The Lord's Supper: A unique time of communion in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross.
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    Matthew 26:26-29; I Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25
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    Marriage: We believe marriage is defined in the Bible as a covenant, a sacred bond between one man and one woman, instituted by and publicly entered into before God.
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    Matthew 19:4-6

  • Essential Church holds to the historic, biblical view of marriage as a sacred covenant between one biological man and one biological woman. The Church recognizes marriage as instituted by God and only performs weddings in alignment with this belief.

    Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6

  • Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is given as a sign, which is to follow believers. It is also a part of Jesus' work on the Cross and one of the gifts of the Spirit.
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    Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; I Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29

  • Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected; they that are saved to the resurrection of life and they that are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation.
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    Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; I Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21

  • The second coming of Christ includes the rapture and a return to earth by Christ with His saints for a thousand-year reign.

    Revelation 20:1-6; Zechariah 14:4-9; Matthew 24:30-31; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; Jude 1:14-15

  • There will be a final judgment at which all men will stand before God and be judged.

    Matthew 25:31-46; Romans 14:10-12; II Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:11-15

  • All of God’s children will reign forever in a new heaven and earth.

    Isaiah 65:17; Isaiah 66:22; II Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-4; Revelation 22:1-5

Learn about what we believe at ESSENTIAL CHURCH. If you have questions, reach out to us.

Info@esntlchurch.com