If you’re searching for a church home where God’s Word is at the center, Soteria is the place for you.
About Soteria
Join us this Sunday
8:30am and 10:30am
3250 SE Soteria Ave, West Des Moines, IA 50265
OUR PILLARS
Our pillars are our core convictions, giving shape and substance to everything we do in working toward our mission. The pillars define both who we are and what we’re striving to develop in our affections for God.
Soteria is a church that:
Loves God’s Word
Learn how to apply and engage with God’s Word in relation to our lives today.
Loves God’s People
Grow together as a family and in community with other Christ followers.
Loves God’s Presence
Encounter God through worship, prayer and spiritual disciplines.
Loves God’s Mission
Share the hope of the gospel with those in our local community and beyond.
Our Rhythms
We live out these pillars through our three rhythms of ministry: learn, grow, and serve. These aid us in fulfilling our mission of making more and better disciples:
LEARN in church
GROW in groups
SERVE the body of Christ
Our Team
Pastor Mike grew up in a pastor’s home in Denver, Colorado. In the summer of 2008, God called Mike to Soteria Des Moines as its Lead Pastor.
Mike has an exceptional gift for communicating the Bible. Paired with several degrees including a doctorate in preaching, Soteria is known for its excellence in preaching and teaching. Sunday mornings here are never dull!
Pastor Mike is also on the boards of several state and national organizations keeping us plugged in and influencing others for the gospel.
Mike is an avid Denver Broncos fan and loves to spend time in his home state.
Mike and his wife, Liz, have two sons and a daughter.
Pastor Cody has been at Soteria Des Moines since 2002. Cody led worship from 2002 through 2022 and now serves as the Executive Pastor, but he still enjoys contributing musically.
Cody enjoys sports, including baseball and basketball. He is interested in photography and always looks for the next lens to buy. Cody also loves the outdoors, specifically biking and hiking with his family. Check out his photos and writing at codycrigger.com
He is also really excited that the Cubs won the World Series before he died.
Cody and his wife, Londa, have four fantastic kids.
Monty grew up in Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri before attending Bible college in Wisconsin. After serving as youth pastor in several local churches in Illinois and North Carolina, Monty and his family moved to Iowa in 2019. Monty’s passion is to see people of all ages discipled and growing in their love for God and His Word.
On any given day, you might find Monty enjoying a round of golf or playing the guitar (but not at the same time). Monty is always down for a cup of coffee or discovering the latest eatery in the Des Moines metro.
Monty and his wife, Linda, have 2 wonderful boys.
Aaron is a lifelong member of Soteria and leader of a West Des Moines growth group. As a lay pastor, he is centering his efforts around encouraging and leading other growth group leaders in discipling their members. He loves getting to know more and more folks at Soteria so don't be shy!
Outside the church walls, he is an elementary school principal on the eastside of Des Moines and enjoys taking a grad class every now and then. He enjoys spending time with his family, watching soccer (even the MLS), reading (non-fiction), and drinking coffee. Aaron is married to Laura and has a son named Cohen and a daughter named Ellie.
Josh grew up in Alton, Illinois before attending Bible college in Ankeny, Iowa. In 2018, Josh started attending Soteria. Josh's greatest desire is to teach other Christians how to apply the truths of God's Word to every facet of their life. You can often find Josh sitting at a good coffee shop with a good book and a good friend or playing board games with his growth group.
Josh is married to his wife Charity.
Pastor Scott has been a faithful member at Soteria and a servant in the Des Moines community for over 20 years.
He serves as an unpaid pastor on our staff, helping with numerous pastoral responsibilities including counseling, prayer, and future planning for the church.
Scott is married to his wife, Lori. They have three adult children and several grandchildren.
Tony Whitty has been part of Soteria since his college years and has spent many of those years investing in and discipling others. He served in Soteria’s Middle School Ministry for approximately 10 years and more recently has served as a Growth Group leader.
As a lay pastor, Tony will continue using his gifts for shepherding and leadership while also helping oversee and support Soteria’s Missions ministry.
Tony’s connection to missions has a unique personal tie as well. He grew up a missionary kid in Africa, where, among other memorable experiences, he had a pet monkey named Taco!
Through years of faithful involvement at Soteria, Tony has demonstrated a commitment to serving people, growing in God’s Word, and helping make more and better disciples.
Tony and his wife, Kayla, have been married for 10 years and live on the south side of Des Moines. They have 2 daughters, Jovie and Halen, and they are expecting a baby boy. Their family continues to actively pursue adoption.
Adam Schumacher has been part of Soteria since 2019 and has served in a variety of ministries, including leading the Des Moines Young Adult Growth Group, assisting with Starting Point, serving in the nursery, and supporting Soteria’s Foster & Adopt Ministry. As a lay pastor, Adam will continue shepherding people while also overseeing the details of communion and baptism at Soteria.
Adam grew up playing hockey in northern Minnesota and met his wife, Jamie at camp. Adam and Jamie have been married for 31 years and have five adult children and two younger adopted boys.
Adam brings a love for people, a servant’s heart, and years of demonstrated leadership and care to Soteria’s pastoral team.
Chuck Jingst and his wife, Sharon, began attending Soteria in February 2018 and became members later that year. They quickly recognized Soteria as the place God was leading them to grow spiritually and serve alongside the church family.
Chuck has served in Soteria’s A/V ministry for more than six years and has a deep appreciation for the church’s music ministry and the way biblical truth is taught through both music and preaching. He also leads a Growth Group, a ministry that has played an important role in his own spiritual growth.
As a lay pastor, Chuck will continue leading a Growth Group while also helping shepherd and support other Growth Group leaders. He will serve in the area of Outreach, help teach classes such as Discover Soteria, and share in the pastoral responsibility of feeding and caring for the church family.
Chuck and Sharon have been married for 48 years and have lived on the south side of Des Moines for 42 years. They have two married sons and six grandchildren.
Liz helps guide the "big picture" of ladies' ministry, ensuring that the Word is central and that we are teaching the ladies of our church to develop godly femininity. She manages a ladies' ministry team and coordinates classes, Bible studies, and events. Liz especially enjoys teaching ladies’ Soteria University classes and discipling ladies one-on-one.
Liz and Mike have been married since 2002. Liz taught middle school and high school English for their first 6 years of marriage, and she still enjoys reading good literature and diagramming sentences. She is also an accomplished pianist and plays side gigs for the Drake University music department. When she is not playing the piano or administering ladies' ministry, she loves to cook, hike, go on dates with her husband, and play games with her family.
Mike and Liz have 3 kids: Elijah, Judah, and Zoey.
Micah is the Worship Arts Audio Coordinator here at Soteria, where he brings years of experience in church production ministry. Before joining the team in 2022, he and his wife Tabitha helped plant Story Hill Church in Lawrence, Kansas, with the Salt Network. He currently works full-time as a project manager in the A/V department at Communication Innovators and also freelances as an audio engineer.
Originally from Urbandale, Micah now lives in Des Moines with Tabitha and their two dogs. He enjoys home DIY projects, cycling, and rock climbing. He also serves as a combat medic in the Iowa Army National Guard and cordially invites you to share any injury horror stories (he’d love to hear them).
Josh oversees the creative process at Soteria and directs our visual arts teams. He works directly with our communications firm to create all of the visual content you see and encounter around the building. He also oversees and produces our Livestream and other video content each week.
Josh has been on staff at Soteria since 2013 and loves the family he gets to work with.
When he’s not at the church he runs Visual Theology, a company that makes all sorts of creative content to help teach the Bible and theology. He is also a bestselling author and has written two books.
His passions and pursuits vary and change as time goes on but the things he is most consistently fond of are photography, playing Super Mario Bros. with his family, watching movies and prestige TV shows, the Denver Broncos, drinking way too much hand-crafted coffee, Arsenal FC, playing Carcassone, designing fun and beautiful things and stalking B&H Photo Video for any new gear he can add to his collection.
Londa Crigger is a Ministry Assistant extraordinaire whose wide array of gifts has led to a wide variety of responsibilities. She manages the Soteria social media accounts and assists Pastor Monty with Assimilation, connecting people to Serve Teams. She loves to serve alongside our Soteria family.
Londa and Cody have been married since 1999 and have four wonderful children. As a former elementary teacher, Londa still enjoys subbing at their neighborhood elementary school. She also enjoys cooking, baking, hiking, and cheering on the Cubs with Cody. Londa and her family love to travel and have recently visited all 50 states. They are making headway on visiting all the MLB ballparks and U.S. National Parks.
JoyLynn keeps things organized and running smoothly behind the ministry scene. She maintains our database, creates, and organizes weekly staff sheets, creates and maintains event registrations, and serves as our church clerk.
Joylynn loves spending time with her family. They can often be found outside, playing games, or working on their latest house project. Joylynn also enjoys reading and spending time in her garden.
Joylynn and her husband, David, have three boys.
As someone who grew up learning, growing, and serving in Soteria’s student ministries, Colby’s passion is to see students make the church’s mission their own: to make more and better disciples. With a background in leadership and business, Colby is studying business administration through Liberty University’s online program. At Soteria, he leads the high school student ministries.
Colby lives in West Des Moines along with his wife Jocelyn, daughter Ayla, and dog Meeko. Whether writing music, playing basketball, or starting new ventures, Colby seeks to share the Gospel in everything he does.
Colby has a unique blend of experiences and passions, allowing him to connect with people from all walks of life. His goal is to pursue pastoral ministry and make an eternal impact for Christ and his church.
Alyssa Hathcock serves as the Ministry Assistant at Soteria, keeping the office running smoothly by managing the church calendar, emails, and various other projects. With a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from Faith Baptist Bible College and an ongoing Master of Arts in Theatre at Regent University, Alyssa is the perfect combination of structure and creativity.
Originally from a small town near Kenosha, Wisconsin, Alyssa enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with friends (hopefully with a bowl of ice cream in hand). Her love of theatre is as strong as ever—Alyssa is actively involved in the performing arts and directs the drama department at Faith.
Tracie Keller is the Children’s Ministry Assistant at Soteria, where she supports children's programs and manages scheduling. She holds a degree in Elementary Education from Cedarville University and Special Education from Drake University.
Tracie is married to Brad and is blessed to be the mother of five. Although she is originally from Maine and once thought she'd always live on the East Coast, Tracie has called Iowa home for the past 20 years. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, baking, exploring, and beekeeping.
Music has a way of stirring hearts, and Ben is passionate about using it to draw people to Jesus. He brings a deep love for music, creativity, and building relationships to his role as Worship Arts Director at Soteria.
Ben is originally from Ames and studied at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Cedarville University. He has served in worship roles with The Salt Company, Heartsong Ministries, and churches across the country—including Soteria as an intern in 2018.
Ben and his wife, Ellie, have been married since 2021. In his free time, Ben enjoys spending time with friends, going to concerts, playing sports, being outdoors, and trying new foods (except anything spicy).
Kim has been working with children for over 20 years! Her heart is for children to come to know, love, and serve Jesus and to help parents fulfill their God-given role to be their children’s primary spiritual influencers. She provides vision, direction, and oversight for the various children’s ministries from birth through fifth grade.
Kim enjoys entertaining family and friends, road trips, gardening, and going on motorcycle rides with her husband.
Kim enjoys entertaining family and friends, road trips, gardening, and going on motorcycle rides with her husband.
Kim and her husband, Scott, have two adult children.
Caleb grew up Wisconsin before attending Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, Iowa. He began attending Soteria in 2020.
You can expect Caleb to always be looking for new adventures. Whether it is a cave to explore, a mountain to climb, or a new restaurant to try, Caleb enjoys finding new experiences with friends and family.
Caleb is passionate about learning, growing, and serving alongside our Soteria students, parents, and leaders.
With experience in coordinating events, managing schedules, and leading the church's greeting team for the past four years, Ashley is passionate about building connections and fostering a sense of community here at Soteria. A graduate of William Penn University, she began her career as a Typesetter at the North Warren Town and Country News and spent 15 years at Wells Fargo in Project Management as a Business Systems Consultant.
Originally from Norwalk, Ashley loves decorating cakes and cookies, tackling arts and crafts projects, solving puzzles, and taking road trips with her family. Her journey to faith began after countless invitations from her hairstylist, ultimately leading her to attend Soteria and embrace God's grace through a Stranger study with Pastor Mike. She describes her transformation as moving "from darkness into the Light" and encourages others to continue sharing God’s goodness. Ashley is eager to serve the ministry and community in any capacity.
Aubrey spent more than 10 years in recruiting and recruiting management within the financial industry and has been a certified fitness and nutrition coach for nearly eight years. She studied Communication and Bible at Cedarville University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree.
Aubrey serves as Growth Group Coordinator, supporting the pastors with growth group interest requests and helping people find a group that’s a good fit—essentially a “growth group matchmaker.” Having been part of six growth groups with her husband over the past 14 years, she has experienced firsthand how meaningful groups can be for spiritual growth, community, and lasting friendships and knows it’s an important part of the life and health of our church people!
Aubrey and her husband, Alex, have been members at Soteria for nearly 14 years, and have three children, ages 8, 6, and 4 months. Originally from Ohio, she enjoys singing, working out, cooking, reading, and spending time with her family. She has also served in Soteria’s music ministry over the years.
Emma is originally from Denver, Colorado, and earned her bachelor’s degree in Worship Ministry from Cedarville University. Before joining Soteria, she served as a Worship Resident at Cornerstone Church in Ames. During her time at Cedarville, she served with various ministries, including HeartSong and Josiah Venture, as well as a songwriting internship with Matt Papa at Marco Presbyterian Church.
Emma is passionate about helping others worship Christ wholeheartedly—body, mind, and soul. She loves using creativity to reflect who God is within the local church, through the means of music and administrative work.
Emma married Bryce in July 2026. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, spending time in the mountains, sharing coffee with friends, and all kinds of music.
Wally and Kelli Boeve have been attending Soteria since 2021 after relocating to Des Moines from the Twin Cities. Together, they have three adult children—Lydia, who lives locally and attends Soteria, and Anna and Jaedon, who currently reside in Minnesota. Wally is actively involved in the Missions team and leads worship, while Kelli supports the ladies' ministry by teaching women's classes and being a devoted prayer warrior. Married since 1995, they’ve traveled to all 50 states and over seven countries for hiking, short-term missions, and visiting friends.
Wally serves as the Dean for the College of Health Sciences at Des Moines University and is a trained PA, while Kelli, a nurse by profession, works as the Director of Nursing Services for WesleyLife’s Hospice Care division. They are committed to serving both their church and global missions in all that they do.
Ryan and his wife Liz joined Soteria in the summer of 2017. Together they serve as Greeters as well as members of the Prayer Team. They also lead the Young Families small-group that meets on Sunday during the second service. Their family includes two children that love the Middle/High School ministry which allows Ryan to also volunteer with the Kids-4-Truth program. When they are able to find free time as a family, they enjoy traveling, camping and other outdoor activities. Ryan is thankful for his opportunity to serve as a Deacon and is looking forward to his role on the Finance team.
Alex and his wife Aubrey have been attending Soteria since 2012. They have two children: Kennedy and Calvin. Alex has been involved in various facilities projects over the years at Soteria, including leading the building expansion committee and related capital campaign efforts.
Currently, Alex leads a growth group in Urbandale, and Aubrey serves on the worship team.
Currently, Alex leads a growth group in Urbandale, and Aubrey serves on the worship team.
David DeFord is a deacon on our Facility team. David and his wife Joylynn have enjoyed being a part of the youth group as sponsors since coming to Soteria in 2015. He also enjoys serving as a member of the church safety team. David serves the metro community as a police officer. He and his wife have three boys.
Jonathan and his wife, Amanda, have been attending Soteria since 2018 with their two
children, Brooklyn and Will. Jonathan is a full-time farmer in the Norwalk/Indianola area.
At church, Jonathan and Amanda enjoy serving in a variety of roles, from the Welcome Desk
to Sunday School and the Missions Team. They are especially passionate about supporting
the mission field and love opening their home to visiting missionary families. Jonathan is
grateful for the opportunity to serve as a deacon and looks forward to encouraging the
church through his role.
children, Brooklyn and Will. Jonathan is a full-time farmer in the Norwalk/Indianola area.
At church, Jonathan and Amanda enjoy serving in a variety of roles, from the Welcome Desk
to Sunday School and the Missions Team. They are especially passionate about supporting
the mission field and love opening their home to visiting missionary families. Jonathan is
grateful for the opportunity to serve as a deacon and looks forward to encouraging the
church through his role.
Daryl and his wife, Trish, have been attending Soteria (formerly Willow Creek Baptist) since 2004. They were both baptized and became members in 2007.
Together, Daryl and Trish actively serve as greeters on Sunday mornings. Daryl has also enjoyed providing early Sunday morning front door security, as well as security for special women’s ministry events, for many years. He continues to serve faithfully on the Security and Safety Team.
Daryl also brings his professional background in engineering and business management to support the church in significant ways. He provided contractor oversight and Capital Campaign support during Soteria’s first facility expansion and now continues to serve in contract compliance and general contractor oversight during the current major expansion project
Together, Daryl and Trish actively serve as greeters on Sunday mornings. Daryl has also enjoyed providing early Sunday morning front door security, as well as security for special women’s ministry events, for many years. He continues to serve faithfully on the Security and Safety Team.
Daryl also brings his professional background in engineering and business management to support the church in significant ways. He provided contractor oversight and Capital Campaign support during Soteria’s first facility expansion and now continues to serve in contract compliance and general contractor oversight during the current major expansion project
Casey and his wife, Kambi, joined Soteria in 2021. Together, they serve as Sunday School teachers for 4-5th grade and lead a small-group that meets in their home. Their family includes three children spread across 3rd-9th grade who are engaged with Kids 4 Truth and Youth Group. As a family, they enjoy family games, DIY projects, getting together with friends, and various kids activities. Casey is thankful for his opportunity to serve as a Deacon and continues to serve on the Missions team.
Kent Murphy is a deacon on the Prayer & Care Team at Soteria. When he’s not serving at church, he enjoys traveling and spending time in God’s creation. Kent and his wife Ashley have four beautiful children.
Stephen and his wife, Jennifer, have been attending Soteria since 2013. They have two
grown children. Their daughter, Jordan, lives in England with her husband (USAF) and their
almost 4-year-old twins, Oliver and Eloise. Their son, Joshua, lives in Cape Coral, Florida,
with his wife, Emily, and their two daughters: Elise (2¼ years old) and Juliette (13 months
old). Before leaving the Des Moines area, both Jordan and Joshua attended Willow Creek
and now attend churches in their local communities.
Stephen currently serves on the Safety Team as a Team Lead and, along with his wife, can
often be seen offering prayer support during the second service. He is also a small group
leader for the Norwalk Warriors, hosting the group in his home just south of Norwalk.
This is Stephen’s first term as a Deacon, and he is excited for the opportunity to serve the
church in multiple areas, including Church Life and Outreach.
grown children. Their daughter, Jordan, lives in England with her husband (USAF) and their
almost 4-year-old twins, Oliver and Eloise. Their son, Joshua, lives in Cape Coral, Florida,
with his wife, Emily, and their two daughters: Elise (2¼ years old) and Juliette (13 months
old). Before leaving the Des Moines area, both Jordan and Joshua attended Willow Creek
and now attend churches in their local communities.
Stephen currently serves on the Safety Team as a Team Lead and, along with his wife, can
often be seen offering prayer support during the second service. He is also a small group
leader for the Norwalk Warriors, hosting the group in his home just south of Norwalk.
This is Stephen’s first term as a Deacon, and he is excited for the opportunity to serve the
church in multiple areas, including Church Life and Outreach.
Matt Risberg role is focused on Church Life. There are so many new neighborhoods building up around the church and he is excited about the opportunities to serve the growing community. Matt also has a passion for growth groups and wants to encourage growth groups to be actively involved in their direct communities.
Matt and his wife Melissa have been coming to Soteria for 11 years. They have 3 children Addison, Jedidiah and Brielle. Matt can often be seen hanging around the Welcome Desk on Sunday mornings as he leads this guest service function.
Karl has been attending Soteria, Willow Creek Baptist, and Airport Baptist since 1980. His wife, Kristy, has been attending even longer. They have four adult children and five grandchildren. Together, they have served in nearly every ministry at the church, including cleaning the bathrooms. Currently, Karl serves as crowd control and fill-in table leader for Kids 4 Truth on Wednesday nights, working with 3 and 4-year-olds. Professionally, he has worked with church insurance programs for the past 40 years—a role he finds thoroughly enjoyable, despite how it may sound. Karl looks forward to serving at Soteria for the next 40 years.
Devon Veach and his wife, Emily, have been dedicated members of Soteria since 2020. Both serve as Sunday school teachers in the kids' ministry, with Devon also playing an active role on the offering team and leading middle school youth on Wednesday nights.
Devon is excited to expand his service by joining the outreach team, aiming to share God’s love within the local community. Together, he and Emily are passionate about serving others and helping make an impact in the church.
Our Story
At Soteria, we have a passion for biblical teaching, and for people to learn about God’s redeeming love, grow in community with one another, and serve their neighbors.
Soteria Des Moines has a rich history that started over 50 years ago in a hair salon on Des Moines’ South side. There, Richard Mohr and a core group of 35 people planted Airport Baptist Church.
Through the next several decades, the church had a tremendous impact on the city and grew rapidly, introducing many people to Jesus.
The progress was seemingly halted in the mid 90s when the city of Des Moines acquired, through eminent domain, the land on which the church was located to expand the airport. This led the church to relocate several miles away in the Southeast corner of West Des Moines.
Today, with a renewed passion for the gospel and a foundation of solid biblical preaching, the church is reaching more people than ever from all over the Des Moines metro area. As a result, we are seeing many lives changed at a tremendous pace.
Through all the changing buildings, locations, and leadership, the mission of the church has stayed the same. We want to introduce people to Jesus and make more and better disciples.
Our Beliefs
THE BIBLE
We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the text of the original manuscripts of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, which alone constitute the inerrant Word of God.
We believe the Bible supports using a grammatical, historical method of interpretation in light of the progress of revelation. Thus, we believe that the Bible is the clear, sufficient, and supreme authority for all belief, life, and ministry.
THE TRUE GOD
We believe in the Trinity of the Godhead: one immutable and omnipotent God, omniscient in all things past, present, and future, who eternally exists in three equal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
JESUS
We believe in the deity, virgin birth, perfect humanity, sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only means of salvation from sin and the sole mediator between God and man.
HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit, through whose ministry believers today are, at the moment of salvation, regenerated, baptized into Christ and His body, indwelt, sealed, gifted, and empowered for service.
We believe that gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to build up the Body of Christ. We believe that the sign gifts of the Spirit were temporary, providing revelation for the church and authenticating the ministry of the apostles.
ANGELS AND DEMONS
We believe in the personal existence of angels as created spirit beings. God’s holy angels are ministering spirits. Satan and other fallen angels can influence believers, but believers cannot be demon possessed.
CREATION
We believe that God created the universe (including mankind) in six literal, consecutive 24-hour days apart from the process of evolution. We believe that man was created in the image of God and retains that image after the fall. Therefore, we affirm the dignity of human life and affirm that all people are worth pursuing for the cause of Christ.
FAMILY
We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church. Life begins at conception and children are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.
HUMANITY
We believe that all human beings, except Jesus Christ, are totally depraved and guilty before God as a result of the fall of Adam. We commit acts of sin because we are sinners by nature.
SALVATION
We believe that the Triune God saves sinners by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. God secures their eternal salvation, having sovereignly elected them to be willing recipients of His grace in Christ, whose blood was shed for the remission of sins. We believe that salvation is evidenced through good works that are part of the pursuit of a holy life. We believe that every Christian has the joyous responsibility of making disciples in obedience to Christ’s Great Commission.
THE CHURCH
We believe that the universal Church is the body of Christ, comprised of all true believers from Pentecost until the Rapture. Jesus Christ is the sole head of the Church.
We believe that the local church is an assembly of immersed believers, led by pastors and served by deacons, independent and congregationally governed, in fellowship with other churches of like faith and order.
ORDINANCES
We believe that the only biblical mode of the ordinance of baptism is immersion; that baptism is for believers only; that it is a testimony of their identity by faith with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection; and that it is a prerequisite for local church membership. We believe that the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper is for believers only; is solely a memorial of Christ’s death; and that the body and blood of Christ are not present in the bread and cup.
PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS
We believe in the priesthood of all believers and that we have direct access to God apart from any mediator except Christ. We respect the God-given capacity of individual soul liberty through which each person will give account for living by the dictates of his or her own conscience.
CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that civil government was instituted by God and is still His means of maintaining peace and order among men; that believers here on earth are responsible in the area of civil government and should participate in it to promote and preserve good order in human society; that civil governments and churches (and fellowships of churches) are distinct from each other, must be organizationally separated from each other and neither must seek to control the other.
RAPTURE
We believe in the pre-tribulational rapture and bodily resurrection of the Church at Christ’s imminent coming. Believers will give account for their works at the Judgment Seat of Christ, which will follow the Rapture.
ISRAEL
We believe that God will fulfill the biblical covenants made with the nation of Israel. Though they are now dispersed among the nations, they will be re-gathered in the land of Israel and saved as a nation at the premillennial coming of Christ to the earth. At that time, Christ will begin his Davidic rule over the world for 1,000 years and continue to reign in the eternal state.
RESURRECTION
We believe in the bodily resurrection and judgment of unbelievers after the millennial reign of Christ. We believe in the eternal existence and punishment of all unbelievers in the lake of fire and the eternal existence and blessedness of all believers in the new heavens and earth.
Affiliations
We maintain a close association with many local churches with whom we share a deep affinity in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some of these churches include:
Saylorville Church
Lakeside Fellowship
Living Waters Fellowship
High Pointe Church
First Family
We also find significant affinity and fellowship with many ministries including:
The GARBC is an association of like-minded churches with whom we fellowship. When like-minded churches partner together, they can make great strides in global evangelism. The GARBC provides churches with services and the ministry network they need to pursue the Great Commission.
The Gospel Coalition is a group of pastors and churches that exist to promote gospel-centered ministry and biblically-faithful resources for the church. Soteria Des Moines shares the doctrinal convictions and theological vision for ministry as outlined in their Foundation Documents.
Desiring God Ministries has influenced Soteria Des Moines primarily through the writing and preaching of Pastor John Piper. Though we are not in formal affiliation with Desiring God, we share John Piper’s convictions on many topics like, God’s sovereignty, salvation, mission, suffering, and the way one should live the Christian life.
9Marks Ministries was founded by Pastor Mark Dever of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Their books and resources have helped shape our understanding of church function and goverance.
VINTAGE MISSION is a church-planting partnership committed to advancing the gospel both locally and globally. Through intentional training, coaching, and collaboration, they help raise up healthy church planters and strengthen existing churches around the world. We value Vintage Mission’s focus on partnership, doctrinal fidelity, and equipping leaders to multiply disciple-making churches that faithfully pursue the Great Commission.
