Where Church Wasn’t, Now It Is: How Dinner Church in Kansas City Is Changing Lives One Meal at a Time
Because God used this fresh expression of church, there are brothers and sisters who have found a home and fellowship here. First in spirit and then within the body of other believers.
In the heart of Kansas City’s Prospect Avenue corridor—where the needs are many and hope can seem distant—something remarkable is happening. It doesn’t look like a typical church service. There are no pews or pulpits. Instead, there are folding chairs, warm meals, heartfelt prayers, and a growing sense of belonging.
This is Dinner Church at the Prospect Salvation Army, a fresh expression of church that began in August 2024. Born out of deep listening and a desire to meet people where they are, Dinner Church is now welcoming 65 regular attendees, many of whom had no previous connection to a church. And week after week, prayers for healing, housing, and transformation rise from the
dinner tables—and are being answered.
A Church That Comes to the People
Dinner Church wasn’t launched with a flashy strategy. It began with a burden and a question: What if church wasn’t something people had to come to—but something that came to them?
Serving the Prospect Avenue community, where food insecurity, housing instability, and spiritual disconnection run deep, leaders at the Prospect Corps realized that traditional church models weren’t reaching their neighbors. A new kind of church was needed—one built on presence, hospitality, and the Spirit’s leading.
The Holy Spirit has really settled upon the Prospect Corps,” Donald Cooper shared. “Prayers for deliverance, healing, and housing have cried out every week. God has been faithful to his people in showing up in those prayers.”
Meeting Needs with More Than Just a Meal
This part of Kansas City is a high-need area, with below-average income levels, limited access to resources, and widespread disconnection from faith communities. But Dinner Church is stepping into that gap—not just with food, but with fellowship, discipleship, and hope. There is evidence of lives being transformed by community, relationship, and the presence of Jesus.
“This is more than a meal. It’s a movement of the Spirit, a revival of community, and a glimpse of what the church can become when it dares to be faithful in new ways.”
Dinner Church at the Prospect Salvation Army is a living example of what can happen when we reimagine church through the lens of hospitality, presence, and love. It’s not just meeting practical needs—it’s creating sacred space for transformation. Around tables filled with food and grace, people are discovering that they are seen, known, and loved by God and one another.
And this story isn’t unique to Kansas City. It’s an invitation. What might it look like to gather your neighbors, listen deeply, and offer something simple and sacred in return? Whether it’s coffee in a park, a meal in a community center, or conversation on your front porch—church can happen anywhere. The possibilities are already in your neighborhood. All it takes is a willingness to say yes to the Spirit and begin.
Snapshot of a Fresh Expression of Church
What is the Fresh Expression called?
Prospect Salvation Army Dinner Church
Where is it?
Kansas City, MO
Who is it for?
This Dinner Church is for individuals in the Kansas City Prospect community who are hungry for more than just food—those who have felt disconnected from traditional church but are seeking belonging, hope, and spiritual transformation.
What do they do?
It welcomes the unchurched, overlooked, and marginalized into a community where they are seen, loved, and invited to experience God’s grace around the table.
Who is the Pioneer?
Donald Cooper
Where can I learn more?
