Zootown Church

James Waddell gives a message about Jesus being The Resurrection, meeting us right in the middle of death and grief with His compassionate presence and life. Even death will not separate us from God. God comes into our very worst and transforms it with His love.

Our Reformation series continues with a conversation about creativity. Members of the Zootown creative team - Dan DeLong, Chad Mallow, Thaiv Armerding, and Bryce Dick discuss their thoughts about how God is the source of all creativity and we are made in His image, as well as the relationship the church has traditionally had with the arts community, why it is important to recapture the arts, and h...

Baptism and Communion are two of the main practices that Jesus instructed his followers to do and have very clearly been the heart of the Church ever since. They are the “chief sacraments” of the church, or more precisely, “mysteries” that communicate what words cannot fully express about the power, beauty, and story of our liberation from sin and death through the incarnate, crucified, and risen...

Ben Stewart, President of Uncharted International, gives a message on generosity and how the generosity of Zootown Church makes a difference not only in the community, but also across the world with their support and partnership with organizations like Uncharted. Uncharted multiplies disciples in overlooked and unreached places in response to the 3 billion people who live without access to the Gos...

One of the tragedies of the western church mindset is that we have taken the word "discipleship" and made it all about knowing facts about the Bible. Basically, we have fallen into the trap of thinking our theology is what saves us, but the reality is theology leads us to Jesus who is the one who saves us. The issue with this is nobody has perfect theology, and so if facts save us, then we're all...

God gave Moses 10 Commandments but that wasn’t enough. By the time Jesus came, there were over 600 Commandments and it didn’t change a thing. Jesus tells them He didn’t come to abolish the law but fulfill it -- but how? This has caused great confusion and created a law-based approach to the gospel. This reformation is relearning what love means, Jesus love, Godly love. Zootown believes in the law,...

At Zootown we have been talking a lot about the "Reformation of the Church" we believe is happening. But what is it? What will it look like? How do we engage in it? This series is dedicated to the much-needed reformation in the church and how the vision of Zootown Church fits with that.

Pastor Scott wraps up this Advent season by telling everybody what would really honor Jesus during Christmas…eat, chill, relax. So often Christians put a ton of pressure on trying to honor God during the Christmas season, but what we see that truly honors God is resting in His finished work.

Scott wraps up this Advent season with one of the main messages and clearest messages that Jesus gave us: be a peacemaker. He never said to be a peacekeeper, because peacekeeping is just trying to make everybody happy. Peacemaking is something that takes an effort, something you engage in, and something that will cost you. Usually it costs you your own tribe because you can’t be a peacemaker unles...

In week three of Advent, we look at the shepherd's candle of joy, but Pastor Scott took a different route. Jesus gave us a clue to joy, but it’s not getting more stuff...it’s giving stuff up. It is not promoting ourselves, but denying ourselves. The kingdom of God is the opposite of the fleshly American way we’ve been taught, and the only way we find true joy is the Jesus way -- by picking up our...

Week Two of Advent is the Bethlehem candle of faith. What is faith? How does it work? What are we having faith in? Pastor Scott looked up every passage that talked about faith and almost every single one of them says that the only thing we are really having faith in, which will equal assurance, is our inheritance in the kingdom of God. We are to have faith that, no matter what, God will save us.

We kick off Week One of Advent with the candle of hope. It has been scientifically proven that hope is a survival mechanism that we have, and without it, we die. The Christian hope is more than just having a good life here, it’s showing that the greatest enemy - death - has already been defeated, and we will be resurrected in our Lord. We were told by both Paul and Peter that we are to comfort one...

Pastor Scott ended this important series with the most important topic: redemption. There are lots of topics in the Scriptures, many moral decrees, but no topic is more affirmed or more mentioned than redemption. But you can’t mention redemption without atonement, and with many atonement theories, which one is correct? Which one represents the father‘s heart the best? Listen and find out.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is prefigured in the sacrifice provided for Abraham, the Passover Lamb of the Exodus, and the suffering servant of Isaiah. He fulfills these types as the one through whom God provides a New Exodus from death to life. Jesus is referred to as the Lamb in Revelation more than any other book. Revelation is an incredibly difficult book to...

Jesus makes a profound statement that no other prophet or leader has ever made: He is the way. Buddha never claimed to be the way; he said we have the way in us and we have to find it ourselves. Mohammed never claimed to be the way, but that in a revelation from God he can show the way. Only Jesus claimed not just to show the way or have the way but to be the way. Then he lays out the way in Matth...

As we continue in our series on the names of Jesus, we come to the name that we never think about with him: Friend. Some Christians have said that it’s rude, unholy, and disrespectful to call God your friend. But Jesus showed us that all great relationships start with friendship, and He even said "I don’t call you slaves, I call you friends." Just like any friendship, as it grows closer, it moves...

There’s been a huge fight about the creation account ever since Darwin came along. The problem is we miss some of the main points regarding the reason we were created in the first place. Adam and Eve's marriage represented our marriage to Christ, and now we are his Bride. Listen to Pastor Scott’s message as he shares some profound connections to the creation account and as the Bride of Christ.

In the "My Name Is" series, Pastor Scott preached on Jesus being the High Priest -- the fulfillment of every high priest who’s ever lived. That message makes one wonder, "What does the high priest do?" This week we looked at Jesus being the judge; so not only is He a high priest mediating between us and God, but He is also in charge of the judgment. The fact is, in John 12, Jesus told us the cross...

Every religion around the world has a high priest of sorts. This didn’t start with the Jewish people, but after the fall when man felt God needed appeasement. Jesus enters that man-made system but as a different high priest. A spiritual priest.

This week in the "My Name Is" series, we look at a phrase that St. Paul used a few times. It’s a phrase filled with mystery, depth, and hope. Jesus was called the “Last Adam” and one particular verse opens up a world of discovery: “As in Adam all die, as in Christ all live.” Does all mean…all?

In Week 2, Pastor Scott tackles a very important subject: Did Jesus claim to be God? Some sects of Christianity say no, and the Jews for sure say He wasn’t. But the fact is, our English translations have added a single word that has screwed everything up: He. Jesus always referred to himself as the “I AM” which is the name of God, but our translations have added “I am he.” That’s a big no-no becau...

Jesus is the Christ, not his last name is Christ. In our opening sermon in “My Name Is” series, we look at what the “Christ” actually means. The OT Kings were called “Christs” and it means “one anointed with oil to be separated for service to God.” There have been many “Little Christs” but only Jesus was the real deal.

Pastor Scott wraps up the Pharisee series by bringing it home with the love of Christ. Jesus waited the whole time while the man was interrogated and finally kicked out of the community. That’s when Jesus found him and us! He was kicked out of the temple, but the Lord of the temple went and found him! (NOTE: We had issues with the audio sync, so if that drives you crazy...just close your eyes ;).)

Pastor Scott continues our Little Game Hunter series with another great sermon!

Pastor Scott goes way deep in this week‘s episode of "Little Game Hunters". He tries to tackle the heart issue behind the Pharisee spirit, which always leads to shame, ridicule, and the final stage -- exclusion. A Pharisee spirit doesn’t care about unity, even amongst family members. It cares about control.