The Real Life Story

The story of Real Life Church begins in spring 2005. Jeff was driving past a field full of hundreds of children playing soccer and he started to wonder how many of them knew Christ, or if they had even been to church. It fell on his heart that there were so many barriers between these kids and a relationship with Christ that he started to pray in his car, saying “God, you should do something about this!”

And God responded: “Yes, I should. What are you going to do about it?”

That response started the Austin family on the path that would lead to Real Life Church. Jeff, having been raised Catholic by a single mother, was all too aware of the barriers that keep people from going to church: worry over what to wear, guilt or shame over past decisions or actions, hurt caused by other churches, and so many more. So when he began to feel called to plant a church, he knew that its main goal should be to remove the barriers that keep people from meeting Christ. This new church would look and act like the community around it. People could come wearing whatever they wanted. This church would emphasize personal relationship and community, not religion and obligation. Most important, it would be a place where people could encounter the living God and recognize the value and purpose they have in Him.

It sounded great on paper, but Jeff was reluctant to actually launch the church. It would have upended the whole family, taking Jeff away from his lucrative career in sales and uprooting his family from the church they called home. God was calling him to a huge change, and, like most of us would if God placed such a big decision in our life, Jeff struggled with moving forward.

Several weeks after the soccer field wake-up call, at a conference in Indianapolis, one of the speakers said something that propelled the Jeff to make the final commitment to planting a church: “If you don’t listen, your heart will grow cold and hard. Obey.” So he finally talked to his wife, Shelley, about what had been on his heart – only to learn that God had put the exact same call on her heart! For months, they had both been feeling a pull to build a church that was new and different.

They held a family meeting to tell their teenage daughters about their plan to leave their current church and start a new one, only to be surprised again: the girls had already overheard several of their parents’ conversations about this potential change and were not only willing to answer the call, but desired to serve as well! After months of uncertainty and anxiety, what a relief it was for the entire family to embark together on the adventure God had called them to.

The original plan for Real Life Church was to host in the Austin’s garage, using Maggie’s karaoke machine for worship. Visitors would have to bring their own chairs! It wasn’t ideal, but it was a start. Luckily, in the process of growing community for this new church, the Austins met Ben and Christie Sims, who offered to serve in whatever way was needed – and happened to mention that they had some, in their words, “musical ability.” Come hear them at Real Life sometime and you’ll see what an understatement that was!

Real Life had found its worship leaders, but still needed a building. Then came a call from the district: a church in the Cascade Park neighborhood was struggling, and the Austins could help revitalize it. A new plan came together: they could meet their original goal to reach the local community by focusing on the area’s kids (nearly half of the neighborhood was under age 18), and more importantly, they could build a church that was open and welcoming to anyone, so that everyone might come to know Christ.

Work began on cleaning up the church building. Ultimately 7 dump trucks full of debris were hauled away! After some site planning and cosmetic improvements, Real Life Church held its first service on July 17, 2005. Shelley ran the children’s programs, her heart’s call, and Kim Orta stepped into a vital administrative role. In the 10 years that followed, we had the joy and honor of baptizing over 300 people, plus another 27 during our 10th anniversary celebration in August 2015!

By that point, though, things were starting to feel a little crowded. Experimenting with service times and even buying new, slimmer chairs didn’t help – if Real Life was going to keep growing and reaching people, it was going to need a new box.

After six years of prayer, a year of planning and design, and eight months of construction, Real Life moved into its new, fully remodeled facility on Mill Plain in spring 2019. This more energy efficient building is three times the size of our old home and has dedicated youth space, the Commons for fellowship and events, bigger nursery areas, and a full kitchen. Plus it’s full of energy-efficient features, helping us be better stewards of both our planet and our financial resources. There’s still work to do, like expanding the parking lot and improving the playground, but our new home is already changing the way our church worships and seeks after God. It’s led to larger services, deeper worship, and new ways to serve our community. And this is just the beginning!

The original children who first attended Real Life when it opened are now teenagers in Real Life Student Life, our youth program, and they continue to surprise us with their acts of love and hearts of service. The children who were babies when Real Life began are about to enter RLSL themselves. Thousands of kids from the Cascade Park neighborhood and beyond have gotten to know Jesus at Real Life through Vacation Bible Xtreme, our annual Bible summer camp, and many of them brought their families back to church with them to experience what they experienced! We’ve had the privilege of sharing the good news of hope with those who need it, restoring marriages, reuniting families, and helping everyone who comes through our doors find a life of love, peace, and purpose through Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 61 offers a glimpse of both what a church is called to do and what it is empowered to accomplish:

These verses can be seen in our six core values: experiencing, belonging, growing, inviting, serving, and celebrating. We have asked God to do a lot for us with these values in mind, and He has! We can’t wait for you to be part of it.

Everyone has a story.

We are growing a collection of stories from people whose lives have been forever changed because of Jesus. You can see these stories here.  Would you like to share your story with us? If so, our video team would love to help you share your story just email us: office@seekreallife.com.