A little bit of history
from Gene Koth, Founding Minister
"It all began with a house, a telephone book, and a short line of credit." That is how Gene Koth, organizing minister, loves to begin the story of Walnut Hills. Indeed, those were the church’s total assets in the summer of 1989. However, it did not take long for things to start happening. A massive telephone calling campaign was organized, involving 180 people from throughout the Des Moines area making over 25,000 dial-ups. Over 2500 households said they were not active in a local church or synagogue. After a series of special mailings and targeted telephone invitations, opening Sunday came that October 15th with over 300 in attendance at our first location, Western Hills Elementary School in West Des Moines.
Walnut Hills was not started in 1989 because there was a need for another United Methodist church. There were already four in the western suburbs of Des Moines, IA. What was needed was a new church that could reach those not reached by the existing churches. Walnut Hills succeeded by marketing itself as (in the words of its Vision Statement) "a community moving beyond the traditional, in touch with the life styles, needs and resources of people today." That being "in touch" meant a simpler, more informal celebrative worship, more short-term commitments, fewer long-term commitments, small groups to get acquainted, and opportunities to make a difference in the world. The name, Walnut Hills, was by design non-religious in order not to scare people before they even made a visit. Traditional words like "sanctuary," "narthex" and "chancel" were replaced with "celebration center," "gathering area," and "platform."