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Truth in Love Ministry has a twofold mission: to proclaim Christ to Mormons and to empower Christians to witness. TILM carries out its twofold mission through three ministry arms:
• Empowering Christians to Witness
• Proclaiming Christ to entrenched searching Mormons
• Proclaiming Christ to struggling MormonsAcross these three ministry arms, we reach nearly 50,000 homes weekly with emails delivering law and gospel content. Social media has further revolutionized our outreach, allowing Christians to share the gospel through resources like BeYePerfect.org and JesusIsEnough.org. Each seed planted represents the potential for a journey from the burdens of Mormon doctrine to the freedom and joy found in Christ alone.
At first glance, Mormonism looks so close to Christianity. Our Mormon friends talk about Jesus, live moral lives, and make real sacrifices for their faith. But beneath the surface is a different foundation—one that places the weight of salvation on personal worthiness rather than Christ’s finished work.
Jesus warns that eternal life comes only through the “narrow gate” of his perfect righteousness. When we try to bring our own record of good deeds, the gate is too narrow to pass through. This is why we are deeply concerned: trusting ourselves, no matter how sincere, means rejecting the only Savior who can truly save.
Out of love, we long for Mormons to know the freedom and confidence of trusting in Jesus alone. His life, death, and resurrection are completely enough. That’s why we witness, and why we won’t stop.
In this episode of the Witnessing Christ Podcast, four evangelist interns — Noah, Aaron, Caleb, and Ethan — join the conversation to unpack Keep Showing Up: A Utah Pastor’s Journey by Pastor Scott McKinney, who faithfully served over 30 years at Center Point Church in Orem, Utah.
Together with host Pastor Mark Parsons, the interns explore what it means to serve in the heart of Mormon country and how McKinney’s story reveals the challenges, joys, and gospel-centered perseverance required in ministry. They discuss:
• How McKinney’s personal story and early experiences shaped his heart for outreach in LDS communities.
• The shift from a “fortress mentality” to a mission-driven mindset focused on loving people as God does.
• The struggle between measuring ministry “success” by numbers versus faithfulness to the gospel.
• Why less is more—and how “Jesus is enough” counters the gospel of “more” found in Mormon culture.
• Key lessons for future pastors on building relationships, showing empathy, and keeping the main thing the main thing.
Filled with thoughtful reflections and practical takeaways, this episode encourages all Christians—not just future pastors—to “keep showing up” with the love of Christ, even in challenging ministry environments.
Pastor Mark Parsons is the Executive Director of Truth in Love Ministry.
The following is a comprehensive summary and highlights of the podcast:
The transcription is from an episode of Witnessing Christ, a podcast by Truth in Love Ministry (TILM) focused on helping biblical Christians witness to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church). In this episode, the host and four evangelist interns—Noah, Aaron, Caleb, and Ethan—discuss Keep Showing Up: A Utah Pastor’s Journey by Pastor Scott McKinney, who served for over 30 years in Orem, Utah. The discussion explores McKinney’s life story, his ministry among Mormons, lessons for pastoral work, and practical insights for Christian outreach.
Pastor Scott McKinney’s Early Life and Call
McKinney grew up in an athletic, military family where great expectations shaped his identity. Initially distant from ministry, he followed his family’s legacy in football and military education but felt unfulfilled. His early interactions with a Mormon girlfriend introduced him to the LDS community, sparking his lifelong interest in ministry to Mormons. Her statement, “This is my family; this is who I am,” revealed to him the deep cultural and identity-based nature of LDS belief.
Through struggles with self-doubt and perceived failure, McKinney’s spiritual journey led him to a pivotal moment while walking and praying—he sensed God telling him, “You are a pastor.” This conviction redirected his life toward ministry. Originally a teacher and football coach in California, he embraced pastoral work with humility, acknowledging his early cynicism and learning that shepherding requires love, not sarcasm or superiority.
Journey to Utah and Cultural Challenge
McKinney’s move from California to Orem, Utah, came through a providential opportunity: during a church visit, the local pastor resigned, and McKinney was suggested as a successor. Despite his initial reluctance, he accepted, entering what he later described as “a land of giants”—a near-total LDS environment dominated by church influence, expectations, and community structures.
The area was saturated with Mormon culture: temples, meetinghouses, and campuses like BYU and Utah Valley University with tens of thousands of LDS students. McKinney’s small Christian congregation faced overwhelming cultural pressure and skepticism about its survival. Members had adopted a “fortress mentality,” focusing inward to defend themselves rather than reaching out. McKinney insisted that this old mentality “needed to die so resurrection could take place.” His mission became shifting the community toward an “outreach mentality,” emphasizing gospel-centered love for both insiders and outsiders.
Ministry Transformation: From Fortress to Outreach
McKinney’s primary challenge was to reshape his church’s perspective. Instead of fearing the dominant LDS community, he taught members to love their neighbors and engage through compassion, not confrontation. He stressed that outreach should never treat people as “projects” but as individuals valued by God.
A key question McKinney wrestled with was whether churches “value people because they help us reach our goals, or because God loves them.” He guided his members to prioritize faithfulness and service over attendance numbers, focusing on genuine relationships and the gospel’s transforming power rather than external measures of success.
His wife Sarah’s cancer battle deepened his family’s empathy and recalibrated their priorities, teaching endurance, humility, and communal support—qualities that strengthened their church during hardship.
Building “Chapter Two”: Growth and Faith Under Trial
After years of outreach and growth, Centerpoint Church outgrew its original building and sought a new location. Relocating symbolized a rebirth for the congregation. They saved, purchased visible land near major highways, and aimed to be an unmistakable Christian presence. However, progress stalled during the 2008 recession, leading to frustration and questioning whether God had led them “into the wilderness to die.”
Through perseverance, they rediscovered purpose. McKinney used a story about his son and son-in-law, both football coaches, who, after a crushing defeat, decided, “We’re not changing anything—we’re doing the right things.” This reinforced his message of fidelity amid difficulty: staying true to gospel-centered ministry even when results lag.
Lessons on Outreach in LDS Culture
McKinney compared the LDS–Christian relationship to a “junior varsity vs. varsity” dynamic—where Christians are seen as the lesser team. He advised pastors not to conform to the LDS majority’s expectations or allow public perception to define identity. Christians must root their confidence in God’s truth, not societal comparison.
“Less is More” Principle
He contrasted the LDS “gospel of more” with Christianity’s “Christ alone” foundation. McKinney listed the LDS focus on “more”: more scriptures, more prophets, more revelation, healthier lifestyles, unpaid bishops, and temple worthiness. But he warned that “the more you add to Jesus, the less Jesus becomes.” In contrast, the gospel’s simplicity—“Jesus is enough”—is both freeing and powerful.
Drawing an analogy to In-N-Out Burger’s simplicity and focus, he taught that churches should “do one thing well”—proclaim Christ clearly, without unnecessary additions.
Understanding Mormon Culture
The interns discuss McKinney’s insights on LDS history and mentality. The Mormon identity, born from persecution, continues to carry a “persecution complex” that affects how members perceive criticism. Therefore, Christians witnessing to Latter-day Saints must avoid confrontation that triggers defensiveness. Instead, they should prioritize love, listening, and gentle truth-telling.
McKinney described Mormonism’s evolution from the polygamous, separatist communities of the 1800s into the modern pro-family, American-integrated faith it is today. This transformation, coupled with the cultural appeal of self-defined truth and continuing revelation, helps sustain loyalty among members.
He warned against unhelpful evangelistic strategies—attacking Mormon history, debating the Book of Mormon’s authenticity, or labeling Mormonism a “cult”—because such approaches alienate rather than attract. The gospel alone, he said, changes hearts.
Key Illustrations and Evangelistic Insights
A memorable analogy compared Mormons’ attachment to their faith to “a dog clinging to a bone.” They will not release it until shown “a slab of real meat”—the true gospel of grace. Christians, therefore, must model authentic love and present the real Christ, not just arguments.
Another story concerns a pastor who asked a devout Mormon named Dan:
“Why are you trying to make what you believe sound like what I believe, when I have no need to make what I believe sound like what you believe?”
This question prompted Dan to reflect on whether his faith derived from God’s revealed word or manmade doctrines—a seed that, over time, the Holy Spirit used for transformation.
The episode emphasizes that witnessing is relational and patient; transformation happens over time through consistent love and truth shared in humility.
Major Takeaways for Future Pastors
Each intern shared personal reflections and practical lessons for ministry:
• Noah: Emphasized meeting people where they are and prioritizing relationships over doctrinal debates. Loving individuals is central to effective witnessing.
• Aaron: Highlighted the importance of maintaining focus—“Keep the main thing the main thing”—and remembering that the Christian life’s simplicity lies in Christ’s substitutionary death and resurrection.
• Caleb: Noted that faithful ministry often feels uneventful or unrewarded, but perseverance within God’s calling yields fruit.
• Ethan: Pointed out that understanding cultural dynamics is crucial and that identity and truth must be grounded in the Bible, not personal revelation or changing social norms.
Themes and Ministry Principles
• Identity Over Comparison: A congregation must find its identity in Christ, not in cultural relevance or perceived success.
• Gospel-Centered Simplicity: The heart of Christianity is undiluted grace—Jesus’ sufficiency, not religious performance.
• Love Before Debate: Genuine care and patient relationship-building are prerequisites for witnessing to those deeply rooted in cultural faith systems.
• Faithful Perseverance: Ministry success cannot be measured by numbers alone but by consistent proclamation of the gospel.
• Cultural Understanding: Effective evangelism in any setting requires awareness of cultural and historical sensitivities.
Conclusion
The episode closes with the host previewing the next discussion, which will explore the final part of Keep Showing Up, where McKinney draws from the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well as a guiding metaphor for witnessing. The interns express gratitude for McKinney’s example and reaffirm their commitment to loving people, centering ministry on Jesus, and embodying grace in outreach.