Today we’d like to introduce you to Troy Evans.
Hi Troy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan. I always say I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, but I became a man in Detroit and had the privilege of living in other places along the way. I got involved with gangs and street life early on, leaving my mother’s house at 16 and having my son Anthony at the same time. I fell into drug activity, which led to getting caught in a sting operation and facing a lot of jail time.
After that, I went on the run, landing in Georgia and then the Carolinas, where I was homeless for a while. That was when my journey really began—when I realized I needed something different, though I didn’t know it was the Lord I’d end up needing. Eventually, I made it to Detroit, where a girl invited me to church. At the time, I had no relationship with church and thought it was all hypocrisy. But I went, and that same day, I met Jesus and made a commitment to surrender my life to Him. That’s where everything got started.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Even though I gave my life to Jesus and experienced a big shift from anger to joy, it definitely wasn’t a smooth road. I never completed high school—or even middle school, really. I failed seventh grade three times, and I couldn’t read until I was in my twenties. That created huge challenges, especially because I wanted to provide for my family and help restore my community, and those things require resources, knowledge, and opportunity.
One of my biggest barriers was not being formally educated. In our society, people often see intelligence only in those with degrees, and look down on those without formal education as if they have nothing to offer. That led me to doubt myself: Am I dumb? Am I not able to learn or compete? Am I not good enough for myself, or even for what God wants me to do? The answer I found is that no, I’m not good enough—but that’s exactly why Jesus is. He’s the only one good enough, and that’s the good news of the gospel. Overcoming those doubts and the reality of lacking formal education was my biggest challenge.
We’ve been impressed with Simple Now, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As I served in the church, God brought three key people into my life: an IT engineer, a pastor, and a business owner. By God’s grace, I became a pastor, planting my first church inside a homeless shelter. I also became a certified network administrator and worked in IT for over 20 years. Eventually, I launched my own IT company.
Today, I serve in two main roles: I lead a nonprofit, Nitrogen Network Ministries, equipping urban churches to do the work of ministry; and I’m the founder of a tech company called SimpleNow, which focuses on helping people plan, integrate, and adapt to AI.
SimpleNow was born out of a desire to solve a real problem. I believe if I could learn technology, anyone can—especially in this new era of AI. Technology is changing so fast that by the time you open something you’ve bought, it’s already outdated. AI is powerful and, yes, scary, but like fire, it can either destroy or be used for survival. We see it as something that needs to be approached with caution, wisdom, and leadership—especially from the church, which should run toward these challenges fully equipped.
At SimpleNow, we operate in three main areas:
1. Inform – We provide AI bootcamps, workshops, and networking events.
2. Plan – We help organizations develop strategies to integrate AI into their operations, identifying gaps and improving efficiency so people can get back to what they do best.
3. Integrate – We implement those plans through security measures, custom apps, and AI solutions tailored to each organization.
One initiative I’m especially excited about is AI in the City. It’s a collaboration between SimpleNow, Nitrogen Urban Network, NextGen Technology and Arts, and NextGen Gaming. My kids and grandkids are part of this family of organizations. We invest a portion of our proceeds to train under-resourced urban youth in AI—teaching them safety, security, prompt engineering, and app development. They even get to build full-stack apps in four weeks, competing to pitch their ideas to local businesses. We pay the purchase agreements so the students get real experience and compensation. Our goal is to make sure no young person is left behind in this AI revolution.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
What surprises most people is that before I was a pastor, I was an engineer. Many know me only from my years pastoring urban youth, but I’ve never really stepped away from tech. I actually ran the IT department for the American Red Cross here in Grand Rapids for seven years. People are often shocked to learn I’m not just a pastor—I’m a lifelong tech professional with a passion for equipping others in this space.
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