WelcomeHave you ever experienced an event when you witnessed a friend struggle with a life issue and a thought of “glad that's not me” enters your mind? You may have noticed it from a distance or learned about it from another person. That experience is usually followed by a feeling of relief and maybe even a prayer of thankfulness to not be in that situation. The uncomfortable truth though is that...  Read More

Last weekend Jess and I watched as our oldest son, Caleb, graduated from Missouri State University in Springfield, MO. Tonight we will get to see our daughter, Carly, graduate from Webster Groves High School. It is a season of transitions, milestones, banquets, ceremonies and parties. We are just trying to keep up and savor every moment of it all. Part of graduating is receiving wisdom. Graduation...  Read More

WelcomeLast week we began a study of some of the minor prophets of the Old Testament. Amos was one of the individuals who spoke some uncomfortable truths to Israel regarding harmful and hurtful practices that had become common within the community. Pastor Charity asked us to consider who it is in our individual lives who might speak uncomfortable truths to us and how we do at receiving such news. ...  Read More

We’ve been quietly working on a project here at The Gathering that I’m so excited to finally share with you. This summer, we will officially launch The Gathering’s Church Planters Lab, by welcoming three amazing pastoral fellows to our staff team.What is the Church Planters Lab?It was conceived as a way for The Gathering to help nurture and develop pastors on a continuous basis. The Lab is in coll...  Read More

WelcomeOk, we need to talk. It’s time to get honest. You may not want to hear it, but something needs to be said. Ugh. We have all had times like these when someone is about to tell us some difficult news. Those times are usually not fun, but the information is often something we need to hear. This week, we are starting a new series called Uncomfortable Truths. It is a series intended to challenge...  Read More

I just got back from the 2024 General Conference and the news is good, very, very good. I thought I would do the M-Note video style this week, as I share my final update about the results of the conference and what it means for us.Learn more about the news of General Conference.Learn more about the history of the anti-LGBTQ language that we finally removed.Peace,MattP.S. This weekend, we'll begin ...  Read More