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

WelcomeIt’s our final week of the Screen Time series! We’ve discussed lots of topics, including binge-streaming and tuning out the world, social media and unhealthy comparisons, dualistic thinking (believing that things can only be black or white), and the impact of each of these things on our mental health, relationships, and faith. This week, we’ll talk about how we can decipher between the “tru...  Read More

I am in Charlotte, NC at the United Methodist Church’s long delayed General Conference. This is the legislative body that gathers every 4 years (except for COVID) and decides church law in our denomination. I am one of 6 clergy delegates from Missouri and joining about 750 delegates from all over the world. The last several years have been difficult for our denomination. More conservative churches...  Read More

WelcomeTechnology has made our world more connected today than it has ever been in the history of civilization. The pandemic helped us improve and embrace the ways we can communicate virtually. If your job suddenly became completely remote or you were supervising a kid in Zoom school, you also experienced the shortcomings of virtual interactions. There are both tangible and intangible parts of in-...  Read More