Intergenerational RelationshipsUs older people are fascinating to kids. We are the carriers of the answers to all their questions of “Why?”.  We are the tellers of amazing stories. We are the keepers of the boundaries that help them stay safe. We are the window into what being a grown up looks like.  For all those reasons and more, kids need spaces where they can lean into older trusted adults.Con...  Read More

The Gathering has grown into the community that it is because we have chosen to stay open to God’s call. When we soften our hearts, we can respond to God and our mission with excitement and wonder.  Read More

When’s the last time you felt God revealing something new, big or exciting to you? Often we miss out on the new things of God because we’ve allowed our heart to become calloused. Check out these 7 Signs You Might Have a Hard Heart 7 Signs your heart has hardened (and how to turn it around). 1.     You are on autopilot We all get there. Things in our life become so routine that we do them without r...  Read More

It can be tricky to navigate conversations around money and giving in groups. So we wanted to answer some frequently asked questions and offer some tips for leading your group throughout this sermon series.  Read More

A central feature of Jesus’ ministry was his inclusion of people who were typically on the outside.  Read More

Do you believe that God can do miracles in your life?This is a hard question for me. At a deep level, I want to believe this. I do believe it. But day-to-day, it is really hard to remain open to the idea that God can do the impossible.I bet this is true for a lot of you. As time passes, it is harder to stay open to new possibilities. In life, the more experiences we stack up, the more we begin to ...  Read More

The Church has become the mouthpiece for one political party, making Christianity synonymous with partisanship. We observe something different in Jesus.  Read More

Nearly 10 years ago, I had the opportunity to interview former U.S. Senator from Missouri, John Danforth for a sermon I was preaching on faith and politics. He had written a book in 2006 on the topic, and during our interview, he lamented that the problem was only getting worse. He shared with me his fear that politicians will continue to politicize Christian values, and Christians will increasing...  Read More

Blessing Bags contain a simple, practical collection of items for people who are unhoused or in need of basic necessities. These items are intentionally selected and packed into a large zip loc bag, making them easy to keep in your car and offer to those you meet. It's not a new idea, but it is a small way that you can share what you have with someone else.For CoreGroups, we hope this is an activi...  Read More

Following in the way of Jesus is about far more than having a better life. We are also asked to be others-centered  Read More

Something began happening this week – leaves started falling in my yard. Not just the leaves, but plants that were bright and green back in spring are starting to look a bit tired and brown. Rose buds are wilting and dying with no more to take their place. All around, it is beginning to happen. The plants are dying, or at least that is what it looks like. They are preparing for winter. But alongsi...  Read More

It is one thing to follow Jesus, it is another to be a follower.  Read More

On the morning of September 17, 2006, I woke up at 5am, got dressed, drove to church, and went into the sanctuary to practice my sermon out loud. It was the very first public worship service for a new church called The Gathering, and I was nervous. Along with a small group of people, I heard a call to start a new church in the city that would be compelling for new generations of people. But, visio...  Read More

Welcome to week one of Jesus vs. Christianity! In this series we will look at some of the ways the Church has gotten it wrong by drifting from the teachings of Jesus.   Read More

A couple of days ago, I made an offer that I sort of regretted. Martin Leathers, the Student Pastor here at The Gathering, is training for a marathon. His training cycle is just now peaking, so he has some long runs to do. Off-handedly, I said, “Hey, if you ever need company on some of your long runs, I’d be happy to run part of them with you.” Without missing a beat, he took me up on the offer. T...  Read More

As we explore the vision and teachings of Jesus over the course of this 5 week sermon series, we invite you to spend time reading through the Gospel of Luke using the following plan. Maybe you’ve never read a Gospel all the way through before. Or, maybe you have but it’s been a long time. No matter your background, we believe there is opportunity for fresh perspective on Jesus when we take time to...  Read More

Opening Prayer:God, Your mercies and grace renew daily. We ask that the same be true for our perspective this season. Give us a freshness, that we may experience this fellowship differently. We pray that the presence of your Holy Spirit will overflow and saturate our discussions. Thank you for creating us in your likeness. Our prayer is that this divine imprint will help us to love you with all ou...  Read More

I read a proverb recently that said, “a forest cannot be cut with a broken axe”. I took it to be about the importance of tending to ourselves. Resting. It is easy to get consumed in the work that must be done, the appointments we need to keep, the deadlines to meet, or the tasks to check off the list. We focus so much on what needs doing that we neglect the one doing it. As my own life gets busier...  Read More

The first meeting of any CoreGroup is a wonderful mix of excitement, nervousness, and potentially awkward pauses. Don’t worry, all of those things are normal.  Read More

Today someone asked me, “Matt, how are you doing?”. It is a routine question, I know. But, I froze. The person stared at me as I stumbled over what to say. We both laughed as I explained that I was feeling a little bit of emotional whiplash. He asked why? And I just shared all that had happened just in the past 24 hours: I was exhilarated from a meeting with leaders in our church, grieving with a ...  Read More

Last year I came upon the work of Priya Parker. She is trained in conflict resolution, works as a facilitator helping groups create meaningful gatherings, and she wrote the book The Art of Gathering. She argues that there are so many good reasons for gathering together that often we don't know exactly why we are gathering. The lack of clearly stated purpose for our gathering leads us to fall back ...  Read More

Fall ScheduleWeek of...September 5 - Stand alone sermonGroups begin meeting, discussion guides resumeSeptember 12 - Jesus vs. ChristianitySeptember 19 - Jesus vs. ChristianitySeptember 26 - Jesus vs. ChristianityOctober 3 - Jesus vs. ChristianityOctober 10 - Jesus vs. ChristianityOctober 17 - Open, generosityOctober 24 - OpenOctober 31 - OpenNovember 7 - OpenNovember 14 - OpenNovember 21 - Stand a...  Read More

This past weekend, Jessica and I moved Caleb into his first apartment for his second year of college. It was a whirlwind of a few days as we packed him up (without power at our home), trying to think of all the things he might need now that he is officially living on his own. We spent the day driving a trailer full of old furniture down to Springfield, unloading it, putting his room together, taki...  Read More

Yesterday, an intense storm swept through St. Louis. It didn’t last long, but it was enough to down trees all over the area and leave many, including the Miofsky family, without power. As I write, we are going on 16 hours without power. With so much damage, we aren’t sure when we might get it back. Fortunately, the evening was cool, we slept well, and we have everything we need. We will be fine. B...  Read More