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

CoreGroup sign up season is an exciting time! New people are signing up for our groups and we get to welcome them. So, how do you know if someone has signed up for your group?I'm so glad you asked!We use a system called Church Community Builder (CCB) to manage our groups. When someone signs up for your group you will receive an email from CCB.How do I log in?Your username is your email address. If...  Read More

I hope you all are having a great weekend. I wanted to remind you of a few things happening at The Gathering THIS weekend.• Tonight from 7:30-8:30 pm The Gathering Webster has rented out the Webster Groves Aquatic Center for a pool party. Everyone is welcome, your kids can invite some friends, and it is all at no cost. Come on over.• Tomorrow I will continue our sermon series Fire and Brimstone: T...  Read More

Check-In Questions - In this and every season CoreGroups are meant to be a place of connection. Start off your meeting with some time checking-in and giving group members time to share what is going on in their lives. Go around the circle and share one high point and one low point from your week. Where have you seen God this week? Sermon Discussion Questions- Talking about the sermon is a great way to go...  Read More

Quick Start GuideStarting Your New CoreGroup Is as Easy as 1-2-31. Decide on the details of your group. You’ve decided to start a CoreGroup, now it’s time to make some decisions.Choose a day of the week, time, location and meeting method that works well for your schedule and comfort level. You can opt for virtual meetings, in-person (if safe to do so), or a hybrid of both.Select a category of grou...  Read More

Dear Gathering,As a parent of three kids, August always marks a shift in seasons. Summertime is still here, but school is around the corner. The heat is wearing on me (especially as I write this), and I am ready for something new. Spiritually, something similar is true. I have been away for a few weeks now, taking a small sabbatical to rest, reflect, and reconnect with God and my family. It was gr...  Read More

CoreGroup leaders create space for and facilitate meaningful conversations in a safe and welcoming environment where people are inspired to grow in their relationships with Jesus and others.Ideally, all group members will be helping each other grow and take spiritual next steps. Your role as the host is to build that expectation into your group and then encourage the fulfillment of it. At the end ...  Read More

Dear Gathering,I am taking a moment during my time away to write to you. I love my work at the church, so I do not naturally take a lot of time off. But, these last few weeks have given me a chance to rest, connect with my family, and reflect on the incredible work that lies ahead for The Gathering. I have enjoyed the chance to participate in worship and experience how powerful Get Up has been. If...  Read More

There is no question that the past year has been a challenging one. But, it has also been an energizing one for me. Ironically, when everything you normally do is taken away, you have to be creative. When the way you do things is restricted, you must imagine new ways of doing things. Crisis breeds creativity. When normal is disrupted, there is new permission to think, rethink, and experiment with ...  Read More

Part of The Gathering’s vision is to create a Christian community for new generations. This means that we want to be a community that invites kids into the faith, forms students in faith, and creatively engages college students and younger adults to follow God’s call in their own life. As part of this vision, we strive to inspire and equip younger people to be leaders in the church. One of the mos...  Read More

On June 19th, 1865, Union troops rolled into Galveston, TX. Even though General Lee and the Confederates had surrendered months before this, there were pockets of ongoing resistance, including in Texas. That day, General Order No. 3 was read to the people of Texas including the proclamation that, “all slaves are free”.  Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation two and half years prior ...  Read More

As kids, most of us played some version of hide-and-seek. Some of you were good at hiding, always trying to find a creative place where no one would think of looking. At first, it can be kind of fun when the “seeker” is looking all over the place and cannot seem to find you. But, did you ever hide so well that eventually it was no longer fun. Maybe you were in an awkward position and you would sta...  Read More