The Gathering United Methodist Church

What The Gathering United Methodist Church does

The Gathering United Methodist Church is a private non-profit religious organization founded in 2006 by Lead Pastor Matt Miofsky and headquartered in Richmond Heights, Missouri, with a primary service area spanning the St. Louis metropolitan region across both Missouri and Illinois. It operates a multi-site worship model across five locations — McCausland (primary 550-seat sanctuary), Webster Groves, Clayton, Metro East (O'Fallon, IL), and West County (Chesterfield) — supplemented by on-demand online worship streaming via a YouTube channel (@Gathering_Now).

Its core product is weekly worship delivery, layered with an extensive ministry ecosystem: 100+ CoreGroups and Wellness Groups serving nearly 1,000 participants, Gathering Kids and Gathering Students programs, Care Ministry for life transitions, a Gathering Underground Recovery Community for addiction support launched in October 2025, and global mission partnerships centered on a 15+ year Mozambique clean-water and health initiative. Supporting technology includes a SnapPages-hosted website, a dedicated mobile app, CCB (Church Community Builder) management software, Pushpay digital giving, and The F Word podcast hosted by Pastor Miofsky. Content extends to published books by Miofsky including The Methodist Book of Daily Prayer (Abingdon Press, 2023 deluxe edition 2024), Let Go, Fail, and Happy?, distributed via Cokesbury and Amazon.

Revenue is generated entirely through voluntary member donations: weekly tithes and offerings, online and recurring giving via Pushpay, special campaigns (e.g., Much Given Much Expected), planned/legacy giving through a FreeWill partnership, and merchandise sales. No pricing structure exists as services are provided free of charge, and financials are not publicly disclosed. The organization employs approximately 34 staff across executive, pastoral, site-level, and operational functions, and was recognized as the 3rd fastest growing large United Methodist Church. Customer segments are diverse — spiritual seekers, families with children, people in recovery, wellness seekers, active members, and mission-minded congregants — reflecting a hybrid segmentation approach anchored in an explicitly inclusive, seeker-friendly theological posture.

Name

The Gathering United Methodist Church

Legal name

The Gathering United Methodist Church

Website

https://gatheringnow.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Gathering is a multi-site United Methodist Church operating five worship locations across the St. Louis metro area plus online streaming, serving seekers, families, recovery communities, and active members through weekly worship, 100+ small groups, and global mission partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Worship services
• Faith community
• Small group ministry
• Children's ministry
• Recovery support

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Traditional church giving through weekly/monthly donations, one-time gifts, and recurring gift arrangements via Pushpay platform.
2. Online Giving: Digital giving through website, Pushpay app, and bank bill pay services for convenient donation processing.
3. Legacy/Planned Giving: Estate gifts including wills, trusts, retirement accounts, life insurance, and stock donations through the For All Time legacy giving program.
4. Special Offerings: Targeted fundraising campaigns such as the Much Given Much Expected two-year initiative and Christmas Eve offerings designated for specific missions.
5. Merchandise Sales: Sale of church merchandise including books by Lead Pastor Matt Miofsky and branded items through the church shop.

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Gathering United Methodist Church is a multi-site United Methodist congregation that offers weekly worship services across five St. Louis metro locations (Webster Groves, Ferguson, Fairview Heights IL, O'Fallon MO, and Creve Coeur) plus online streaming. The church complements its worship services with small group ministries (CoreGroups), children's and student programs, recovery support through Gathering Underground, wellness and care ministries, pastoral counseling, and global missions.

Product overview

The Gathering United Methodist Church is a multi-site United Methodist Church offering in-person worship across five locations (McCausland, Clayton, Webster, Metro East, and West County) plus online streaming. Core programming includes CoreGroups (small groups with sermon-based curriculum), Gathering Kids (children's ministry), Gathering Students (youth ministry), Wellness Groups (mental health support), and the Gathering Underground Recovery Community (addiction recovery). Digital offerings include The F Word podcast, video sermon archive, and a church app. The church publishes books by Lead Pastor Matt Miofsky including The Methodist Book of Daily Prayer, Let Go, Fail, and Happy?. The church operates a global mission partnership in Mozambique focused on clean water, education, and healthcare, funded substantially through annual Christmas Eve offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Multi-Site Worship Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 CoreGroups serving nearly 1000 people weekly
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• United Methodist Church Mozambique MissionflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 December 202515+ year partnership with United Methodist Church in Mozambique for water wells and health initiatives. Has provided clean water to over 500,000 people. Current focus: funding Mother and Infant Health Center ($350,000 goal) including mother's waiting house, pre/post-natal clinic, and laundry facility. The church gives 100% of Christmas Eve offering to this partnership annually.
• St. Louis Area FoodbankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual food drive partnership. Single food drive in 2025 provided 5,488 lbs of food and $10,000 donation equaling 44,523 meals. Church serves as collection point and volunteer support for foodbank programs.
• FreeWillminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership providing free online will and trust creation tool for congregants. FreeWill partnership encourages legacy giving while helping members with estate planning. Church promotes FreeWill as recommended estate planning resource.
• Abingdon PressminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublisher of Matt Miofsky's books including The Methodist Book of Daily Prayer, Let Go, Fail, Happy?, and co-authored works. Also publishes the Disciple Fast Track curriculum.
• CokesburyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary online retailer for Matt Miofsky's The Methodist Book of Daily Prayer (Deluxe Edition). Distribution channel for published works.
• PushpaycoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital giving platform used for one-time gifts, recurring donations, and campaign-specific giving. Primary online and mobile giving channel for tithes and offerings.
• Amy's Cake Pop ShopminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business partner for Christmas/Advent season. Provided sponsored treats for Christmas Eve services as part of community business collaboration.
• The Photo BusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal photo booth service for Christmas Eve events. Partnership to create special holiday experiences for families attending services.
• Dogwood Social HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Metro East site preview and ongoing services in O'Fallon, IL. Provides worship space for the new Metro East location.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Pushpay: Digital giving platform used by The Gathering and thousands of other US churches; relevant not as a competitor but as a technology vendor whose penetration and pricing directly affect The Gathering's donation processing economics.

Direct peers

• NewSpring Church: Multi-site church in South Carolina with a comparable small-group (Connect Groups) ecosystem, digital content emphasis, and growth-stage positioning.
• Elevation Church: Steven Furtick's multi-site megachurch with strong digital content production, podcasts, and a small-group model; comparable scale, leader-driven brand, and growth narrative to The Gathering.
• Life.Church: Multi-site church known for pioneering digital distribution (Church Online Platform, YouVersion Bible app) and a heavy investment in online reach — a clear benchmark for The Gathering's digital-first ambitions.
• Church of the Highlands: Largest multi-site church in Alabama and a recognized fast-growing megachurch; comparable in scale, small-group model (LifeGroups), recovery ministry, and digital outreach.
• Christ United Methodist Church: Large multi-site UMC (Plano, Texas) operating under the same denomination as The Gathering; directly comparable on polity, governance, and shared UMC resources.
• McLean Bible Church: Multi-site church in the Washington DC metro with online streaming and a comparable small-group structure; useful comp for an urban, multi-site, digitally engaged congregation.
• Gateway Church: Multi-site church in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro with comparable physical footprint, online streaming, and small-group structure; useful benchmark for multi-site economics and digital content investment.
• North Point Community Church: Large multi-site church founded by Andy Stanley in the Atlanta metro with a comparable seeker-friendly positioning, digital-first content strategy, and small-group ecosystem. Operates in a different denomination but a highly analogous operating model.
• Church of the Resurrection: Largest United Methodist Church in the US, multi-site model in the Kansas City metro. Most directly comparable as a large, growing, multi-site UMC with strong digital presence and a Lead Pastor (Adam Hamilton) who is also a published author.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gathering_now
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/gatheringnow
• Facebookfacebook.com/GatheringNow
• Instagraminstagram.com/gathering_now
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-gathering-united-methodist-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Gathering United Methodist Church