Matt is Founder and Lead Pastor of The Gathering in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2006, The Gathering has grown into a thriving multi-site congregation with three locations scattered throughout St. Louis and a vibrant online presence. It was recently named the 3rd fastest growing Large United Methodist Church. Matt is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis where he majored in mathematics. He completed his Master of Divinity degree at Emory University in Atlanta and served as associate pastor for a local United Methodist church in St. Louis before starting The Gathering. Author and co-author of multiple books. Matt is also editor of the upcoming The Methodist Book of Daily Prayer and contributor to Disciple Fast Track: Into the Word, Into the World, Flipping Church: How Successful Church Planters Are Turning Conventional Wisdom Upside-Down, and the media project Ask: Faith Questions in a Skeptical Age.