“He (Christ) died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.”
2 Corinthians 5:15&19
Here at The Gathering, our culture is built around three core values:
“…We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.” Galatians 2:5b NLT
It all begins with God. God created the universe and all livings things for His pleasure. And out of all creation, people were specifically created in His own image. Essentially, both men and women were made to be like their Creator and Heavenly Father, to reflect His character, and to live in intimate friendship with Him. But the first man and woman sinned. By disobeying God, they damaged the godly image and destiny that was originally given to them; they lost the close connection with Him. Their actions not only affected them, but all of their children and children’s children, including all of mankind into the present. God is so perfect that He cannot have fellowship with evil, which meant our destination was death because God is the only source for life. (Genesis 1-3, Revelation 4:11, James 1:18).
And while God is absolutely perfect, He is also absolutely loving. God set in motion a master plan to rescue and restore all of humanity. Although we had done nothing to deserve being saved and could never hope to earn our way back to Him, God loved us enough to provide a way for every person to be forgiven, to be restored to friendship with Him, so we could fulfill our destiny and inherit eternal life instead of death. Throughout the first part of His written Word (the Bible) God inspired the writers of Scripture to continually point to a hope that was coming for the people of God. This hope is found in Jesus. Jesus the Christ, God’s own Son who came to earth and lived a sinless life, took the punishment for mankind’s sin when He died on a cross and rose to life again. Trusting in Jesus and His work on the cross is the only way to be restored to right relationship with God the Father. This is the core of the Gospel, the “Good News” that God made a way for all people to know Him and to connect with Him like He always intended and desired. (1 John 4:9-10, Romans 5:6-11)
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” Romans 8:14
Jesus commanded His followers to go out into the world and to share the good news of who He is and what He has done, but He wanted them to be empowered as they shared the most important and powerful truth ever known. The ability to live the life Jesus died to give us comes from knowing and following the Holy Spirit. Following the Holy Spirit’s guidance results in true spiritual maturity. The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth as He helps us to better understand what God says in His Word. He also gives supernatural gifts or special abilities to every believer. In fact, Jesus insisted that His church wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them with power from Heaven so that they could:
- Overcome sin
- Preach the Gospel effectively
- Minister to others
(Mark 16:15-18, Galatians 5:16, John 16:13, Romans 8:26, John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Luke 24:49)
“May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be on earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10
God is so good that He continues to confront despair and darkness with the resources of His Kingdom. Wherever He rules, His Kingdom exists. It is a Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy and God longs for all to experience the Kingdom and all its benefits. The local church is God’s vehicle for releasing the Kingdom on earth.
Just as God designed for children to be raised by mothers and fathers, He has also adopted us into His family, to be raised up by spiritual mothers and fathers. To help believers mature and establish the Kingdom in their lives, Christ specifically gave His church a special approach to leadership: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Anyone who holds a position of authority and leadership in a church context is held to a high standard and will be held accountable to God. Because of that, we know that there is a reward that comes from honoring and submitting to authority, especially those who are equipping God’s people to do the work of ministry, to help them grow into full spiritual maturity, and to bring about the Kingdom. Seeking after the King and making His priorities our priorities let’s us walk into the destiny He has for us, giving everyone that we encounter the opportunity to encounter an absolutely loving and perfect God. (Romans 14:17, Ephesians 3:10-11, 1 Corinthians 12:27-28, Ephesians 5:23-30, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Ephesians 4:7-13)
Todd Brenneman
Senior Pastor
In 2005, Todd joined together with Jim Thomas (founder of Living Way Fellowship) to begin a new work called The Gathering. A little over a year later Todd was set in to lead The Gathering when Senior Pastor Jim Thomas and his wife Sherry heard the call to minister along side of Ken and Kay Koontz in North Carolina. Todd has a strong desire to see people experience the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and to fulfill their destiny in Christ as sons of God. Ultimately, his driving passion is to see Jesus Christ exalted over the lives of people everywhere, bringing change to the entire region, even to the world. Todd and his wife, Chelsea, are blessed with a daughter and two sons. “Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.” Hebrews 13:15
Scott Hostetler
Associate Pastor
Both originating from the Conemaugh Township area, Scott and his wife, Trish, have two daughters, Linnie and Kelsey. Before The Gathering began, they served and grew in their walk with the Lord under the leadership and guidance of Pastor Jim Thomas. While serving as lead deacon at Living Way Fellowship, Scott began to sense the call to ministry. In 2006, when Pastor Todd Brenneman became lead pastor of The Gathering, Scott was set in as associate pastor and has served in this position since. Pastor Scott has a strong desire to see all people come to know their identity in Christ Jesus. “So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” Colossians 2:10