About Us

Who We Are

At Gateway, we are committed to helping every person believe in Jesus, belong to a family, become a disciple and build His kingdom.

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Our Mission

The Word of God is our true foundation. The Bible clearly states who you were created to be: believing in Jesus, belonging to family, becoming a follower, and building God’s kingdom. Our mission is to help you fulfill this calling and live out the fullest life in Christ imaginable.

Believe

Belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God is a process that ultimately provides the bedrock for your faith. Our desire is to reveal the nature of God and who He created you to be in order to strengthen your faith and surrender to His grace.

Belong

Relationships play an essential role in your spiritual life and in your walk with God, and they’re rooted in belonging to a greater community. In fact, Jesus commanded us to love God and love one another. We all have a need to belong, and it’s through loving, helping and protecting one another that we have opportunity to live out these greatest of commandments.

Become

To be Christ-like is to move away from a self-centered existence to a Christ-centered life of doing and loving as He does. But this transformation isn’t done on our own – it’s begun and completed through God’s generous grace and power. Through practical steps in God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, and relationship with God and others, our emphasis is to help you become more like Christ in your own personal spiritual growth and development.

Build

Discover how God is calling you to give to others what the Lord has already given to you. Acting as his hands and feet by using your gifts and talents, you can help build the kingdom by the giving of yourself in making disciples and helping others move toward spiritual maturity.

Our Core Values

We live to Give

We love to Shema (obey)

We fight for innocence

we are enthusiastic about excellence

we are serious about growth

we aren’t settling for religion, we’re going for romance

Our Beliefs

The Trinity

It is the testimony of both the Old and New Testaments and of the Christian Church that God is both One and Triune. The biblical revelation testifies that there is only one God and that He is eternally existent in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

God the Father

God the Father is the creator and sustainer of all things, and He created the universe in love. He created man in His own image for fellowship and called man back to Himself through Christ after the rebellion and fall of man.

The Son

Jesus Christ is eternally God. He was together with the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning, and through Him all things were made. For man’s redemption, He left heaven and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit through the virgin Mary; henceforth, He is forever one Christ with two natures—God and man—in one person.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord and giver of life, who was active in the Old Testament and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost. He empowers the saints for service and witness, cleanses man from the old nature and conforms us to the image of Christ. The baptism in the Holy Spirit, subsequent to conversion, releases the fullness of the Spirit and is evidenced by the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The Atonement

Christ’s vicarious death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world, but its benefits are only applicable to those who receive Jesus as their personal Savior. Healing—body, soul, and spirit—and all of God’s provisions for His saints are provided for in the atonement, but these must be appropriated.

Christian Life

We believe that the Scriptures portray the life of the saint in this world to be one of balance between what is imputed to us as Christians and what is imparted to us according to our faith and maturity. Hence, God’s provision for His children is total, and the promises are final and forever. The shortcomings of the individual and of the Church are because of the still progressing sanctification of the saints. The Christian life is filled with trials, tests, and warfare against a spiritual enemy. For those abiding in Christ until their deaths or His return, the promises of eternal blessing in the presence of God are assured. To remain faithful through all circumstances of life requires dependence upon the Holy Spirit and a willingness to die to personal desires and passions.

Baptism & Communion

The Word of God presses on the Church two perpetual ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first, baptism, is the outward sign of what God has already done in the individual’s life and is a testimony to all that the person now belongs to Jesus. It is identification with Jesus and is effected in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the death of the Lord and is done in remembrance of Him until He comes again; it is a sign of our participation in Him. Both institutions are restricted to those who are believers.

The Scripture

We affirm that the Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, is alone the only infallible, inspired Word of God, and that its authority is ultimate, final, and eternal. It cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any regard. The Bible is the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction, and reproof. It contains all that is needed for guidance in godliness and practical Christian conduct.

Salvation

The Word of God declares clearly that salvation is a free gift of God, based on the merits of the death of His Son, and is appropriated by faith. Salvation is effected by personal repentance, belief in the Lord Jesus (justification), and personal acceptance of Him into one’s life as Lord and Savior (regeneration). The new life in Christ includes the privileges of adoption and inheritance in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. Salvation is an act of free will in response to God’s personal love for mankind. It is predestined only in the sense that God, through His omniscience, foreknew those who would choose Him. It is secure in the eternal, unchanging commitment of God who does not lie and is forever the same. Salvation should produce an active lifestyle of loving obedience and service to Jesus Christ our Savior.

The Church

The goal of the Church is to make disciples of all nations and to present the saints complete in Christ. The five-fold ministry of Ephesians 4 governs the Church, the offices of elder and deacon, as well as other offices mentioned in Scripture. Church policy is a balance between congregation and eldership authority, emphasizing the final authority of the Church leadership. It is essential to the life of the Church that scriptural patterns of discipline are practiced and that oversight for Church discipline, individual and corporate, is exercised by the leadership of the Church.

Eschatology

We affirm the bodily, personal, second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the saints, the millennium, and the final judgment. The final judgment will determine the eternal status of both the saints and the unbelievers, determined by their relationship to Jesus Christ. We affirm with the Bible the final state of the new heavens and the new earth.

Our Team

Preston Morrison

Senior Pastor

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Brad Larson

Sr. Executive Pastor

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Noelle Larson

Executive Pastor, Family Life

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Phil Goldsberry

Discipleship Pastor

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Doug Lake

Relational Care Pastor & Tempe Campus Director

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Isaac Gross

Student’s Pastor

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Allison Timberlake

Children’s Pastor

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Blake Hester

Communications Director

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Liz Meyers

Coordinator, Volunteers

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Aaron Bolton

Associate Worship Director

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Cole Cameron

Associate Pastor, Tempe Campus

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Josh Walsh

Associate Pastor, Tempe Campus

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Austen Varian

A/V/L Director

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Bobby Craciunescu

Lead App & Web Developer

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Phillip Goldsberry

Video Producer & Communications Liaison

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Mason Bates

Gateway Kids & Outreach Coordinator

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Gerard Thompson

Gateway Kids Coordinator

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Cassandra Mancha

Gateway Kids & Students Coordinator

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Samantha Lesar

Project Manager, H+W Media

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Kayla Bastin

Finance Coordinator

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Tracy Raber

Administrative Assistant

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Samantha Brewer

Executive Assistant

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Jen Wallace

Executive Assistant

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CHURCH OFFICE
8110 E. Cactus Rd., Suite 100
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

(480) 426-8779

info@gatewaylife.com

Brent’s Story

I grew up hating God and church. My dad was a pastor of a small church in Colorado and my mother was extremely abusive to both my brother and I (mostly physically, but also mentally). I never understood how someone could praise the Lord on Sunday morning, then turn around and beat their children on Monday (all in the name of Jesus).

From Colorado we moved to California where I was enrolled in a private Christian school where both my parents worked. I was constantly bullied by the same people who were given Christian character of the month awards and were considered “lights on campus” and on top of that my pastors constantly put me down and never were up lifting, even when I went and begged for help. They would say things like, “well maybe if you came to church more, then you haven’t these problems” or “maybe you aren’t cut out to be here”…Needless to say, I hated church.

Because of the bullying, by the time I was in the 8th grade I became very suicidal, and even attempted to take my life. When that didn’t work, I turned to drugs and by the time I was 14 I had developed a sever drug addiction, and continued it for 10 years.

Then I met my wife, who was waayyyy too good for me, and I started to see Gods love for me, but because I still addicted to drugs I couldn’t accept it, nor did I want to.

I went to church, heard the same sermons I had heard 1000 times, but was still never moved. I even tried to find ways to prove that there wasn’t a god. So I would read the Bible looking for contradictions, I would listen to sermons only to find the faults in them. I was lying to myself. So I stopped going and for 2 years shut God out completely.

Then my daughter was born, and my whole life changed. After nearly losing my wife in the birthing process I remembered praying and asking God if he is real- and if he loves me- then to save my wife, and daughter, and he did.

Because of that, my wife finally convinced me to go to church, and I went, but I walked through that door with doubts, and shame. But the moment I walked in, I felt something I had never felt before, it was Gods presents, and overwhelming grace. I sat in the pews and cried and cried listening to the worship leader talking about the severity of Christ’s love on the cross. Then pastor Preston went on to talk about how God is so madly in love with us, no matter who we are or what we’ve done, and how he traded places for us on that cross, and I felt love that I had never before… and the rest is history! I rededicated my life put down the drugs, picked up my bible, and have been so madly in love with God ever since!!

Isaiah’s Story

During service a couple of weeks back I was sitting next to a man who was by himself. After worship, the time came where, in service, they provided a prompting question for us to ask the people around us in order to build community. The question this week was “What is one thing you want to improve in this year?” A simple question that really could have had shallow answers and established surface level connection. That is what I expected to happen after all.

After introducing myself and answering the question in regards to my own life, I opened up the floor for my new found friend. Instead of giving a surface level response, this individual opened up about the current struggles that come with marriage. This person expressed how there has been separation over the past year and that the goal for this year is to improve the status of the marriage…something much more serious then my get good grades answer. After some encouragement and getting to know this person more, service started and we parted ways. However, at the end of the service we came back together and I was provided on opportunity to pray for this individual and encourage persistence within the marriage. What came from a simple question was the opportunity to encourage and grow deeper than I never would have been able to on my own!

Morgan’s Story

I knew God was calling me to do something greater than I could ever imagine, but I longed for that understanding and direction. I’ve always had a hard time branching out and doing things by myself, and this was the weekend God changed my life. My roommates were out of town and Mobile Ministry was happening that weekend. I took a leap of faith and went knowing no one.

Little did I know, Mobile Ministry would change my relationship with the Lord and provide me the confidence I needed to strive to serve others. I have never felt so connected to the Lord. Getting the opportunity to share the gospel and help people meet their physical needs gave me a better sense of understanding; that we are all God’s children, and that we need to help our brothers and sisters who struggle in difficult seasons. Mobile Ministry has become a part of my monthly schedule and I will never turn back. I left it realizing this act of service wasn’t for me and my confidence, it was for those who struggle to get by and those who don’t know the Lord. It was to sit in compassion and understanding with them, letting them know that life is so much better with Him by your side.

Read’s Story

It all starts back when I was six years old living in Salem, OR. On a cold, rainy morning I crossed the street to play with my friends as my great-grandpa watched me from the kitchen window. A car sped around the corner and hit me head-on. My parents threw me into the back of the station wagon, and we headed to the emergency room. When we arrived, they told my dad surgery was not possible because it was a catastrophic brain injury and the anesthesia would kill me.

I’m not sure what exactly happened, but I remember my dad was able to distract me for the first two hours of surgery and I made it through. But the road to recovery after that was tough and my memory was not so great and pain from the neck up was constant…When I was 15, I had my first sip of alcohol at a family Christmas party and all my pain vanished, euphoria came over me. I proceeded to deal with my pain through drugs and alcohol for the next 32 years.

In 2012, I went into recovery….After 28 months of recovery, I started to get some clarity. I was in the middle of a study on Romans when God clearly explained to me that all my burdens were really blessings in disguise. My relationship with God started to change and I began talking to Him all the time. My pain started to diminish and my relationship with my wife and kids improved!

I finally decided that I needed to give it all to God and completely surrender, give my life to Him. Surrender sounds completely counter-intuitive but the more I surrendered to Him the better I felt. I remember watching Passion of the Christ one day and I just couldn’t believe Christ would die for someone like me. I cried for hours and although I fall short of the Glory of God every day, I know that Christ died for me and He took my sins with Him.

My pain and memory problems still exist, so I continue to just focus on Him, and my comfort is knowing that God works all things for good for those who love Him, and I am a beloved son!