All Christians are called to care for and to watch over one another. Yet the Scripture also teaches that in each local church elders, also called pastors or overseers, should be appointed to serve and shepherd the church (Acts 20:28; Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1-5). Elders are responsible to serve by actively leading, praying for the church, feeding the church from God’s Word, and by overseeing areas such as worship, teaching, and finances. First and foremost elders are to lead by example. Some of our elders are employed by The Gathering Church to serve as full-time pastors, however other elders serve in other lines of work throughout the Portland area. Every elder is carefully selected, recognized and appointed by the congregation and meets the qualifications given in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. The elders at The Gathering joyfully and seriously take the responsibility to shepherd and love the church. In polity, The Gathering Church is elder-led and congregationally ruled. This means that the elders lead the congregation in providing vision, strategy, and leadership, but the final rule is from the members of the congregation.
To contact the entire elder team, please send an email to: elders@gatheringcc.org
Matt Zrust
Elder
Matt was born in Missouri, but spent the next 14 years of his life split between there, Nebraska and Texas. At 14 his family moved to Costa Rica, where the Lord found Matt at age 15 during a youth campout. After serving in various ministry contexts in Costa Rica he moved to Portland to attend Multnomah University where he earned his bachelor's degree in Intercultural Studies and Bible/Theology. More importantly, he met Amber, his beautiful wife during that time and they have since called Portland their home for the entirety of their marriage.
Matt is a founding member of The Gathering Church, being privileged to serve in a wide array of opportunities ranging from the counseling ministry of TGC, to his work in outreach and mercy ministries in the local community when he served as a deacon. Matt's foremost vision and desire is to see Christ-centered maturity in the lives of those around him, whether his awesome family, neighborhood or local church. In summer of 2019 Matt graduated from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon where he attended to be better equipped to fulfill this vision in all of these spheres of influence.
Portland has come to shape many of Matt's favorite pastimes, including indulging in the pervasive foodie culture, going on hikes and camping trips, biking as much as his schedule allows him to, and reading books about culture, theology, politics, anthropology, Central Texas BBQ, philology, and pretty much anything else. Matt and Amber are parents to the 10 most wonderful children in the world, with whom Matt enjoys doing all of his favorite things, as well as wrestling, building things, going on walks and trying to convince them of the excellency of 90's alternative rock.
James White
Elder
James was born in Arizona but lived most of his life in Oregon, except for 7 years while serving in the US Air Force. He has an Associates degree in Electronics. James is married to Vivian for over 50 years. They have two sons, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
James was raised in a Christian family and attended church and Sunday School regularly. He was saved when he was about 10. He and Vivian have been faithful in church work and attendance, and have been on several mission trips: Honduras twice, Kenya, India, Nepal and Mississippi. James has served as deacon and elder in each church they have been a member of.
James points to three significant spiritual events in his life: The first was when he was selected to be a leader in the church. At first he thought he was too young but then realized he needed to submit to the church leadership and respect what they saw in him. A leader must be one who serves. The second was when he learned what it was to have Christ as Lord of his life and how to live daily that way (1 John 1:9). The third was when he learned the value and importance of the shed blood of Christ. He now truly worships when coming to the communion table.
Alan Winslow
Elder
Alan grew up going to church but didn't truly know Christ as His Savior till he was almost 16. Alan was taught early in his walk with Christ to spend time daily in the Bible and in prayer.
As a young man seeking to chart a course through life he adopted Matthew 6:33 as a life verse. "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." He still tries to live in the light of that grace daily.
In college he encountered some universalists who knew greek and could quote scripture better than him. They taught heresies that Alan couldn't answer - but the next year when he started Bible college part time he discovered that basic orthodox Christian doctrine more than answered the false heresies that the universalists presented as true. So he loves Systematic Theology as simply, clearly and powerfully presenting what scripture teaches to be true about God, man, sin, salvation, and Christ. He is hoping to start a Bible Institute at the Gathering in the near future.
Alan met and married Gini, his wife of nearly 45 years while attending Bible college in Anaheim, CA. They currently have 8 children and 21 - soon to be 23 - grandchildren.
Outside of his family, Alan also loves The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien, the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, History in general and the Civil War in particular, Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology and camping with Gini in their motorhome with whatever kids and or grandkids and friends that they can get to go with them.
Gabe Winslow
Elder
gwinslow@thegatheringchurch.com
Gabe was born in Winchester, Virginia, where his parents had moved to minister to a local church. They moved back to the Pacific Northwest when Gabe was 5 years old, and he now lives in Portland. His parents raised him diligently to love Christ and others, leading Gabe to confess Christ at an early age. His life is an ongoing process of sanctification, as well as a testimony to God’s grace and goodness.
Gabe studied History at Hillsdale College and is now an entrepreneur and one of the partners at Theorem Advertising. He is responsible for managing digital marketing and advertising strategies for his clients.
At Hillsdale College, he fell in love with Mandy at first sight, whom he married in the spring of 2004. Three cross-country moves later, they have settled back into Portland with their almost nine kids—Emily, Josiah, Lucy, Olivia, Sam, Katie, Talitha, Meg, and soon to be Baby 9. Gabe and his family enjoy spending time outdoors, reading together, and taking spontaneous road trips all over the western US. Gabe is passionate about seeing the local church facilitate the growth and life of its members. He desires to see healthy families, healthy work relationships, and effective community outreach. He wishes to see a church body where all members support and encourage each other and where no one falls through the cracks.
Ryan Sorensen
Elder
Ryan was born in central Washington but was actually in Cannon Beach, Oregon on vacation when he understood the gospel and committed to following Jesus. In Yakima, he enjoyed being a volunteer fire fighter and worked building custom furniture. He then moved to Cannon Beach at age 24 to attend Ecola Bible School where he met Stephanie, his future wife. After graduating from Bible school Ryan worked another two years at Ecola mentoring students. Then, feeling God’s calling to serve others in His name, he moved to Tijuana, Mexico and was there fifteen years. Nine of those years were as director of a small Bible school, then another few years running a small business focused on providing quality jobs for the people of Tijuana. Ryan and Stephanie spent their first eleven years of marriage in Tijuana, Mexico where their three children were born. Living cross-culturally they grew to understand God’s heart for the world and Christ’s focus on seeking and saving that which was lost. Moving back to the United States, Ryan received his Bachelors of Business Administration, volunteers at Molalla Fire Department and recently finished a paramedic program that he hopes will help him serve the community as a firefighter.
