The Journey of Gateway Church
The Seed of Vision
In 1997, God spoke to John and Kathy Burke with unmistakable clarity: "It's time to step out in faith." This divine nudge led John and his family to Austin with a bold mission—create a church for people who don't go to church. As John reflects, "Faith always involves risk. Risk is not always comfortable, but it's always good."
Against All Odds
With just 10 people, Gateway began in an apartment in 1998. Those early years tested their resolve as they moved between six different locations—cleaning theater butter spills, covering movie posters, and sometimes changing venues weekly. "We kept reaching people who were far from God and then we'd lose them," John remembers. When doubt crept in, God reminded him: "Maybe I have a plan." The faithful few who managed to find Gateway week after week embodied a powerful truth: "The church isn't just a building. It's the people."
Finding Home
God's faithfulness revealed itself in 2000 when a chance encounter at a neighborhood brush fire led to Gateway finding stability at the Bull Creek Synagogue. Over five transformative years, the congregation grew from 200 to over 2,000 people—more than half discovering faith for the first time. This season of growth culminated in Gateway establishing its permanent home on McNeil Road in 2006, creating a space where the faith community could flourish and lives could be changed.
Expanding Horizons
Gateway's heart for reaching people led to launching a South Austin campus in 2008, pioneering an innovative online community in 2010, and establishing Gateway Buda in 2020. These expansions, alongside expressions in Central Austin, Pflugerville, Dripping Springs, and beyond, have helped over 5,000 people find faith in Christ.
A New Chapter
On May 7, 2023, Gateway celebrated its first leadership transition as Carlos Ortiz succeeded John Burke as Senior Pastor. Having served as Executive Pastor since 2020, Carlos embraced the mantle of leadership, becoming one of central Texas's few ethnically diverse megachurch senior pastors. Meanwhile, John transitioned to the role of Founding Pastor to focus on writing.
This succession represented not just a change in leadership, but the continuation of Gateway's countercultural approach with its anchoring values of "Come As You Are" and "Love Everyone: Life by Life."
Our Unfolding Story
What began with a handful of dreamers has grown into a mosaic of lives transformed—many who came wounded, found healing, and now help others on similar journeys. Gateway continues to be a church unified in faith yet dispersed in influence, with small communities across Austin committed to helping people become all God intended them to be.
Our vision remains unchanged: When people of Austin think of Gateway, we want them to say, "If this is what God is like, I want to know him."
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind... Love your neighbor as yourself." - Matthew 22:37-39