
Carlos Ortiz will become only the second senior leader in Gateway’s history, taking over from founding pastor John Burke.
AUSTIN, TX – April 26, 2023 – On May 7th Gateway Church will see its first Senior Pastor succession in its 25-year history. Carlos Ortiz will be Gateway’s new Senior Pastor, and John Burke will take on a new role, as Founding Pastor, in order to focus full-time on writing and pointing people towards our Gateway Austin Online Campus.
Carlos Ortiz has been an executive pastor at Gateway since he came on staff in January 2020. He will take the helm of a church in Gateway that has in many ways been countercultural to mainstream Christianity. In a state where polarizing culture can often cause friction around the topic of faith, Gateway Church has found uniqueness in Austin in its anchoring values of “Come As You Are” and “Love Everyone: Life by Life”.

Carlos now becomes one of only a handful of ethnically diverse senior pastors (of megachurches) in central Texas. More and more, Gateway’s leadership, staff, and attendees are reflecting the ethnic and national diversity of an expanding Austin.
The church has grown into several locations reaching thousands of people in the greater Austin area and beyond. Please join us for a special celebration in the life of Gateway Church, as we honor John Burke and continue the work of loving Austin for the next 25 years.
- Succession Sunday- May 7 – Gateway North Austin – 9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. (7104 McNeil Drive, Austin 78729)
