On May 7th Gateway Church will see its first Senior Pastor transition in its 25 year history. Carlos Ortiz will be Gateway’s new Senior Pastor, and John Burke will take on a new role in order to focus full-time on writing.

John is the author of the New York Times Bestselling Author of Imagine Heaven, a book in which his research took him to studying over 1,000 near-death experiences with people across different cultures, languages, and belief systems. He shows how the accounts found in medical journals often align with the Scriptures. His next book is a follow up called, Imagine the God of Heaven.

John Burke and his wife Kathy, along with a handful of others, started Gateway in 1998. They felt drawn to start a community for people who felt like religion wasn’t for them, people who wanted to come as their authentic selves yet grow in their faith, and people who were seeking answers to some of life’s biggest questions. In a state where conservative 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”.

The church has grown into several locations reaching thousands of people in the greater Austin area and beyond. In the coming weeks Burke will be traveling to the different area campuses, on what Gateway is calling his Legacy Tour to share a message of hope and vision.