The Journey

A relaxed atmosphere for worship that cares about being active and involved in the local community. I’ve enjoyed every Saturday service I’ve attended.

I hadn’t been to a church in 5 years when I showed up to The Journey. I was afraid that I wouldn’t feel welcome, that the church would be «cliquey,» and that I would be offended by the message. Immediately after sitting down, I realized that I was in the right place. I felt so touched and inspired, and encouraged to explore my spirituality and connection to God beyond the confines of a Sunday morning. As Christian churches go, they have their religious tenants that tend to put them in the «conservative» camp, but as far as churches go, I do believe that this one is fairly progressive and accepting.
Things to expect: messages concretely tied into real life, excellently performed contemporary music — some of it original, overhead presentation of what’s occurring on the main stage so everyone can see, occasional use of videotaped messages when the pastor is traveling, coffee before the service and donuts after, and kind people all around.

This church is amazing! The music is so fulfilling and it makes you want to sing along. They are contemporary and you will find all types of people in the congregation around you, all there to do the same thing you are… get a little god and uplifting. I like all of the pastors (they don’t do broadcast sermons anymore) who are similar to Darrin, the founder of the Journey’s approach. They are all enthusiastic and I always leave with an understanding of the message that was delivered. My husband and I come from very different backgrounds of worship, him being old Lutheran and mine southern Baptist and this church is exactly what we were looking for to start our own spiritual growth as a family. Keep up the great work journey!
Oh, they provide hot coffee, tea and doughnuts in the main lobby in case your running behind in the morning so you don’t sit through the service thinking more about what you’re going to do for lunch than what the message is.

While I enjoy Darrin’s sermon’s and the environment of the physical surroundings of the Tower Grove and Hanley Road churches, the frequency of video sermons is such a turn-​off. If I wanted to watch church on TV, I would watch his sermons online or watch Joel Osteen. I’ve joined The Gathering as Matt Miofsky seems more personal and attentive to connecting with his audience.

Appears open and welcoming on the outside, but very unloving and unChristlike in reality. Dislikes the gays, women, divorcés, and a myriad of other ‘others’.
So many friends have had to leave this church over these issues. And it’s sad.
They need to re-​evaluate a lot of their theology.

When I first moved to St. Louis about a year ago, my fiancé and I were looking for a friendly, non-​denominational church without all of the pretense. I must say that at first I was a little apprehensive about making The Journey my church home but after attending a few times, I quickly grew to love the pastor’s practical, scripture based sermons. It is so encouraging to see a church who welcomes and embraces diversity and The Journey definitely does this. There are even hundreds of small groups around town to help you become better connected in and around your community. If you are new to town or just looking for a friendly and contemporary church, I would encourage you to check out one of it’s campuses!

I’ve gone to The Journey on two occasions, and both were enjoyable. The community seems really nice, although having entered after service started kept me from really getting a feel for the hospitality. The church itself is non-​denominational, but seems to have a contemporary Baptist feel and theology.
The message on both occasions was pretty straight forward, Bible believing, no doctrinal punches pulled. The message was very practical woven with scripture-​backed theology enhanced with personal stories and testimony. Both messages made a personal connection with me, although I was hoping for something more prophetic, rooted in apostolic teaching.
The Journey has a very contemporary feel combining the use of videos (for announcements), powerpoint (for scriptural talking points), and popular Christian music. It feels like part concert, part multimedia presentation, part lecture (but, not in a bad way). The church congregation also seemed to be fairly ethnically diverse.
The thing I like best about The Journey is that they have Saturday late afternoon and evening services. I’m conflicted about recognizing Sabbath on Sunday, so this gives me another option as I continue in my own spiritual growth and revelation. For the time I’m in St Louis, I hope to continue to become more acquainted with The Journey and its community of believers.

I can’t say enough about Pastor Darrin Patrick… I’m your typical «raised in the church» girl and I’ve grown so much and met some of the best friends I’ve ever made here.
Darrin’s not afraid to give it to you straight, though — so just know that going into it. I’m not saying he’s all hellfire and damnation, he’s just honest — Christians are spending more time and money shopping for and buying «Christian merchandise» than they are building up their communities and making the world a better place. We’ve side-​stepped our responsibilities and turned our faith into a self-​help practice.
If you are ready to be challenged, or you’re looking for a church that welcomes questions and investigation about what Christianity really is, was and should be… I dare you to come. 9am and 11:15 Sunday services at Tower Grove. They have other campuses too —
. You can also check out Darrin’s latest sermon at the website.