Welcome
Matt Temple is a wounded healer. He has been married to his wife Angie since 1995 and their daughter Taylor turns 24 this month. Most recently, Matt has served as the Associate Director of New Church Starts with the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. In this role his primary focus is on developing and supporting initiatives to establish new faith communities. Matt also gets to serve as the Co-Pastor at Newstory Church in Chicago. Newstory is a fully affirming, multi-cultural faith community located on the Northside of Chicago.
Matt is the one who embodies a deep love for learning, building systems, and thinking outside the box. His passion for lifelong learning has been a driving force behind his career, always looking for opportunities to grow and innovate.
Throughout his journey, he has developed an appreciation for the challenge of leadership and loves to initiate new projects and see them flourish. This has led him to developing and supporting initiatives to start new faith communities imagining church planting with an emphasis on post-colonial methodology. He thrives on the excitement of creating something new, driving it forward, and making a positive impact on the lives of others.
He excels at creating systems and structures, which not only optimize productivity but also lead to more effective outcomes. This has played a crucial role in his work with North Texas, the local church and Intersect (a Church Planting Network that he co-founded that aims to empower church plants that drive toward Gospel liberation).
Matt strives to foster trust and connection in all his relationships. Authenticity, transparency, and hospitality are three of his core values. Being genuine and open with others has allowed him to connect with people on a deeper level and collaboratively build a sense of community and culture within the congregations he has served.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Matt is an avid baseball and football enthusiast. Additionally, he has a passion for mixology and loves crafting cocktails for gatherings with friends, fostering a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere. In his downtime, you can often find him strumming the guitar or embarking on a leisurely bike ride. However, one of his greatest joys comes from hosting folks at his home, curating a warm and hospitable environment where meaningful connections can thrive.
Prior to his current roles, he served as an urban missionary and church planter in Chicago, directing a multi-site urban church planting network across the Midwest. His diverse experiences within the Foursquare church for 20 years combined with his educational background, and his experience in the local church have shaped his passion for driving Gospel liberation and fostering a sense of community particularly among those who have lost trust in the institution of the church.
our new Co-op Pastors
Tasha Mitchell (she/her) was born and raised in a sunny beach community in Southern California but has since lived all across the U.S. She is a two-time alumna of Howard University, where she earned a B.S. in Psychology and an M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology.
While she has developed her professional career primarily in child advocacy and public service, she has also served in church leadership since she was 16. In yielding to her pastoral calling, Tasha completed her M.Div. at Vanderbilt Divinity School with a triple concentration in Religion and Economic Justice, Spirituality and Social Activism, and Black Religion and Culture Studies.
She is currently a Ph.D. student in the Pastoral Theology, Personality and Culture program at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Pastor of Discipleship and Connection at NewStory Chicago, and a counselor at Relational Insight, Inc. Tasha seeks to develop her craft as a public theologian and pursue Jesus-centered, justice-seeking, and community-driven ministry that is inclusive, ethical, equitable, relevant, and sustainable. Her approach to faith and ministry incorporates Black, Womanist, Queer, Liberation, Progressive, Orthodox, and Charismatic theological frameworks, and she is ordained through The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries (TFAM).
Tasha moved to the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago, IL in August 2021 and has since fallen in love with the area. She enjoys traveling, being outdoors, entertaining, music, good cuisine, cooking, and sports (esp. football - SKOL!). It is worth noting that Tasha is a Chicago Sky season ticket holder and an avid supporter of the WNBA. She is also a fanatic of one-on-one coffee dates and all things DIY. 1w2-SP/SO (Enneagram), Life Path 6, and ENFJ (Myers-Briggs).