In January of 2018, Elders Roger Simmons, James Legg and Delmar Linderman started meeting with a group of men from the Elgin, IL area every Sunday morning.  These three ministers would later form the first Board of Directors (Leadership Team) for The New Gathering.  The attendees were acquaintances of Elder Simmons, and the initial meeting places were in businesses who would donate spaces for this purpose. There were typically ten (10) to twenty (20) men in attendance. Elder Simmons referred to those meetings as “the gathering,” and they served as the foundation of what would later become The New Gathering. 
Given that beginning, The New Gathering essentially started as a “home group.” Neil Cole, the author of Organic Church, would no doubt describe those gatherings as being a “home group” as well as being an organic church; a natural, healthy organism.  This was a group of people gathering on Sunday mornings to discuss life issues within the context of the Word of God, e.g., dissecting a word of scripture and applying the teaching to circumstances of life.  
The intent was to grow faith where life happens.  Essentially following the lead of Elder Simmons who had a vision for what it could become. He saw a need and he laid the groundwork for making it happen. It was a healthy and productive period of time for the people who attended.  

A few months later, a smaller group began meeting in homes until one of the local businesses (Administer Justice) opened their office space to us.  We met in that facility until the Covid Pandemic and the protocols that were put in place made it necessary for us to begin meeting via Zoom.  We did that for several months, until we sensed a need to modify our venue to more closely resemble a traditional church setting without losing the intimacy of a small group. 

One member of our group, Elder Ron Thomas, donated space on his property in West Dundee, IL for the church to meet.  Subsequently, we started meeting in this small space that we refer to as “The Chapel.” That began on November 1, 2020. Our church gathers every Sunday morning at 9:00 AM.  We currently social distance, wear masks, worship, fellowship and engage with the Word of God.

Elder James E. Legg was appointed the Senior Pastor in January, 2021.

As is consistent with many Christian churches, our mandate is to go into all the world and preach the gospel, e.g., the good news of Christ, and making disciples of all nations. Consistent with that mandate, our mission is to make disciples and that is our focus.  

The New Gathering is unique in many ways. Our mission field is intentionally cross cultural, e.g., multi-ethnic, and includes the unchurched; anyone who may not know the Lord, and/or anyone who does not have a church home. We welcome anyone who desires to understand the Word of God, and in the process discover the love of God, why it looks the way it does, and how to embrace that love.  

Our services are also unique. Sermons and messages are interactive. We attempt to engage the mind as we proclaim the Word of God. We endeavor to help believers (and unbelievers) embrace the Word of God in an intimate setting where they are encouraged to go as deep as they desire to go. We also interact with each other in fellowship and intercede for each other in prayer.  In other words, we attempt to demonstrate the love of God as we interact with and as we engage the world. 

The New Gathering is an Illinois not for profit entity and became a federally recognized IRC Section 501(c)(3) in August 2019.