Welcome to St. Thomas Church
We're SO thankful you're checking us out! The apostle Thomas (one of Jesus' original 12 followers) is often referred to as the patron saint of doubters. He inspires us at STC. We believe that the God we worship is big enough to wrestle with, to question, to yell at, and to fight with. In fact, the people of Israel got their name by being those who wrestle and prevail with God. We want to live into that tradition, so at STC we welcome your questions and your doubts.
Beyond that, we are about creativity. We are tired of the old, the outdated, and the irrelevant. And we are working to breathe new life into the Church! We are going to do things differently. No more thys and thous -- we want to pray the way people talk. We want our rituals to make sense to our neighbors. So join our effort in helping us do church better. We need you!
Phone
503.662.2948
Location
546 High St NE
Salem, OR
Our Mission
Our mission is to reframe timeless Christian truths & practices in a language and style that makes sense today; and to wrestle honestly with how those truths & practices impact our lives now.
Our Vision
We try to engage with those who have been let down by the Church and invite them home; to develop healthy followers of Jesus; and to transform our neighborhoods into loving, safe, and welcoming communities.
Our Values
We value authenticity, wrestling with God, loving our neighbor, creativity in worship, growing in faith, and remaining rooted to the historic mission of Jesus
Join Us for Our Current Sermon Series:
The Gospel of John has been called a pool deep enough for elephants to swim and yet shallow enough for children to wade. It is a book that can meet us in any season of life and at any depth we will follow it into. Join us in this series as we try to both read John more deeply and with a more expansive view than in any one chapter.
Who are we?
MAT HOLLEN serves as the lead pastor at St. Thomas. Mat has been involved in full-time ministry for 18 years. He studied theology in college and went on to complete a Masters of Divinity from George Fox Evangelical Seminary. Mat worked for the para-church ministry, Young Life, for five years and has a passion for helping people see how compelling Jesus can be. Mat is married to his incredible wife Becca. They live in South Salem with their sons Emmett & Noah, their dogs Zoey & Winnie, and their 35 chickens
Our LEADERSHIP TEAM, which is made up of elected partners from the congregation, serve alongside Mat to guide and support St Thomas in all manner of ways, from updating budgets, to planning events, to accountability, and so much more
But a church is not defined by its pastor; it is defined by its people
St. Thomas is a welcoming and intentionally inclusive community made up of so many incredible people. We are young. We are old. We are wealthy. We are not so wealthy. We are educated. We aren't. We are white. We are BIPOC. We are cisgendered. We are LGBTQIA+, We are married. We are single. We like tea and coffee, beer and wine, juice and milk. We are thinkers, feelers, artists, musicians, teachers, learners, and so much more. We come together often to talk about life, faith, fear, doubt and how they all intersect. Together we do our best to follow Jesus with our whole lives (though we fail often) and together we do our best to be Jesus' body in Salem and in the world. We are congregationally led, with decisions made by our leadership team and our community, Here's what we believe.
Sunday worship is laid back, and opt-in focused. You can join us in singing, participate in a discussion after the message, engage in prayer stations, or do whatever you need to be with Jesus in the way that you need to be with Jesus that day.
What to Expect when you visit
When you visit St. Thomas, we hope, more than anything else, that you feel welcomed and home. When you come to a STC function, you will be warmly greeted and shown around. You may be introduced to some new people. We will worship, with song, art, conversation, community, and authenticity. We will create spaces for questions, and we will honestly wrestle with them right alongside you!
Here's what we're listening to:
We are unapologetically intergenerational and committed to create safe places for people of all ages to move closer to Jesus.
We post a lot of events on our Instagram or Facebook, so if the calendar isn't your style, follow us on there!
Want to Get Involved at St. Thomas?
See What's Coming Up
Give to STC
If you are interested in supporting St. Thomas Church there are three options to do so.
***All donations are tax deductible***
Option 1 :
We offer a children's curriculum every Sunday called, "Godly Play" where kids and wonder together about what God might be doing. Some of your donations go to continuing to develop a space for our kiddos along with the other ministries of this community
Option 2 :
Drop your Check or Cash in the Joy Box located in the Sanctuary at any point during the Service!
Option 3 :
Mail a Check made out to St. Thomas Church to the address:
