Presence Over Platforms with Lachlan Jones, The Gathering
In this episode, Host Pedro sits down with Pastor Lachlan Jones of The Gathering in Tweed Heads to talk about the unexpected journey that led him from building houses to pastoring a thriving church community.
Lachlan shares that he never dreamed of becoming a pastor. A carpenter by trade, he imagined a future running a building company and surfing on the weekends. But God had other plans. Through years of faithfully serving in youth and worship ministry, Lachlan began to sense a deeper calling. What started as quiet desires eventually turned into a clear conviction: God was inviting him into full-time ministry.
One of the defining moments came on a job site. Frustrated that doors into ministry weren’t opening, Lachlan found himself complaining to God. In that moment, he had a supernatural experience where God shifted his perspective: ministry isn’t about a position, it’s about people. That heart-check prepared him for the pastoral path ahead.
For the past 14 years, Lachlan has been leading The Gathering. He recalls how an encounter with God in 2016 completely reshaped his view of church. Instead of chasing “cool” programs and growth, he realised the highest calling is ministering to the Lord first, then to the people. That shift birthed a model where The Gathering alternates between large services and small home gatherings. what Lachlan calls “church on and church on”.
The conversation also digs into:
Friendship in ministry: the joy and pain of building authentic relationships as a pastor.
Unity in the city: why collaboration between churches requires humility, not competition.
Redefining “pastor”: moving beyond titles to embrace the gifts within the body of Christ.
Suffering and compassion: out of personal tragedy, The Gathering launched Beautiful Crazy, a charity delivering care packs to families in ICU wards across Australia.
Throughout the episode, Lachlan emphasises that church is not a building or a program, it’s a people saturated in God’s presence, learning to love one another, and serving their city with open hands.
“If Christ is not our main pursuit as pastors, we’ll lead people to programs instead of to Him. The goal is always His presence.” - Lachlan Jones
This conversation is a powerful reminder that the Church isn’t built on strategy alone - it’s built on surrender, presence, and unity.