This is a lovely church. I found the priest to be friendly, as well as the ushers and…read moreparishioners. The ground are beautiful and peaceful. There are nice places you can sit in quiet to pray and reflect. This isn't my home church; I was here for a holy day of obligation, so I'm happy to be able to say that as an outsider, the church and its people made me feel like it was my home church.

Super happy with my church. Father Charlie did a great job reaching out to our community. Because…read moreof his work alongside his staff, they grew this church in faith, love, and people! I'm so proud to be a part of this community.

I attended both the St. John location and the Travis High school locations for some of 2016 and…read moremost of 2017. I was invited by some old college friends to attend and was very impressed with the amazing production values, the good coffee, the occasional donut/cupcake/macaron breakfast, the organized MC community, and the kind folks that make up Stone's attendees. New to Austin, I dove right into the MC groups and attended regular volleyball sessions, bible studies, dinners, and other fun social activities. So why the 1 star review? Everything about the church worship, from the sound systems, the lights, the stage design, the live bands, is amazing. But when I learned more about the MC missions, and the head pastors' theology, I realized that the organization was selling a false narrative to lure in young impressionable Austinites. Austin Stone's theology is extremely homophobic and xenophobic. Matt (the head pastor) holds ultraconservative views on women, race, sex, and lgbtqia. In most of the sermons of 2017, Matt would time and again point out that women were to act in service to men. Matt stated that abortion was murder, and that both husband and wife and all who assisted or approved of terminating pregnancies should be stoned to death as the bible reads. Matt preached that MCers that go out to foreign nations to convert them, should remember that ultimately they are Americans, and should not be swayed or misled by the "tempting vices" that other cultures exhibited. Matt preached that "true marriage" was only between a man and a woman. And that anything else was simply a sham ruse and perversion of God's divine mandate. If you are someone who cares about diversity, equality, and inclusion, then avoid Stone and get the heck out of dodge. They may have decked out churches, coffee, and amazing sound systems, but their theology is wack. Yelp took down my original review per Stone's media team's request and asked that I write a more specific review of my experience. I have done so here.

http://austinstone.org/campuses/stjohn…read more This campus is a great location and offers services at 9:15am 11:15am 5pm 7pm Church for morning or Sunday evening service.

The people and the pastor are welcoming. The church is beautiful. They truly respect the reverence…read moreof the service, and I like how much they respect the Word of the Lord. If you arrive late or if kids go to the bathroom right after arriving while the readings are happening,, the ushers make you wait to enter until after the Gospel so the pastor, lectors, and people don't get distracted by late arrivals. Parents with small children also have the chance--if their kids are crying--to step near the baptismal font to calm them down and still listen to what the priest is saying. I love it here!

It is always discouraging to see families with young children remaining outside the service,…read moreespecially when attendance is not particularly crowded. Churches are meant to be places where people of all ages feel welcomed and included. A dedicated nursery, children's space, and live-stream option would allow parents to care for their children while still participating in worship, this way also helps elderly, homebound, sick, and disabled members stay connected. Providing these options would make the parish more accessible and welcoming to everyone. In my own experience here, I have struggled to feel the sense of welcome, support, and belonging that I hope to find in a healthy church community. As someone who is new to Elgin, I have felt more judged than understood while navigating the challenges of everyday life. As a mother, I have often wished for greater compassion, patience, and understanding. I no longer feel comfortable asking questions here because I was previously misunderstood rather than guided. Church should be a place where people can grow in their faith while feeling encouraged, supported, and cared for. My hope is that the parish will start seeking ways to foster a more welcoming and compassionate environment for families, newcomers, and all individuals who come looking for spiritual guidance and community.

When I reported the blatant discrimination against my children as well as children with…read moredisabilities at this PCA Church, the elders (Marcio, Steve, David, Gilbert), congregants (Jeannette, Carla, Dorothy, Melissa and many others who wrote positive reviews for this church in order to defend their own comforts and positions of power), as well as regional leaders turned on me and some wrote me nasty messages. Elders showed up at my house to rebuke me and lie about what happened. They told me I violated Matthew 18 by writing a letter to the pastor (rather than showing up 1-on-1) and that I "oppose scripture." The head of the head of the PCA in the south told me, "we're allowed to discriminate against anyone we want to because there is no law against it. The church is exempt!" This is not the love of Christ, these are false teachings . . .

Amazing church with caring and compassionate leaders. The church is welcoming to outsiders and has…read morea contemporary feel without the glitz and glamour of some places and definitely preaches solid truth from the pulpit. I have known the pastor and elders for years and they are well respected and men of great integrity.

Open and affirming group of friendly Christians. You are not judged or told what to think. It is up…read moreto you to read, study, and pray, then lead the life you choose. Many activities and opportunities are presented as you are warmly embraced by this caring community. Communion every Sunday is open to all who believe. You do not have to be a member of this congregation or denomination to partake in communion with Jesus the Christ.

God is good ya'll. Very friendly, family-oriented congregation here.read more

I typically watch Life.Church sermons online and really feel connected to what Senior Pastor, Craig…read moreGroeschel, has to say. I had no idea there was a location in Austin until Pastor Craig gave a shoutout to Austin. Crossing the river is a trek, but for God, I decided to make the sacrifice as he's always done for us. As expected, there was church coffee, friendly faces, and uplifting worship. But the record scratch moment? When the campus pastor walked in, gave an introduction and then asked us to turn our attention to the screen where we'd be watching today's recorded sermon from you know it, Pastor Craig. I get that church is about community, but driving 52 miles (and paying tolls) just to watch a recording I could have easily accessed online... definitely makes me reconsider. Side note: the coffee served is Starbucks and weak, bring your own!!

Love this place! Great community, so warm and welcoming, awesome worship, and convicting messages…read morethat always point back to God's word! Give this place a try!

The Pastor is great, but his wife is very rude. No kidding, she came up to me so friendly and when…read moreI told her who I was there with, her face just changed and she became so cold and rude. My young son asked me "what is wrong with her?" Get a poker face lady, you were so rude.

My mother Betty A. Jacobs attended your church for over 50 years. Mother tithed and gave offering…read moreeven before feeding her own family. I remember many dinners of beans and potato's because mother needed to pay her tithes to the church first! Her life was not easy. She Passed away 1/6/2024. It started out with the pastor Schule's wife making some very bad assumptions when my mother had Dementia and Alsheimer's. Instead of doing this in a private setting she did it at a birthday party. Mother was very ashamed of her diagnosis and begged us not to tell anyone about it. Well, my child was forced to say something when Schule's wife was so insistent that my mother was in danger. My sister and I called the church requesting a call back. This call was NEVER returned. Mrs. Schule's, If you were so concerned about my mother why did you NOT pick up the phone to check on her? Why did you not get the authorities involved if you really had concerns? My mom was very well taken care of for the past 4 years as her memory faded and didn't always remember who I was or where she was. I called several times requesting prayer. Those calls were never returned either. So, came the time of her death. Moms LAST WISH was to have her service at Promiseland. That was her home for over 50 years and she PAID her dues there. My sister and I could not take a breath trying to get mom's service scheduled. Only to be told that Promiseland had to put it on the agenda in their next meeting to decide if they were able to offer the church or services to honor our mother. 12 days after mom's death we got a call saying that Promiseland decided that we could use the church to honor mother. We respectfully declined. We never asked for anything FREE. We were very willing to pay the church for the time that we used it. But, a time limit was put to 2 minutes if anyone wanted to share a memory and we would have to turn in what was being said before the service. This is wrong in so many ways. Brother Phillips would have had NO Meeting!! The answer would have been YES right away. He would be ashamed how this family was done by the church. Karen Phillips Thank you for your calls. They meant the world to me. They helped me get through the first few days after moms death. Your parents were loved by mom! Even with her Dementia and Alsheimer's she watched the services for your parents online. Thank you for watching mom's service. That meant alot to us. Darleen Wirasnik Crews, Susan Wallingsford, Julie Parish, I understand you were not able to travel to West Columbia for moms service. But, we want to thank you for watching it online and showing up to lay her to rest at the cemetery. Mom loved the 3 of you!! Our Angels were Brother and Sister Johnson of Lighthouse UPS Church in West Columbia Texas for calling North Carolina and Praying momma's lasts prayer on this earth with her. They prayed my momma into heaven. They opened their church to us to Honor our mother and they will always be LOVED for that. They even drove to Austin to lay mom to rest in her final resting place. They accepted NO $$!!! This is what a preacher does. This is what a church does. Momma was not even a member there. Don't do this to your members and their families at the hardest time of their lives. You only made this harder on our family and we were NOT able to honor mom's last wishes. We tried hard. If you do not allow this post. I will get my message across for my momma!! I will walk back into Promiseland 1 more service and I will be heard! Other than that NONE of our family will ever step foot in that church again!! YOU DID MY MOMMA WRONG and you have alot to learn from BROTHER Kenneth Phillips!! Let him lead you because you are NOT doing it right!! In the end you will answer to god! The family of Betty Jacobs Daughters: Chris Tidwell and Janice McConnell

I've been the bassist and now drummer for this church how awhile now and my family have been…read moreattending since well before I came along. Y'all come and fellowship with us!