Leadership

Pastors & Staff

Ryan Burgess

Lead Pastor

Before coming to Fort Walton Beach and serving as the Lead Pastor with Gathering Church, Ryan has served in various ministerial positions in Texas. Most recently he has served as an associate pastor with a church plant in Fort Worth, TX. Ryan has a Master’s in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In his free time Ryan enjoys exercising, playing sports, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Eddie Fontanez

Care Pastor

Eddie has been in ministry for over 40 years. After pastoring in Oklahoma for 32 years, working as a hospice chaplain 5 years in Arizona. In 2022, Eddie and his wife,
Adriana, moved to Fort Walton Beach to serve at Gathering Church. Eddie has 3 grown children. When Eddie has free time he enjoys reading, fishing, and enjoying beach time.

Elder-led Plurality

The Gathering is Jesus’ church. The Bible teaches He is the ultimate Shepherd of the Church Universal, and its local expressions. It also teaches God’s design to place a plurality of called, capable Pastors to oversee His local churches. These Pastors share equality and jointly labor together to faithfully shepherd matters pertaining to the whole of the church. Amongst this plurality is a lead Pastor, who will take a leading role. The Lead Pastor is often spoken of as a first amongst equals, likened to James in the Jerusalem church. Elders may be vocational edlers or lay elders. Our eldership consists of men who are called to shepherd and who meet the requirements of 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.