Question: How old is Saint Matthew’s Churches?
Answer: The original church was founded in 1951, when fifteen born-again church members from many denominations met daily, for close to one year, to lay the foundation for an interdenominational church. Their vision was to establish a church that would welcome men and women of all faiths, even those who had no church affiliations.

Question: What religious denomination is Saint Matthew’s Churches?
Answer: Saint Matthew’s Churches is an ecumenical church. Ecumenical means that we welcome people of all faiths, and that we are in line with the instruction set forth in Isaiah 56:7 which says, “For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.” This Scripture and others make it clear that God’s house of prayer is not limited to Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Catholics, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Episcopalians, or Full Gospel Churches. Thus, regardless of who the individuals might be, or the religious denomination they may belong to, even if they have never been inside a church before, we welcome them and their family the moment they walk into a Saint Matthew’s Church. We consider these dear people as our brother or sister.

Question: What does membership in Saint Matthew’s Churches cost?
Answer: Absolutely nothing. Even if a person never contributes to the church offerings, they are still one hundred percent welcome.

Question: What if there is no Saint Matthew’s Church in the city where one lives?
Answer: Saint Matthew’s Churches’ Mother Church is in Houston, Texas. If someone lives in the area or ever visits the area, we invite them to join us for service. However, if there is no Saint Matthew’s Church near them, we recommend that people ask friends or family about the churches they attend. Also, one can check the Internet to find a good Bible-believing church. Near most residences, there are many wonderful pastors and churches where an individual or family will be welcomed with open arms. Attending services for a few Sundays at several churches, will allow a person to know if they like what they see, hear, and feel. We encourage everyone to be sure that the Bible is preached as the Word of God in any church that they may attend. Remember that children learn from three institutions: the Church, the Home, and the School. Thus, it is important to have children in a good Bible-believing church.

Question: How would Saint Matthew’s Churches explain to a person that they can be saved and begin a personal relationship with the Lord?
Answer: Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:13 says, “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” When most Bible-believing ministers share with people how to be saved, they usually share three main steps. First, we need to consider our life and then turn away from everything that is contrary to what God wants. Turning away from selfishness and toward the Lord is called repentance (Matt. 3:7-10, Acts 3:19). Second, acknowledge that Jesus Christ died on the Cross to forgive our sins. We must ask Him to cleanse us from sin, as the one who was our substitute and who paid the price due for our sins, and then tell Him that we accept Him as our Savior (Rom.5:9). Third, ask Jesus to be the Lord of our life, acknowledging openly and verbally that Jesus is our Savior and Lord (1 John 2:23).

When we open our heart and receive Him, He comes into our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit and begins to live His life in us. When this happens, the Lord will give us the assurance that we are His and indeed saved. If someone has never invited Jesus to be Lord and Savior, they might pray the following prayer, and if they mean it, they can begin to experience the peace and joy of being saved. Heavenly Father, I believe and confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Your Son, the Savior of the world. I believe He died on the Cross for me and bore all my sins, paying the price for them. I believe and confess that You raised Jesus from the dead. I ask You to forgive me, and to come into my heart today. I trust You and Your Word that I belong to You. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Question: Does Saint Matthew’s Churches have partners in ministry?
Answer: Yes, for many years, Saint Mathew’s Churches has had a Bible-based program. This program is about members taking God as their partner and sowing seeds of faith for their harvest: spiritually, physically, emotionally, and financially (Phil. 4:19, Gal. 6:7, Mal. 3:10,3 John 2, Luke 6:38, John 10:10). This stewardship program helps Saint Matthew’s Churches carry out the mission of winning lost souls to Christ and preparing people for Heaven. The program is based on the biblical principles of tithes and offerings, and on the principles of sowing and reaping (seed and harvest). Saint Matthew’s members are encouraged to include God in their finances by sowing seeds of faith: giving to the church regularly in obedience to the Scriptures. Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given…” (Luke 6:38).

Regardless of religion, all houses of worship, must meet their financial obligations or close their doors. Saint Matthew’s Churches believes that it is “More blessed to give, than to receive” (Acts 20:35). James the Apostle wrote, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights…” (James 1:17). Thus, we believe that financial abundance and growth are good gifts and ones that God wants the church to enjoy. Likewise, we believe that God wants His children to enjoy His bountiful harvests. Saint Matthew’s stewardship program is a way for its church members from all over the nation to take God as their partner in life. Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). We believe that the offering one gives or sows as seeds of faith, is between the person and God. Saint Matthew’s never tells our members what to give when they become seed harvest members. Nor does Saint Matthew’s sell anything. All our books, Bibles, literature, magazines, and so on are given away free of charge.

Since the foundation of Saint Matthew’s Churches in 1951, we have trusted God to provide the means for printing and publishing the Gospel according to Mark 13:10. God has sent us dear, Bible-believing partners who walk by faith to join Saint Mathew’s stewardship program, through which they include God in their finances. The church receives many letters from its members reporting all kinds of spiritual, physical, and financial blessings, which grew because of faithful sowing of seeds according to this biblically based plan. The church has literally thousands of unsolicited testimonial letters about the blessings received by Saint Matthew’s members. We thank God for each of our partner’s prayers and for their offerings, which help us spread the Good News of a loving Savior, who is holding out His hands to a lost and dying world.

Question: Does Saint Matthew’s Churches believe God still heals today?
Answer: It is important to understand that we believe God still heals today, but it is God who heals, not any person. At Saint Matthew’s Churches, we do not claim to be able to heal anyone, but we humbly give thanks to God who still heals in answer to the prayers of His people. The Bible, the history of the Church, and the countless testimonies of believers, bear witness to the healing power of God. The Bible teaches us that God is a healer, “For I am the Lord that heals you” (Ex. 15:26). The Scriptures also teach us that “Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing every sickness and every disease among the people” (Matt. 9:35). The Bible goes on to tell us that Jesus commanded His disciples to “Heal the sick that are there, and say to them, the Kingdom of God is come near to you” (Luke 10:9).

As we move from the Gospels to the history of the early church, we see miracles of healing being manifested. “Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength” (Acts 3:6-7). The history of the church is filled with testimonies concerning the power of God and testimonies of healing. The anointing with oil is rooted in the admonition in James 5:14, which says, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” In addition to the Bible, and the history of the Church, countless Christians have shared testimonies of how the Lord has touched and healed them. There appears to be four main ways in which God heals: 1) through the skill and science of doctors; 2) through the prayers of Christians; 3) through the clergy of the church and 4) through the gifts God has given the church. We must emphasize again that God is the only one who does the healing, not any person or minister.

Question: Does Saint Matthew’s Churches teach that God still hears and answers prayers?
Answer: Saint Matthews Churches prayer letters inspire believers to pray. The prayer letters are an instrument used to teach that God still hears and answers prayers! Saint Matthew’s mail sermons have been an inspiration to many Christians. Believers around the world have a deep hunger to learn how to pray and want to know that their prayers will be answered by God.

The Holy Scriptures are filled with teachings about prayer. The Bible is not a book of philosophy or reasoning but is a book about faith and prayer. The Word of God sets before us a simple yet profound truth, that there is a God who has revealed His will to us in His infallible Book. Based on biblical principles, Saint Matthew’s Churches teaches that God delights to answer prayer.

The Bible gives us many great and exceedingly precious promises about what God will do for those who come to Him in prayer. His Word clearly gives the conditions for receiving things from God, as seen in the following passages. The Savior said, “Ask, and it will be given to you” (Matt. 7:7) and again, “Ask, and you will receive” (John 16:24). So, a large portion of prayer is asking, and an answer to prayer is receiving. Saint Matthews prayer letters provide motivation for people to ask the Lord for help. In answer to prayer, God miraculously intervenes in human affairs and changes things, people, weather, circumstances, health, even to the point of working miracles.

For many Christians, including Saint Matthew’s Church members, a part of prayer is a very simple and blessed matter of going to God daily for what one needs and desires. Our prayer letters can help to make prayer even more special. Getting a prayer answered is to experience fullness of joy, because of what God has done for us. Jesus promised in John 16:24, “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” At Saint Matthew’s we encourage everyone to seek the will of God as it is revealed in God’s Word and then pray in agreement with His will. We also encourage use of the Saint Matthews Church prayer rug while looking to faith for an answer to prayer. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

Question: Does Saint Matthew’s Churches teach and publish that God really loves us?
Answer: If one thing is certain at all, it is that the Bible teaches us that God loves every single human being. Regardless of who we are, or where we come from, or what we have done, God loves us. He has revealed His love for all of us in the sending of His Son Jesus Christ. Read these comforting verses of scripture that are written to inform us as to the reality of God’s love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is Love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). These verses of scripture were not written to simply be viewed as verses in a history book; they are from the Bible, which is the inspired Word of God. Someone once said that the Bible is God’s love letter to a lost world. These scriptures have been given so that we will know in our hearts that God loves us. This is central to our beliefs.

Question: Does Saint Matthew’s Churches reach out to those who cannot attend a public worship service?
Answer: In addition to holding church services, Saint Matthew’s Churches for many years has had a vision and ministry to reach out to those who could not attend public worship. Saint Matthew’s ministry has not only had corporate worship, but also has reached out to those who could not attend a normal church service. They accomplish this goal through their gospel sermons and prayer letters sent by mail. Saint Matthew’s believes God’s church includes the sick, the disabled, and those without transportation, who cannot get to a church building.

Ministering with compassion, Saint Matthew’s tries to give hope to the hopeless, and strength to the weak through prayer letters, sermons, and messages of love from the Bible. Those who can’t get to church for whatever reason, can still find closeness with God and peace in their hearts as they mail their prayer letters to the church. Those who are facing struggles can still have their faith strengthened by reading the gospel sermons in our church prayer letters, which are regularly sent to them by mail, and at times by email.

Saint Matthew’s ministers are dedicated to reaching out in love to people who are seeking prayer through our church letters. We welcome those who want to experience the ministry of the Gospel through our church prayer letters. These letters are based on the teachings and promises of the Bible. In our prayer letters, we let people know that they don’t have to send any money. Whether individuals give or not, the church will always pray that each person’s prayers will be answered. These prayer letters and mail sermons are all free and are mailed out to those who can’t come to one of Saint Matthew’s Church services.

Question: Does the Internal Revenue Service recognize the tax-exempt status of Saint Matthew’s Churches?
Answer: The Church was granted tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service in 1977, which was affirmed by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in 2000. Not only did the Court determine that the Church was tax exempt under 26 U.S. C. Sect. 501(c)(3) (i.e., that no part of the Church’s net earnings were for the private benefit of any person), but also that its activities were exclusively religious. The Better Business Bureau recognizes that the Church is tax exempt.