Introducing Mary Frances and Steve Matthews – Our Senior Associate Consultants

We are happy to announce that Mary Frances and Steve Matthews have joined with FaithX as senior associate consultants. Mary and Steve will be working alongside executive director and principal consultant Ken Howard in introducing MapDash for Faith Communities and Strategic Missional Consulting to dioceses and other judicatories around the United States. Mary and Steve are also co-developers of our Mentored Missional Journey program and will be occasional writers for our Faith eXperimental blog.

Mary Frances served three ELCA congregations in the suburbs of Chicago, including a small church turn-around or redevelopment, serving as a discipleship pastor in a large congregation, and a solo call following a mission developer.

Mary then served for seven years as the Associate Director for New Congregations at the ELCA. Most recently, Mary served as program manager on the Episcopal Church’s Genesis new ministry development project.

In addition, Mary opened a yoga studio ministry, Divine Power Yoga, in 2010. Divine Power Yoga provided an opportunity to help people connect body, mind and spirit in an intentional way.

She now offers consulting, coaching, and training for clergy, as well as for denominational bodies and new and existing congregations, through FaithX as well as her own practice, Frances Consulting.

Mary lives in Naperville, IL with her husband, Kent, who is a holistic chiropractor and functional medicine physician.

Email Mary Frances | Book Mary Frances for a call or meeting


Steve Matthews has worked in local churches, served on the staff of the Diocese of Massachusetts, and worked as a consultant for The Episcopal Church (missio:Engage!).

Most recently he served as Executive Director of the South Coast Mission Hub in New Bedford, MA, a collaborative of Episcopal Churches and community organizations working together to build generative neighborhoods through Asset Based Community Development.

Currently he is a consultant and a coach working with redeveloping churches and new missional initiatives.

Steve is also a spiritual director and a writer for The Way of Pilgrimage: An Adventure in Spiritual Formation for the Next Generation (Upper Room Books) and for Devozine (a magazine for Youth and Youth Leaders).

Steve lives in Richmond, VA.

Email Steve Matthews