ministry and leadership
PASTOR
Matt led revitalization in two churches in California. He was senior pastor of the Orland Evangelical Free Church (1999-2011) and Chico’s Living Hope Fellowship (2011-2019). In the middle of the COVID-19 lockdown, he drove with his family across the U.S. to become lead pastor at Towamencin Mennonite Church near Philadelphia, PA (2020-2022). He is now lead pastor at Bethel Grove Bible Church in Ithaca, NY.
TEACHER
Since receiving his Ph.D. in Christianity and the Arts from Southern Seminary in 2017, Matt has taught at Cornerstone Seminary, George Fox University, Corban University, and Western Seminary. In 2021, he developed online courses for Corban and Western in Theology of Worship, Advanced Preaching, and Jonathan Edwards. He also began teaching at Cairn University.
FOUNDER
In the early 2000s, Matt led the establishment of Oak Tree Christian School, a K-8 school that is now Providence Christian School in Orland, CA. In the same period, Matt led the founding board of WestHaven Assisted Living in Orland. In Chico, he helped start Grace House, a residential ministry for men transitioning back into life after drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
writing and scholarship
2022
“The Pretense of Artistic Autonomy” in Apologetical Aesthetics, ed. Mark Coppenger, from Wipf and Stock.
2020
“On Moral Agency: Jonathan Edwards and Arthur Schopenhauer,” presented at the Evangelical Theological Society National Conference.
2019
“A Rational and Spiritual Worship: Comparing J. S. Bach and Jonathan Edwards” in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.
2018
Contributor to A Skeptic’s Guide to Arts in the Church: Ruminations on Twenty Reservations, ed. Mark Coppenger, Wipf and Stock.
“Who Cares If You Compose? Evangelicals and New Art Music” in the Augustine Collegiate Review.
2017
“Abstraction in J. S. Bach’s Chaconne: A Model for Reconciling Artist and Audience Today,” Ph.D. dissertation at Southern Seminary.
2015
“The Painter and the Tree: A Biblical Rationale for Visual Art” in Caesura—Journal of Philological and Humanistic Studies.
2009
The Diversity Culture, a book on evangelism from Kregel.
2008
Fallen: A Novel from Kregel, later translated into Dutch.
performance
2001 - 2019
Matt performed in the 1st violin section of the North State Symphony under founding music direction Kyle Wiley Pickett and his successor Scott Seaton. Based in Chico and Redding, CA, the orchestra has performed major works by Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, Igor Stravinsky, Alban Berg, and Aaron Copland. The NSS has also premiered works by Lowell Liebermann and Libby Larsen.
2017 - 2019
With the Uncle Dad’s Art Collective in Chico, CA, led by Josh Hegg, Matt performed in a cover show of The Beatles’ Abbey Road, and two shows featuring local bands and songwriters called “Small Town, Big Sound.”
2004 - 2019
Matt played in a variety of performances at California State University, Chico. He performed regularly at the Composers’ Symposium led by David Dvorin. He was concertmaster for shows like The Music Man, Oklahoma, and A Little Night Music, as well as operas like Carmen and The Magic Flute. Matt also performed regularly in the Bach Festival under David Rothe and David Scholz. At the festival in 2011, Matt performed J. S. Bach’s “Chaconne” for solo violin (BWV 1004).