Dr. Matt Pearson holds a Ph.D. in Practical Theology with a concentration in Preaching from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He also earned a Master of Divinity with a focus on Expository Preaching from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Auburn University. With over 20 years of ministry experience, Dr. Pearson is a seasoned pastor and theological educator, passionate about helping people know the true God of the Bible and be transformed by His Word.

God called Matt into Gospel Ministry as a high school senior in 1995. Through the influence of a camp speaker and the message of Acts 20:24, he became confident that God was sending him into the local church to proclaim the Scriptures and reveal the reality of God. After spending a year in student ministry in North Alabama, God placed a strong desire in Matt’s heart to serve as a pastor. To prepare for that calling, Matt and his wife moved to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in August 2000.

In April 2001, Matt began pastoring Friendship Baptist Church in Amite, Louisiana, while pursuing a Master of Divinity in Expository Preaching. After completing his MDiv and beginning doctoral work in preaching, God led Matt—along with his wife Katie and their one-year-old son, Luke—to Wynne Baptist Church in Wynne, Arkansas, where he served as pastor from 2005 to 2012. During that time, he transferred to Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee, where he completed his PhD in 2010.

In 2012, Matt was called to serve as pastor of First Baptist Church in El Dorado, Arkansas, where he served until late 2014. That December, Matt and his young family moved to Franklin, Tennessee, where he has served for the past ten and a half years as the Campus and Teaching Pastor of The Church at West Franklin, a regional campus of Brentwood Baptist Church.

By God’s grace, Matt has been called to help the local church truly and authentically know and experience the God of the Bible. Each church he has served has been a meaningful chapter in fulfilling that call.

Dr. Matt Pearson and his wife, Katie, have been married since 1999 and are the proud parents of three children: Luke (20), a junior at Belmont University; Seth (18), a freshman at Auburn University; and Birti (17), a senior at Independence High School. The Pearsons moved to Franklin, Tennessee, in December 2014 and have loved planting roots in this community ever since. A deep love marks their family for Jesus, a commitment to the local church, and a heart for serving others together.