The Village Church Matt Chandler
Giving up in life is never an option but we have all one point in our lives contemplated giving up. Learn about The Village Church Matt Chandler, Is Matt Chandler still pastor of the Village Church? and more in this article. A leave or two about church growth can be gleaned as well from this article.
Matt Chandler is the lead pastor of teaching at the Village Church- a Southern Baptist church in Flower Mound, Texas. He is also the executive director of the board of the Acts 29 Network.
Matt Chandler Early Life
Chandler was born on June 20, 1974 in Seattle, Washington. Matt father was in the military, causing him to move several times. The family resided in Olympia, Washington; Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; Alameda, California, and Galveston, Texas-mainly as a result of Matt’s father’s work. Matt was a member of the high school football team while in Texas. He fondly shares the fact that Jeff Faircloth, a football teammate, was quick to share the good news of Jesus with him in a way that intrigued Chandler. Matt attended church gatherings, opposed the beliefs, raised questions, and doubts against Christianity before deciding to accept the teaching of Christianity.
Matt Chandler Education and Career
Following high school, Chandler acquired his first job, as a janitor at Pine Drive Christian School in Dickinson, Texas. Chandler first spoke in front of a crowd when he was asked to share his testimony at a high school chapel. He was then offered a job as a youth minister at a small Baptist church in La Marque, Texas, at the age of 18. Matt relocated to Abilene, Texas. He attended Hardin-Simmons University. Matt lead the weekly Grace Bible Study at the Paramount Theater during his days there. He earned a Bible degree from Hardin-Simmons University. In 1996, Matt was hired by Beltway Park Baptist Church under pastor David McQueen. Matt began a non-profit called Waiting Room Ministries in 1999 with close pal Shane Barnard. Matt dropped out of seminary classes twice because he thought he has acquired enough tools already in bible school.
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The Village Network and Acts 29 Network
A woman on the board of his non-profit organization suggested that Matt submits a résumé at Highland Village First Baptist Church. Matt had not expected to get the job as a result of contradictory beliefs. He was nonetheless offered the job to his dismay. He accepted the position in 2002. The church had an attendance of 160 people at that time. Now known as The Village Church, has transformed into a multi-site megachurch with over 14,000 attendees. Matt says his character was partially molded by John Piper. Matt was named president of Acts 29 Network in March 2012. He stepped into the shoes of Mark Driscoll who had helped found the network of church planters but was later removed for a pattern of “ungodly and disqualifying behavior”. Acts 29 Network is a partnership of church plants that has grown to in excess of 400 churches in the United States and around the world. He is an elder and the lead pastor of teaching at The Village Church, which is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and consists of a single campus called Flower Mound. The Village Church deems itself to be “gospel-centered” church. Their mission statement goes: “At The Village Church, the means by which we will pursue the glory of God in the making of disciples is four-fold: gospel-centered worship, gospel-centered community, gospel-centered service and gospel-centered multiplication. The church has an average growth rate of over one thousand people per year. Chandler believes the growth after his arrival helped him to make many changes, including switching to all male eldership.
Matt Chandler Personal Life
Matt got married to his wife Lauren in 1999. The couple have three children together. He had a seizure in November 2009. He was later diagnosed of anaplastic oligodendroglioma- a malignant tumor.