Matt Warren

The Grove Church contacted Matt in 2003 to serve as the Youth Pastor.  In January 2007, Matt was named as the Interim Teaching Pastor.  After serving in the interim capacity until August 2007, by the recommendation of the elders and the confirmation of the church body, Matt became the Teaching Pastor of The Grove Church.

Matt’s desire is to teach and model the truth of Scripture as he leads the local body of Christ at The Grove Church.  Along with that, he has a goal to build a healthy church that focuses on Jesus’ mandate of “making disciples.”  Ephesians 4:11-13 says, “And he gave . . . pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

How did you become a believer? 

I was raised in a home where we moved a lot up until my 5th grade year. I actually attended five different schools through my elementary years. This impacted our church life in a significant way because we never really got plugged in with a church consistently. My parents are believers and made sure we were influenced in our faith. Unfortunately, in 5th grade, I had an experience based on my knowledge of the truth of the Gospel. I knew the facts but had not surrendered to Christ and was baptized as a result. This gave me a false understanding of my faith in Christ.

Throughout high school, I found security in comparing my morality to others and I counted myself as not as bad. Again, this gave me another false sense of my security in the Lord. During my college years, the Lord allowed me to encounter my depravity in a number of circumstances. When I came home after my sophomore year, my dad met with me and began to weep over my sin and the direction of my life. Mike Simonson, my youth pastor, Chuck McCalister, my pastor, and a friend, Eric Reed, as well as my parents were faithful to love me and share the gospel of God’s grace with me. Through their faithful witness and the Holy Spirit’s pursuit of me I surrendered to Jesus, knowing that my sin was what he was crucified for.

Tell me about your family:

I have been married to Katie since 1993. We have three children, Christian, married to Anna Grace, Rebecca Bates, married to Blake, and Julianna. We love to be together in a variety of ways. We play games, boat, hang out on our back deck, and invest in each other by attending one another’s events. We love being together and encouraging the things that God is doing in each of our lives.

What is your educational background?

I attended Bryan College, where I met Katie (Christian and Rebecca are both “Bryanites” as well). I earned a BA in Christian Education. Then I attended Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, where I earned an M.Div. I am currently working toward my Ph.D. at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. At the bottom of this page, you’ll see a button to “Moments With Matt – The Online Journal of Matt C Warren” where you can read details from my Ph.D. courses and more of my personal beliefs.

What book of the Bible is dearest or most meaningful to you? Why? 

Pressed into a corner on that question, I would say Ephesians. It is doctrinally rich in every area and practical for one’s life too.

Is there one person in your life (past or present) who has influenced you the most spiritually? 

Eric Reed is the living person who I actually know. He has mentored me since I came to Christ and has modeled a ton of things with grace and wisdom. The next question hits the people I don’t know but have influenced me spiritually.

Who are some of your favorite theological authors? 

Get ready for a long list . . . John Owen, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Piper, John Frame, Charles Spurgeon, Stephen J. Wellum, R.C Sproul, John MacArthur, A.W. Pink, C.S. Lewis, Iaian Murray, Thomas Kidd, etc., etc., etc. (LOL!)

What non-biblical book has influenced you most deeply? 

It is too hard to narrow it to one, so a short list is in order. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis, Biographies on Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Metaxas, C.S. Lewis by Alister McGrath, and Bold Love by Tremper and Longman

Do you have a favorite fiction author? 

Several: Tolkien, Steven James, Andrew Peterson, Stephen Lawhead

What book would you recommend for each the following: 

• Prayer: Praying Backwards by Bryan Chappell; A Praying Life by Paul Miller
• Marriage: This Momentary Marriage by John Piper
• Biblical Interpretation: Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul; Linguistics and Biblical Interpretation by Cotterell and Turner
• Parenting: Parenting Adolescents by Huggins

What are your hobbies/interests? 

Music, reading, guitar, soccer, and time with my family.