Matt is a husband, father, and friend. He's also a speaker…writer…teacher…and consultant. He has been involved in leadership and pastoral ministry for three decades and trying to figure out what it means to be a human being for a bit longer.
His vocational roles have included being the pastor of single adults and evangelism at Moody Church in Chicago, the founding pastor of Park Community Church in Chicago, and the senior pastor of Sunshine Community Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has also been a leadership consultant and was the Executive Director of the Greater Orlando Leadership Foundation (now Lifework Leadership).
Most recently he served as the senior pastor of Woodmen Valley Chapel in Colorado Springs for twelve years. During that time, the church took innovative steps in establishing a multisite approach to ministry, embracing the arts and cultivating creativity, and also launched groundbreaking initiatives toward community involvement through forging partnerships with local government, nonprofits, and other churches to serve the homeless, those in need, and the oppressed – locally and also around the world.
He is currently on the Board of Directors of Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global; reachbeyond.org) and the International Arts Movement (internationalartsmovement.org) with Mako Fujimura (fujimurainstitute.org). He is also a member of the faculty and Board of Reference for Summit Ministries (summit.org).
Originally from Monroeville, Alabama, Matt is a graduate of Wheaton College and Reformed Theological Seminary, and has also studied at Wheaton Graduate School in Illinois, L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland, Fackelbararnas Bible Institute in Sweden, Capernwray Bible School in England, and two years of Pre-Law at Samford University in Birmingam, Alabama.
“Matt Heard is one of the most effective communicators for the Christian faith today. He is authentic, relevant and solid on biblical principles. He does a terrific job of taking real-life experiences and drawing extraordinary lessons from them. You walk away knowing more and feeling inspired.” Jim Daly, President, Focus on the Family
"As one who has observed and even trained hundreds of speakers, I can say with confidence that Matt Heard is one of the most exceptional communicators I have ever heard. His ability to hold an audience and drive home truth with power and focus is without parallel.” Ken Davis, Speaker, Author, and Humorist & President, Dynamic Communications International
"Matt Heard is one of the most gifted communicators and Bible interpreters in the country. I love listening to this master story teller. I always learn something I didn't know and sense God's winsome call to come closer to Him." Dr. Joel C. Hunter, Senior Pastor, Northland - A Church Distributed
"I've worked with nationally known pastors and conference speakers for 25 years. Matt Heard is consistently among the highest-rated by event attendees. I believe he is one of the most gifted communicators of biblical truth that you'll find today." John Ashmen, President, Association of Gospel Rescue Missions