Matt’s Blog

Writing for a safe, sacred space.

Latest Posts

Browse the archives of the blog or check out the latest posts and videos below.

Subscribe

Stay up to date on the latest posts and upcoming events. Subscribe now!
#10YearChallenge

#10YearChallenge

I’ve never been one to stand on the sidelines, especially if there’s a bandwagon to jump on. So here’s my contribution to the #10YearChallenge. 2009 was a good year in many ways. I had just started my new job as worship pastor at Redeemer Covenant Church in...

read more
Gay God Love Year

Gay God Love Year

A few weeks back, I wrote about why my identity as a gay man matters—-even in church, maybe even especially in church. I'm glad that I was able to find the words and that they resonated with so many of you. It led to some good, healthy conversations on Facebook and...

read more
We Get It, You’re Gay

We Get It, You’re Gay

includer © David Hayward aka The Naked Pastor Purchase a print here. I recently got some feedback about my ministry from someone who used to go to my church. He basically said "I don't want to hear that Matt's gay every Sunday." Oof. I'll admit it. That hurt a little...

read more
Deeply Christian and Profoundly Gay

Deeply Christian and Profoundly Gay

It's National Coming Out Day, and I have been doing a lot of thinking about my identity. For many, many years I tried to deny a central part of myself, and when I finally came out publicly in 2016, it was really important to me to "live in congruence with reality."...

read more
Not a Good Look

Not a Good Look

This is not a good look for The Evangelical Covenant Church. It's fascinating for me to watch all of this from the outside. I DEEPLY understand all of the perspectives, both conservative and progressive, that surround this issue. I understand the reasons that my...

read more
Meeting Marsha Stevens

Meeting Marsha Stevens

<br /> I grew up listening to this song. It was basically a standard in my family and in the churches in which I grew up. And the more I learn about its writer, the more excited I get to meet her and experience her ministry this afternoon.  "For Those Tears...

read more
“Every gay person must come out…”

“Every gay person must come out…”

June is always an important month for LGBTQ+ people, a chance for us to celebrate the beauty and diversity of our community and to fight against oppression and injustice in all areas of our lives. It's also a time for queer people to come out, to speak our truth into...

read more
One Spot Left

One Spot Left

Last night I spent a couple of hours with six men from all over the United States and Canada. Such a diversity of age, family, career, faith backgrounds, financial situations and life experiences. The one thing they all shared in common? They are all gay men who, for...

read more
#UnchangedLGBTQ

#UnchangedLGBTQ

I'm delighted to be featured as part of Q Christian Fellowship's #UnchangedLGBTQ series this week. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to publicly thank four people who made such a difference in my life. So much love to you, Justin Lee, Fred Harrell, Annie...

read more

Subscribe

Get my new posts delivered right to your inbox, and stay up to date on coming events and other news.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Latest Posts

Check out what I've been writing about recently.

A Plain Reading of Romans 1

A Plain Reading of Romans 1

I've spent much of my Saturday talking with Christian fundamentalists on Twitter who are telling me I can't be a gay...

2021 in Review

2021 in Review

It's become a tradition of mine to look back through my Instagram on New Year's Eve and reflect on the past twelve months....

Pray Away

Pray Away

Before I started "Pray Away," the new Netflix documentary about conversion therapy, I dug out my journal from the fall of...

Spiritual Direction & Support Groups
“Spiritual direction—also called spiritual companionship—explores a deeper relationship with the spiritual aspect of being human. Simply put, spiritual direction is helping people tell their sacred stories everyday.”

Liz Budd Ellmann, MDiv, former Executive Director, Spiritual Directors International

I am honored to serve as a spiritual director through The Christian Closet, offering web-based counseling, coaching and spiritual direction for LGBTQ Christians.