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...

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...

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."...

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...

Sometimes I can’t believe the places I find myself. God keeps opening doors that I never would have even imagined walking through. This afternoon I spent time at the Ralston White Retreat Center with my new friends CJ, Leah, Sylvia and the...

<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...

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...

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...

What a beautiful man. Cleve Jones co-founded The San Francisco AIDS Foundation and came up with the idea for the AIDS Memorial Quilt. He is a pioneer for LGBTQ+ people and an absolute hero to me. In the final chapter of his autobiography, When We Rise, he writes, “It...

Throwback to little Matt enjoying the swimming pool. I wasn’t thinking about whether I was too fat or whether it looked gay to hold my hands in a particular way. I was in the moment, enjoying the water and the sunshine and the love of my family. Maybe this is when...