As pastor, Dr. Matt Brown is centered on the core tasks of ministry: preaching, teaching and pastoral care. A gifted writer and speaker, Matt leads SMPC with grace, humility, a profound knowledge of Scriptures and a quick wit. 

Matt received a Bachelor of Science in business from the University of Missouri, the result of which was “the conviction that he had no business in business.”  So, six weeks after graduation, he was parsing Greek verbs in the hallowed halls of Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA, having sensed that God had a different calling in mind. He went on to receive a Doctor of Ministry from Union Presbyterian Seminary.  

Prior to becoming pastor of SMPC in 2004, Matt served as associate pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC, pastor of Northminster Presbyterian Church in Hickory, NC, and pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Morganton, NC. 

Matt has served as the moderator of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina, and as chair of the Committees of Ministry and Representation in the Presbytery of Charlotte where he is currently a member of the Permanent Judicial Commission. Matt is the author of a novel, Parish, and a collection of Advent Meditations, Odd Moon Over Ballantyne. 

Matt was raised in a small town in Missouri. He and his wife, Donna, have two grown sons, Noah, a surgeon, and Seth, an analyst with the U.S. Department of Commerce. They also have one daughter-in-law – Noah’s wife, Emily. In his free time, Matt loves to run, see a movie, read a good book, listen to jazz music and spend time with his family (he also lists naps as “essential”!).