Need a Guest Preacher in Indiana?

In case you hadn’t figured it out already, my name is Matt. I live in the Indianapolis area and am available for pulpit supply in central and southern Indiana. I love being able to serve the Church by filling in as the need arises.

If you’re interested in having me serve as a guest preacher one Sunday, please feel free to contact me.

I just can’t stop preaching

Joseph Willis and The First Great Awakening by Randy Willis

From Santa Claus, Indiana, to Muncie, and various points in between, I’ve had the honor and privilege of serving as a guest preacher, sharing the gospel message throughout this fine State. Church circles refer to this activity as ‘supply preaching’ or ‘pulpit supply.’ I don’t really like those terms because…well…much like the word ‘transubstantiation,’ nobody really seems to know what ‘supply preaching actually means. So I generally refer to myself as a guest preacher.

It’s time to start preaching again because I can’t stop. Seriously. I’ve tried. I’ve wanted to give up preaching before. I promise. But I keep going back and doing it again and again and again. I just can’t stop because I believe God has given me something to say.

If I remember correctly, one of my great-great-grandfathers* was an itinerant preacher who traveled the countryside and shared the message with area churches. So I guess you could say I’m following in the footsteps of a man I’ve never met, passing on the Light that has been passed on to me.

As you probably know, I spent four-plus years as the sole staff member in a small rural church in Indiana. I know what it’s like to try to find a substitute for a Sunday morning. It can be stressful to find someone to preach in your stead while you’re taking your family on vacation or to visit extended family out of town. I consider it a blessing to be able to help relieve some of that stress on pastors who usually have far too much stress and unrealistic expectations bearing down on them anyway. I guess you could say it’s a way I can minister to those who are ministering.

I think the most exciting thing about guest preaching has been to spend time with other believers from around the State. They’ve been an amazing encouragement! I’m looking forward to what God has in store for us as He continues to write His next chapter through my life.

Where I'll preach in Indiana

If you know of any churches within less than two hours of driving from Indianapolis (this isn’t a hard-fast rule. I’m willing to make exceptions), it would be awesome if you’d have them look me up. No church is too small or too big. I would love to share God’s Word with them!  I have a few samples of some of my messages available on this site.

*I’m really not sure how many “greats” this grandfather is, so I settled on great-great. I’m sure you understand. 

This is an excerpt from a post I published on my personal blog a few months ago. I believe it is worth sharing here because it gives you a chance to understand my heart and see why, as the title suggests, I just can’t stop preaching.

Bengal INDIANA, not Bengal India

Due to the unpredictability of Indiana weather, I took the first couple of months off from preaching. I didn’t want to commit to preaching somewhere only to cancel on them because of precarious road conditions. Then Christy had her surgery and I had chosen not to preach during that time so I could be home while she recovered. I guess you could say I had a little preaching sabbatical. I enjoyed it. But I’ve discovered something during  this break from preaching.

I just. can’t. stop.
Sign and bell at Bengal Christian ChurchSo I was excited to be able to worship with the good people of Bengal Christian Church, just outside of Franklin, Indiana. It was a privilege to be able to provide pulpit supply, filling in while they continue their search for a pastor. They said they’ve received quite a few resumes, including a few from some people who apparently think they’re located in India. 🙂

The message was about failure and forgiveness. I recounted the story of how Jesus reinstated Peter in John 21, focusing on how the grace of God is so amazing that it can turn our brokenness into something whole and beautiful and wonderful. It’s such an amazing story with so much packed into it. In fact, it’s slowly becoming one of my favorite stories in all of Scripture.

I had a great time with everyone at Bengal Christian Church and am thankful for the opportunity to share with them.

I Fixed the Glitch

I fixed the glitch! :DI just discovered a technical glitch on the “Contact Me” form.

It has been corrected. Sorry for any confusion!

Thanks for understanding.

Traveling Light (Genesis 11:27-12:4)

Click here to listen to the sermon, "Traveling Light"This message was shared with the good people at University Christian Church in Muncie, Indiana. Steve, the Senior Minister at University, has been a good friend of mine since our family moved to Muncie four years ago. I was glad to be able to help him out while he was serving in Mexico on a missions trip.

You can listen to the message by clicking here. If you’d rather read it, the manuscript is available after the jump.

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Looking Upward (Revelation 19:9 & 10)

Augustine of Hippo once said, “A Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot!”

Is that your life? Are you doing what you made to do? We were made to worship.

You can listen to the audio of Sunday’s message by clicking here. Click “Read More” for the manuscript.

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Jonah & Me (The Book of Jonah)

The Book of Jonah is much more than just the story of a man getting swallowed up by a big fish. It’s the story of how we can completely miss the point of what God is doing if we are too focused on ourselves. It’s a reminder of who God is. And who isn’t God.

You can click here to listen to Sunday’s message. If you’d rather read it, the manuscript is behind the jump.

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Lessons From A Roller Coaster (Matthew 4:18-20; John 21:15-19)

Using the life of Peter the apostle as an example, Matt uses the illustration of a roller coaster to describe how following Jesus is worth the cost.

You can read the manuscript behind the jump. Or, you can click here to listen to the message.

 

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Experiencing Technical difficulties

We have been experiencing technical difficulties for the past month. We are doing our best to get the most recent messages online.

Thank you for your patience!

From Ichabod to Ebenezer :: 1 Samuel 7:2-12

It is important for us to look back on our lives and see where God has brought us, remembering the times in our lives where it was abundantly clear that God had intervened. And once we see how far God has brought us, we can continue to look forward and go where God wants to lead us.

Click here to listen to Sunday’s message:From Ichabod to Ebenezer. You can read the manuscript after the jump.

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