leadership

TriStar Church is elder-led, following the biblical leadership model designed for the church’s benefit.

Our elders provide spiritual guidance and oversight, meeting the qualifications outlined in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Their primary role is to shepherd the church spiritually (1 Timothy 3:5) by:

Setting church policy (Acts 15:22)
Overseeing the church (Acts 20:28)
Ordaining leaders (1 Timothy 4:4)
Teaching, preaching, and providing direction (1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:12)
Encouraging and correcting through Scripture (Titus 1:9)
Leading by example (1 Peter 5:1-3)

Our elders regularly meet to pray and provide spiritual oversight. They serve as volunteers, with the Lead Pastor as the only paid staff elder.

We invite you to pray for our elders by name throughout the week. Your prayers are one of the most powerful ways to support and encourage their leadership and love for our church family.

Originally from South Alabama, Matt felt a strong calling to ministry early in life. In 2019, he and his wife, Carmen, felt led by God to launch a new church committed to living out Jesus’ mission for the Church as outlined in Matthew 28. With the support of Fellowship Church and the Koinonia Network of Churches, TriStar Church was born.

Before founding TriStar, Pastor Matt served for nearly 15 years at Faith Promise Church, a multi-site church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Prior to that, he served at Valleydale Church in Birmingham, Alabama. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion, with minors in Greek and Hebrew, as well as Adolescent Faith Development, from Samford University in 2003. He later earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 2009.

Matt and Carmen were married in 2007 and have one daughter, Elin. Outside of his role at TriStar Church, Matt is also involved in real estate investing and serves as a Communications Coach with Scorre Conferences.