Matt Chandler has been one of the most well-known American pastors for the last decade. His sermons are some of the most streamed across all platforms, his books have sold well nationally and globally, and his church has over 10,000 attendees every Sunday. So what makes Matt Chandler such a dynamic pastor?
What Is Matt Chandler Known For?
Matt Chandler is the head teaching pastor at The Village Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He is also the executive director on the board for the Acts 29 Network, a church planting ministry.
Important Events in Matt Chandler’s Life
Chandler was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1974. Since his father was in the military, he moved often—from Michigan to California to Texas. In Texas, he played on the high school football team. One of his teammates shared Jesus Christ’s message of repentance and forgiveness with him. Over the next year or two, Chandler read the Bible and went to church, yet challenged the beliefs of Christianity before finally becoming a Christian.
After high school, he was a janitor at a Christian school. He was asked to share his testimony at a high school chapel service and was offered a position as youth pastor at a modest Baptist church. Eventually, he attended and graduated from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. After being involved in several local ministries, he started an itinerant ministry speaking around the county.
In 1999, Chandler married his wife, Lauren. They have three children together.
In 2002, he accepted a position at Highland Village First Baptist Church, which became The Village Church. It had 160 attendees. Twenty years later, it has 14,000 attendees spread out over multiple campuses.
In 2012, Chandler became president of the Acts 29 Network, a ministry that helps plant churches throughout the world.
What Are Matt Chandler’s Main Themes?
As a pastor for over 25 years, Chandler has spoken and written on various topics. Below are a handful of common themes that reoccur in his sermons and books.
Chandler is a Calvinist and believes in Christian hedonism, a term crafted by pastor John Piper. In Piper’s book Desiring God, he describes this doctrine as teaching that the main goal of humanity is ‘God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.’ Chandler often references this and cites John Piper as one of his biggest influences.
Chandler has also spoken publicly and quite passionately about abortion. He references baby sucking their thumbs, dreaming, and avoiding pain while in the womb as evidence of their humanity. He also asserts that humans shouldn’t have the power to determine if someone is less than human, like the Three-Fifths Compromise during American slavery.
Chandler challenges the Village Church to be “gospel centered” through worship, community, service, and discipleship. He places a large focus on Scripture, something that wasn’t at the church when he first started. He believes the Bible to be life-changing and sufficient, essential to understanding the Gospel and pursuing God well. He encourages his congregants to read the Bible daily, take notes, meditate on what they read, pray, and apply what they have read.
Chandler also focuses on humanity’s sin—the main sin being anything put before God. However, Chandler is quick to stress that God’s forgiveness and reconciliation are manifested through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Lastly, Chandler has spoken and written on issues of race within the church. He has called out the American church for largely refusing to address race and racial reconciliation issues. He emphasizes that our inheritance as a church is the violence, murder, and crime plaguing America. He states that it’s the church’s responsibility to call out racism and to bring healing to the church and the world. The people of God should bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the wounds of racism and not just snipe on social media.
5 Inspiring and Challenging Quotes by Matt Chandler
“The marker of those who understand the gospel of Jesus Christ is that, when they stumble and fall, when they screw up, they run to God and not from him, because they clearly understand that their acceptance before God is not predicated upon their behavior but on the righteous life of Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death.” — The Explicit Gospel
“Most people are pleasant when the world is going the way they want. But a person’s character can be seen most clearly when the brokenness of the world has invaded his or her peace, when the way he or she thinks things ought to be is interrupted, disrupted, and dismantled.” — The Mingling of Souls: God’s Design for Love, Marriage, Sex, and Redemption
“Heaven is not for people who just want to skip hell. Heaven is reserved for those who love Jesus, who have been rescued by Him and who long to praise Him.” — Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church: The Jesus-Centered Church
“Yes, there is good news amid all the confusion surrounding romance, marriage, and sex. And it’s actually found in the first sentence of the Bible: ‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.’ That simple yet profound statement gives us the authoritative lens through which to see the world. The universe that you and I inhabit was created and ordered and is sovereignly governed by a good Creator-God. One of the implications of this truth is that there is now wisdom woven into the very fabric of life, that if submitted to, makes ‘life to the full’ possible.” — The Mingling of Souls: God’s Design for Love, Marriage, Sex, and Redemption
“The engine that drives sanctification is a knowledge of the justifying, adopting work of Jesus Christ and His life, death, and resurrection.” — “Interview with Matt Chandler,” Crosswalk.com
Great Books by Matt Chandler
Chandler has written several books individually or with collaborators.
He has solely written two Bible study books for Lifeway—one on the book of James (2018) and one on the Apostles’ Creed (2017). He has also written:
The Mingling of Souls: God’s Design for Love, Marriage, Sex, and Redemption (2015). Referencing the Bible’s The Song of Solomon, Chandler speaks on God’s plan for love and intimacy and lays a foundation for dating—attraction, courtship, and marriage.
An Even Better Christmas: Joy and Peace That Last All Year (2018). Chandler focuses on the real reasons for Christmas—not the food, commercialism, and family—but the joy and peace of Christ here on earth and for eternity. He wants this book to be an opportunity for Christians to refocus and as a tool to reach out to non-Christians as well.
He has co-authored the following books:
The Explicit Gospel (2012) with Jared C. Wilson. Chandler and Wilson focus specifically on what’s most important: the salvation of Jesus Christ—something often lost as churches largely focus on being good and not bad.
To Live is Christ to Die is Gain (2013) with Jared C. Wilson. Chandler and Wilson base their writings on Philippians, one of the apostle Paul’s letters in the New Testament. They invite their reader to consider what an authentic, mature faith in Christ looks like - pursuing, knowing, and loving Jesus—and that every aspect of one’s life should be centered around Him.
Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church (2012) with Josh Patterson and Eric Geiger. Chandler, Patterson, and Geiger stress the church’s lifeblood has always been the Gospel—and Christians need to be steeped in the Bible to apply it.
Take Heart: Christian Courage in the Age of Unbelief (2018) with David Roark. Chandler recognizes that the church is becoming marginalized in the West and believes that is a good thing. He sees this as fertile ground for Christianity to grow and thrive, but the time will need Christians to be courageous, compassionate, confident, full of conviction, and dependent on God to do so.
Family Discipleship: Leading Your Home Through Time, Moments and Milestones (2020) with Adam Griffin. Chandler and pastor Adam Griffin encourage the reader to take the time and find moments to disciple their families. They offer very doable Scripture-based plans and ideas to help mentor one’s children in the love of Christ.
Recovering Redemption: A Gospel Saturated Perspective on How to Change (2014) with Michael Snetzer. Chandler and counselor Snetzer use Scripture to help the reader discover how God made humanity and that the root of all problems starts with the heart. Because of God’s sacrificial love, readers can grow in confidence and contentment and see real, lasting change in their lives.
Joy in the Sorrow: How a Thriving Church (and Its Pastor) Learned to Suffer Well (2019) with various collaborators. Drawing on his battle with brain cancer, Chandler presents the Scriptures on how suffering fits with God’s character and intentions. He offers practical advice on how to deal with suffering and help those suffering. He offers the testimonies of those from his church, Village Church, who remained joyful amid their suffering.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/kasto80
Nate Van Noord is from Detroit, MI, a graduate of Calvin University, and has taught high school history for many years. He loves to bike, run, and play pickleball, has been to about 30 countries, and is a three time winner of NPR's Moth Detroit StorySlam competitions.
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