Matt Smith

Lead Pastor

Pastor Matt and his wife Alison were married in 2008, and together have five children: Isaac (born September 2011), Noah (born April 2013), David (born April 2015), Leah (born April 2019), and Anna (born May 2021). Pastor Matt has served as the Lead Pastor of Lebanon Baptist Church since January 2017. Since coming to Lebanon the church has grown to over 550 covenant members with an average Sunday morning worship attendance of 425. During this time the church has added several other staff members who have been instrumental in the health and growth of Lebanon. Pastor Matt’s desire is to lead the church to be on a mission for Christ by making disciples who make disciples to impact our neighborhood and the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ for the glory of God.

Pastor Matt’s interests are church health, evangelism, preaching, leadership, and vision casting. He is an avid reader, but also enjoys playing basketball and spending time with his family. His favorite sports teams are the North Carolina Tar Heels, the Dallas Cowboys, and the New York Yankees.

Pastor Matt also currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Piedmont Baptist Association. Additionally, he leads a group of pastors monthly in a Church Revitalization Cohort through the Piedmont Baptist Association and North Carolina Baptist State Convention.

Some of Pastor Matt’s favorite books include:

  • The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges
  • Holiness by J. C. Ryle
  • Power Through Prayer by E. M. Bounds
  • Living by the Book by Howard Hendricks
  • Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 by John Maxwell
  • A Vision for Preaching by Abraham Kuruvilla
  • An Invitation to Biblical Preaching by Donald Sunukjian
  • Leading Church Revitalization by Mark Hallock
  • Advanced Strategic Planning by Aubrey Malphurs
  • Re:Vision by Aubrey Malphurs
  • Sticky Teams by Larry Osborne
  • First Things First by Stephen Covey
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen Covey

Pastor Matt also serves as an Adjunct Professor and the DMin Director at Piedmont Divinity School of Carolina University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he teaches:

  • Evangelism
  • Leadership and Vision Casting
  • Critical Issues in Ministry
  • Spiritual Discipline and Development
  • Church Revitalization
  • The Strategic Ministry Leader
  • Principles and Strategies for Church Revitalization
  • Addressing Challenges in Church Revitalization
Pastor Matt’s Education Includes:
  • Doctor of Ministry in Church Health, Leadership, and Multiplication, Dallas Theological Seminary (2020)
  • Master of Arts in Christian Leadership Studies, Liberty University (2013)
  • Master of Arts in Biblical Studies, Carolina University (2009)
  • Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies, Carolina University (2007)