Matt is a husband, father, and friend. He's also a speaker, coach, pastor, leader, and teacher. He has been involved in leadership and pastoral ministry for three decades and trying to figure out what it means to be a human being for a bit longer.
He is the Founder and Principal of THRIVE – a speaking, teaching, and coaching initiative that focuses on engaging men and women to be fully alive to the glory of God in every arena of their life, journey, vocation, and culture.
Some of the seeds of the vision for THRIVE were planted years ago when Matt studied at L’Abri in Huémoz, Switzerland with Francis Schaeffer, who introduced him to the writings of the late Hans Rookmaaker, an art historian known for proclaiming, “Jesus didn’t come to make us Christian; Jesus came to make us fully human.”
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Matt Heard
The components of THRIVE involve…
…speaking and teaching in a variety of churches, organizations, business, and conferences;
…facilitating group “THRIVE Experiences” to process and engage with the wholistic scope of the Gospel and what it means to flourish as human beings in all of life;
…coaching individuals and teams about the core components of what it means to flourish and thrive for God's glory and our fulfillment and effectiveness;
…consulting with leaders in both ministry and corporate settings;
…writing – much of the foundation of THRIVE can be found in Matt’s book, Life with a Capital L: Embracing Your God-Given Humanity.
MATT’S BACKGROUND…
Matt is a Bible teacher for Key Life Network, the nationally syndicated radio program and podcast with Steve Brown, and he is a member of the Faculty and Board of Reference for Summit Ministries.
He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of International Arts Movement and IAM Culture Care which exists to “cultivate human flourishing by deepening Faith, mending Brokenness, and growing Beauty” — with Mako Fujimura. He is on the Board of Overseers of Restoration Church in Denver and a former member of the the Board of Trustees for Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global).
Previously, he has served as the Lead Pastor of Northland Church; the President of The Gathering USA in Orlando; and the Senior Pastor of Woodmen Valley Chapel in Colorado Springs for twelve years.
Late last century (which sounds historic or just plain old), his vocational roles included being the pastor of single adults and evangelism at Moody Church in Chicago, the founding pastor of Park Community Church in Chicago, the senior pastor of Sunshine Community Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the President of Vantage Point Forum in Grand Rapids. He also was the first Executive Director of the Greater Orlando Leadership Foundation (now Lifework Leadership).
Originally from Monroeville, Alabama, Matt has a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College, a Master of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary, and has also studied at Wheaton Graduate School in Illinois, L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland, Fackelbararnas Bible Institute in Sweden, Capernwray Bible School in England, and two years of undergrad Pre-Law at Samford University in Birmingam, Alabama.
He’s also a member of FlyFishersAnonymous — he can’t provide any other information on that one, but he is haunted by waters.
Matt and his wife, Arlene, are the privileged parents of three amazing adult sons and two incredible daughters-in-law — Andrew and Jenna, Joel and Mary Rachel, and Stephen. He and Arlene share their home base between Colorado Springs and Orlando.
MATT’S GIFTING
As a speaker, Matt seeks to articulate — in a comfortable, clear and compelling manner — truth that doesn’t just inform but fuels and motivates Life-giving transformation in practical ways.
As a writer, he wants his words to engage a person on both a head and heart level as they grapple with real-life, daily experiences of Truth, Beauty and Goodness. He desires to invite a reader to linger with his or her own thoughts about what it means to understand their purpose, potential, and calling, and thrive as a human being created in God’s image.
As a teacher, he has a passion to move beyond religious and spiritual games and engage with the core of Christ's Gospel message and God's Life-giving Word in ways that are both authentic and substantive — rooted in the historical faith while also aimed at our Monday morning realities.
As a coach, leader, and mentor, he enjoys serving with his big-picture and leadership skills by listening to peoples’ individual and corporate journeys — whether in business or ministry settings — reminding them of their core values, synthesizing pivotal issues and opportunities, and then dreaming strategically about paths of personal and organizational change.
As a human being, Matt appreciates great friends and meals, books and art, music and movies. He’s a sports nut, a passion that includes golf, Scuba diving, and being a diehard fan (he loves the Denver Broncos and Auburn Tigers, and, after the 2016 World Series, finally completed a long-term-counseling situation due to being a fan of the Chicago Cubs). He enjoys fly-fishing, skiing, and hunting in the Rocky Mountains and also loves to ride — either a horse or his Harley.
And whether standing in front of people with a microphone or in a trout stream with a fly rod, whether sitting around a dinner table with friends or serving a need in his city, he — most of all — loves exploring and experiencing Christ as Way and Truth but also as Life, and inviting other people into that Journey.
Matt is on Facebook and LifeWithACapitalLBook and his sons wonder if he'll ever get serious about Twitter ( @mattbheard ), but at least they finally talked him into recently taking the plunge into Instagram (mattbheard).