Pipkin new pastor at Bethany Eagle's Nest Community Church

Suzanne Nolan Wisler, The Monroe News
·2 min read
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FRENCHTOWN TWP. — When Pastor Louie Barnett retired from Bethany Eagle's Nest Community Church, Pastor Matthew Pipkin took his place.

But, Pipkin, who grew up in Monroe County, is not new to Bethany. He's been worshipping there since 2008. Last year, he started preaching at the church.

More: Pastor Louie Barnett retires after 45-year ministry

“In August of 2023, I was invited to preach at Bethany and, by October of 2023, I accepted the call of the church to be the next pastor,” he said.

Pipkin graduated from Airport High School in 2002. His father, Charles, was pastor of Evergreen Acres Missionary Baptist Church and Unity Missionary Baptist Church.

Pipkin
Pipkin

"Shortly after graduation, I enlisted in the Army, and I was stationed in Korea and Fort Hood, Texas. I was deployed to Iraq during the 2006-08 Operation Iraqi Freedom Campaign. I was discharged in 2008 and returned to Monroe, where I continued to work for the Army as an Army Acquisition Civilian," Pipkin said. "Our family was attending Grace Baptist in Canton prior to coming to Bethany."

Before ministering at Bethany, Pipkin was a deacon and preacher at The River Bible Church in Rockwood. He also had served as a deacon and speaker at Southpoint Church in Trenton.

He earned a bachelor's degree in Biblical studies from Colorado Christian University. Currently, he's working on a Master of Divinity degree from Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary.

Pipkin said he wants to equip saints and help Christians develop a deep understanding of scripture.

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"To glorify God, equip the saints and to be about the master’s business through the thorough exegesis and proclamation of the holy Scriptures," Pipkin said. "The 17th century Puritan Richard Baxter pastored a church at a time of transition in English Protestantism known as the English Reformation. The people who really suffered the most during these struggles were the everyday churchgoer, who, through political battles, lost their depth of the Scripture and sense of community.

"Baxter noticed this and set out to change his community by pastoring his church well, with sound doctrine and theological training at a personal level, writing a near how-to manual for pastors in the process. There is a shallowness to evangelicalism in our modern society. I hope to foster a deeper understanding of how Christians are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed by the Scripture alone, all for the glory of God alone."

— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Pipkin new pastor at Bethany Eagle's Nest Community Church