John Allen
Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church of South Haven, Valparaiso, IN
I have known Evangelist Matt Barber since his days in college and watched him through his years in ministry. Matt is an able expositor of the Word of God. He is a man of ethics in his ministry and integrity with his family. At heart, Matt is an evangelist, with a heart for preaching the Gospel and seeing revival in the hearts of God’s people. I am happy to recommend him to your church.
Dr. John Van Gelderen
Evangelist, Revival Focus Ministries
Evangelists specialize in the gospel. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone—and so is sanctification and service. The gospel exalts Jesus as the Savior from sin and judgment and lifts up the Spirit of Jesus as the leader and power source for new life in Christ. I’m thrilled that Matt Barber is entering full time evangelism because he understands and preaches the full message of the gospel of grace. I’ve known Matt for years. He displays a sweet spirit and is a great thinker. I’m looking forward to hearing of God’s blessing on his new phase of ministry.
Daryl York
Pastor, Brentwood Baptist Church, Des Plaines, IL
I’ve known Brother Matthew Barber for several years, while he pastored Woodridge Baptist Church. During that time, I had the privilege of hearing him preach on a few occasions and was always blessed and challenged by it. When I heard that he was going into evangelism, I knew I wanted him to come preach to our church.
We had the privilege of having Evangelist Matthew Barber and his family at our church for special meetings in June, 2022. His sermons were very applicable to everyday living, well prepared, Biblically sound, presented in a way that related well with our folks, and obviously Spirit led. His time as a pastor has given him insights into the issues that many people struggle with throughout life, and he has approached them with Biblical solutions.
While he was preaching to our adults, his wife directed a children’s ministry, for which she is well gifted. Even his children were involved in ministry that week, thus his whole family served the Lord together.
I would recommend Evangelist Barber and his family to you and your church, without hesitation.
Tom Brennan
Pastor, Bible Baptist Church, Dubuque, IA
It has been my pleasure to know Bro. Barber for many years now. I have seen him in good times and in bad. In all that time, I have found him to be strongly dedicated to loving the Lord and warmly desirous of following Him in all things. He is a careful student, a clear thinker, and a passionate deliverer of the Word of God. His loyalty to the Lord is absolute. His love for his family is exemplary. His ministry will edify, equip, and encourage you.
Dr. David Myers
Director, Association of Independent Baptist Churches of Illinois
It has been my privilege to work with Pastor Matt Barber in the state of Illinois. He has faithfully pastored Woodridge Baptist Church for many years. He has led his church out of financial debt and has seen it grow and become a stable work for God. Matt has a very balanced understanding of scripture and would be a great help and encouragement to any church and pastor that would have him.
Scott Barber
Pastor, Bible Baptist Church of Hilton Head
It is a great blessing to me to recommend Evangelist Matthew Barber to your church. As his father, I have watched God’s hand be upon his ministry down through the years. He grew up in a preacher’s home and family, so he knows the joys, burdens, and experiences of local church ministry. During his Bible college years, God used him powerfully in outreach and on ministry teams. I saw God’s gift of evangelism early on in his ministry, demonstrated by his love for God’s Word, a zeal for souls, a burden to edify the saints, and a clarity in understanding and making Bible truths clear in his preaching.
As the pastor of Woodridge Baptist Church, God melded in him the gift of the evangelist with the heart of a pastor/shepherd, and Matthew has been used greatly of the Lord in that church in growing, building, and maturing the saints, and in reaching souls for Christ.
Matthew has consistently shown wisdom and discernment beyond his years. Pastors, you can trust Matthew in your pulpit. He will be an encouragement to you and a help to your people.
God has given Matthew a wonderful wife, Chelsey, and five precious children. As a pastor’s wife, Chelsey has assisted Matthew in music, ladies’ and children’s ministries, and all other aspects of ministry. They will be a help and blessing as they serve the Lord as a family.
The challenges we feel in our local churches in this present day and hour are great! God-called, Holy Spirit-empowered evangelists bring fresh vision and clear insight to help us in this work. I am happy to wholeheartedly encourage you to prayerfully consider bringing in Evangelist Matthew Barber to your church.