Rev. Matt Abel
Discipleship & Family Ministry Pastor
Hello! Thank you for taking the time to hear some of my story. I moved to Canton from Kentucky in the fall of 2023 to join the best team in the world! I’ve been married to Carolyn since 2019 and we have a son, Frankie, and two rambunctious dogs, Rae and Zuko.
I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior in July of 2007 while attending church camp down the road from my childhood church. Like most people my experiences of church were mixed, some were great, and some were not, so by the time I was wrapping up high school and heading to college I wasn’t sure I wanted anything to do with church anymore.
Then, in the fall of 2013, I began my freshman year at Lindsey Wilson College. Lindsey is a small, private, Methodist college in south central Kentucky. At Lindsey I quickly encountered a tight-knit community of believers my own age who were authentically living out their faith in community together. They weren’t perfect, but also didn’t pretend to be, and it was in this environment that I recommitted my life to Jesus and accepted a call to ministry.
As I further discerned my call I fell in love with Methodist theology and sensed a call not just to vocational ministry but specifically to pastoral ministry. During the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college (2015) I was appointed to serve 2 rural churches in southern Kentucky. Since then, I have pastored in communities around Kentucky, completed an internship as a Chaplain at the Cincinnati VA, earned my MDiv from Asbury Theological Seminary, and been ordained deacon and elder in the GMC. I count it a major blessing that God has now led my family to be part of Canton First!
My favorite part of ministry is helping people grow in relationship with God. Spiritual formation happens to all of us, but my calling is to help people think intentionally about their spiritual formation and grow in holiness of heart and life as they live into the God created purpose for their life.
In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, playing board games, hunting, hiking, cooking, good coffee, and aspiring to be a backyard homesteader.
I’d love to grab coffee with you and hear more about your story sometime!
-Matt