Pastor Matthew is a native to the southeastern region of the United States—born and raised in the Tennessee River Valley in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. He is currently serving as the pastor of the Knoxville Grace and Lenoir City Seventh-day Adventist Churches in eastern Tennessee and also studying toward a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Religion with a concentration in Theological Studies at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary on the campus of Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Previously, Pastor Matthew graduated in 2015 from this same institution with a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree in Systematic Theology. His undergraduate education was completed at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee; there he earned Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees in Theology and International Studies, Spanish Emphasis, minors in the areas of Biblical Languages and Psychology, and two certifications—one in Ministry and the other in Bible Work. Besides these achievements, Pastor Matthew feels a strong call to share the eternal gospel message of Jesus Christ and the Three Angels' Message of Revelation 14:6-12 through the preaching and teaching of the Word of God.
Pastor Matthew has been happily married to Mariesa (Swisher) Tinkham now for more than nine years. She is a very talented musician and a licensed clinical social worker who is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Some of Pastor Matthew's favorite hobbies and pass-times are reading, biblical and theological research, singing, hiking, backpacking, kayaking, wildflower identification and photography, paleontology, traveling internationally, language-learning, playing badminton and golf, and enjoying my home aquarium. Most of all, he enjoys seeing the lives of people become positively changed by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the Word of God.
To learn more, visit www.matthewtinkhamjr.com.
