Matt and his wife, Katie, have seven children: Mary Elisabeth (14), Sarah Kate (12), Ben (11), Joe (8), Stephen (6), Andrew (4) and Austin (2). Matt was born and raised right here in Palatka, FL. He grew up going to church and even served in church, but didn’t put his faith and trust in Jesus as Savior until age 16. It was at that time he understood the Gospel of Jesus Christ and trusted in His atoning sacrifice for his sins. Shortly after that, he knew he wanted to spend his life serving the Lord in ministry. Matt graduated from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA in 2005 with a degree in Worship and Music Ministry. In 2009, he completed a Master of Arts in Religion at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.

Matt served as the worship pastor at Osborne Baptist Church in Eden, NC from 2005 to 2012. He then joined the staff of Murdock Baptist Church in Port Charlotte, FL as the worship pastor from 2012 to 2017. It was during this time that God began to grow Matt’s heart towards discipleship for believers inside the church, but He also began to grow in him a burden for the lost outside of the church. In 2017, God called he and his family to move to Utah to be missionaries. While they were there, Matt became a high school music teacher.

After serving 5 years there, God called the Huntleys back home to Palatka, FL where Matt served as the part-time youth pastor here at CIMC, while teaching Social Studies at Interlachen Jr./Sr. High School. In May 2023, after nearly one year, God called Matt to be the senior pastor. Matt is passionate about connecting people to God in a personal way and considers it a great honor to serve the congregation of CIMC.

I was raised in a Christian home, actually a home where my father was a pastor. I grew up in the church and was involved in the music ministry at an early age. I felt the Lord calling me into the music ministry in 1976. I graduated from Stetson University, Deland, Florida, with a Bachelor of Music Education in 1980 and received a Master Of Church Music from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, in 1982. I have served churches as a Minister of Music/Senior Adults in Texas and Florida. I married my wife, Lawana, in 1972. We are really enjoying serving the Lord through Christ Independent Methodist Church. We began our ministry at CIMC in 2010. We look forward to what the Lord has in store for us and our church in the future.

Bio:

Bio:

Youth Pastor:  Bro. Matt Huntley