Pastor of Preaching / Staff Elder
I have been in pastoral ministry since 2000 and was ordained in 2004. At TMBC, my main focus is on the ministry of the Word. I do the majority of the preaching Sunday mornings and much of the teaching at our Wednesday Night Equip Bible Studies. I oversee leadership development, walk alongside the ministry leaders, and do my best to shepherd the congregation alongside the rest of the elders.
B.A. Political Science from UCLA
M.Div. from Talbot School of Theology
Th.M. in New Testament from Talbot School of Theology
PhD in Church History from Fuller Theological Seminary
The Lord saved me from a very early age and I am grateful for that. I grew up in a solid, Christian home as the third of four sons of Rev. Joseph and Suzie Matossian. I married Nora (nee Chavdarian) in 2005 and we have two children, Ara and Kaira.
Since childhood I felt a particular call to be actively engaged in Gospel ministry. Though my path to seminary took a brief detour through a short stay in Law School, I always knew that the Lord had gifted and called me toward pastoral work. He has given me a love for people, a desire to see lives changed, a heart that breaks over the fallenness of this world, and a passion for preaching and teaching His precious Word which brings life.
I love spending time with my family, I enjoy being with my church and friends; I enjoy reading theology, history, and almost anything else but I can’t do fiction (except maybe a Russian novel here and there); I play sports whenever I can, including soccer, basketball, and tennis; in recent years, I have gained a real love for morning walks, during which I spend time in prayer.
I have always enjoyed reading R.C. Sproul, whose The Holiness of God is one of my all-time favorites. The works of J.V. Fesko, Sinclair Ferguson, and recently Meredith Kline have really helped me grow in various ways. I love Church History and enjoy reading biographies. Seeing how the Lord worked in people’s lives in various ways throughout the centuries is always an encouragement to my soul.
Obviously every Word of the Bible is glorious, but one passage that pushes me as a pastor is Colossians 1:28-29—Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
