By Erik Cave, Director of NextGen Ministries, PacNWC
Enjoy this interview with Mike Matousek, the new Associate Pastor at Countryside Community Church in Sherwood, OR
What is your personal and ministry background?
My relationship with God has always been a centerpiece of my life. I grew up in a Christian family and spent my formative years in a strong church, placing my faith in Jesus in the Children’s ministry program at age 8. My faith needed to grow both in intellectual understanding and in experiential deepening, and my involvement in church and especially in camping provided the setting where my faith flourished over my late high school and college years. God also used significant life events to deepen my faith.
Twice I have felt like God placed a calling on my life. One was the night I was elected as the mayor of our city in Wisconsin and the other was at a missions conference at our church a few years ago. Both times He confirmed a unique calling to ministry on my life and both times I felt Him work in supernatural ways. I’m not sure exactly how the second one will play out but the first one has already had enough time elapse to clearly see God’s hand. The night I was elected I looked at my wife and said, “This doesn’t make any sense, and it seems like God is preparing us for something beyond even this.” She agreed even though neither of us had any idea what that meant. At the time I probably would have guessed that He was preparing me for some sort of higher political office which was a real possibility. However, upon the calling to pastoral ministry, and our attempt to turn it down twice before finally accepting, it became clear shortly thereafter that God had specifically prepared me with the exact skills and abilities needed to step into the gap at His church. I’m certain that I’m in a similar place now based on the second affirmation of calling and I’m excited to discover whatever God has in store for my future.
What are you passionate about in ministry right now?
I find that my faith deepens significantly when I interact with a vibrant faith community and when I spend time intellectually learning about it. Therefore, I have always put a very high value on my involvement in the life of a local body of believers, and upon journeying through life intimately with a group of Christians that practice mutual accountability. In addition, I carve out time to engage my intellectual side by frequent study of God’s word, books on theology and Christian leadership, and by my decision to attend seminary. I try to pray continuously and bring biblical thinking to every situation. I want my faith to be integrated into my life, not just something that takes center stage on Sunday or even during a quiet time.
How can we pray for you?
I’ve been married for 20 years to my wife Christina and we have four children: Abby (17), Tyler (15), Brady (8), and Kinsley (5). During that big break in the middle we moved from the midwest to Portland 🙂 Like most parents, we are concerned about doing the best thing for our kids’ education in this time of COVID and social unrest. Do we move them from public schools to private? Do we put them in a private online schooling situation (the end of the last school year did not work well for any of them)? What part do finances play? What part do our beliefs and values play? These are things we would appreciate prayers for us and for so many parents that are facing the same issues.
What is the greatest challenge you have had to overcome in your life thus far?
The greatest challenge that I have overcome in my life has been my congenital heart defect (bicuspid aortic valve). It has led directly to two heart surgeries (2007 and 2020) and will likely result in at least one more. The first one was when I was only 36 years old with two children under five years old. It was very difficult and definitely pushed my faith in God’s sovereignty and goodness. I have learned much through these experiences and they have created a very deep compassion for those suffering from health issues.
What has been the most important innovation you have witnessed in your lifetime?
The most important innovation in my lifetime is undoubtedly the internet. I’m old enough to remember when it wasn’t a thing. The way we live in a wide variety of ways has been completely upended since those days for both good and bad. I’m not saying I would want to go back…I can’t imagine living in this time of quarantine without the internet! It has also profoundly changed the way we do ministry and the way people expect us to engage with them as pastors. Again I think this has had both good and bad aspects, but regardless it has caused us all to think differently and forced us to confront change.
If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?
If I wasn’t a pastor I’d go back into politics. I loved it. Maybe it would be harder now and I wouldn’t like the mean tone of it all. When I served in local politics and dipped my toe into the possibility of statewide politics in Wisconsin (2004-2008), the climate was very different than today. However, it provided a platform for creating real and meaningful change, for fighting for justice for all citizens, and for profound relational and leadership development. I count those years as the most interesting and transformative of my life in all aspects and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
[Click Here] to visit Mike’s Facebook Page
[Click Here] to visit Countryside Community Church’s Web Page