Kansas City, Mo. | Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has announced the addition of pastor and hymn writer Matt Boswell to the faculty as visiting worship leader and professor of worship ministries.
Beginning in the fall 2025 semester, Boswell will join Midwestern Seminary’s efforts to train worship ministers for the Church and to equip pastors and ministry leaders through conferences and regional events, while continuing to serve as pastor of The Trails Church in Celina, Texas.
“We are delighted to add Dr. Matthew Boswell to our Department of Worship Ministries faculty,” said President Jason Allen. “Dr. Boswell has been a central figure in the modern hymnody movement, wedding sound theology with rich doxology. His life and ministry fit perfectly with Midwestern Seminary’s for the Church mission. I could not be more grateful to have him join the team.”
Jason Duesing, provost and senior vice president of academic administration, said, “In addition to his well-known and beloved ministry to and for churches, Dr. Boswell’s academic ministry makes his joining the Midwestern Seminary faculty a joy to see. His Charles Spurgeon research interest, as well as his championing the necessity of keeping doxology and theology in service to one another, is a delightful complement to our ‘For the Church’ mission.”
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Mo. MBTS photo
Author of numerous modern hymns, including “His Mercy is More” and “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery” co-written with Matt Papa, Boswell will teach classes in the seminary’s Department of Worship Ministries, training residential and online students at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels.
“I look forward to helping students shape a strong biblical foundation for worship, develop a historical perspective on Christian worship practices and cultivate a practical philosophy for leading and serving congregations,” Boswell said. “By studying the theology and history of worship, my prayer is that students will be equipped to minister faithfully and effectively within their churches.”
Midwestern Seminary faculty members Matthew Swain, assistant dean of worship ministries, and Angela Swain, associate professor of music, praised the move.
“Dr. Boswell’s artistic contributions as an internationally known hymn writer, and his faithful commitment to the Church and his own local church, make him the perfect fit for our department’s unique mission to prepare musician-theologians for the Church,” the Swains said.
Boswell is the founding and lead pastor of The Trails Church in the larger Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Swains commended Boswell’s example of faithful pastoral ministry for preparing future worship leaders.
“The love he has for his local congregation and the commitment he keeps to protecting that priority is something we hope our students also strive to emulate,” they said.
In his role as visiting worship leader, Boswell will lead music for Midwestern Seminary conferences and events. He served as guest worship leader at the For the Church National Conference in 2024 and 2022.
Matt Boswell teaches at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. MBTS photo
“The seminary’s mission aligns with my own desire to see the Church strengthened through faithful teaching and Christ-centered worship,” Boswell said. “The opportunity to help pastors and worship leaders develop a robust biblical theology of worship is a serious joy because of the ways it directly impacts the spiritual health of local congregations.”
Boswell began writing hymns and serving in worship ministry in 1995.
“My journey began as a teenager when my heart was gripped by Christ, and my natural response was to write new songs to the Lord, as Psalm 96:1 says,” he said.
He earned an M.A. in church ministry and a Ph.D. in Christian worship and biblical spirituality from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. His doctoral dissertation focused on Charles Spurgeon’s theology of church worship through song. He is the author of “Doxology and Theology: How the Gospel Forms the Worship Leader” and has served as assistant professor of church music and worship at Southern Seminary since 2019.
“Theological education is essential for those who lead in worship,” Boswell said. “Whether through personal study, the local church or seminary, theological training equips worship leaders to approach and lead worship that is both biblically faithful and spiritually formative.”
Learn more and access a playlist of Boswell’s 20 Hymns for the Church at https://www.mbts.edu/matt-boswell/
Article originally appeared at Baptist Press (Michaela Classen/MBTS)