MADISON – At 21 years old, Rev. Matthew Bentley first felt the call to ministry, initially with his church’s youth. He now serves as pastor of Skyline Baptist Church at 536 Slaughter Road in Madison.

In April 2021, Bentley’s pastor asked him to speak at church one night. “I spoke on obedience to God. I realized that the burden on my heart for churches was really God’s call to me directly,” Bentley said.

Churches have a desperate need for honest men, sound in doctrine with a heart to serve and lead. “The Lord is calling; we just need more Isaiahs who will answer,” he said.

As his faith grew, “so did the burden upon my heart. I prayed for God to raise up more honest men to fill pulpits across the world. I often asked, ‘Who will serve the churches of tomorrow when the pastors of today are gone?” Bentley said.

Until moving to Madison, Bentley lived solely in Grand Bay, south of Mobile. He earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education at Spring Hill College, the state’s oldest college. Currently, he is pursuing a master’s degree in divinity from Texas Baptist Institute and Seminary.

After college, Bentley taught seventh-grade civics, geography and eighth-grade English. He returned to his alma mater to teach government and economics.

“Skyline is my second pastorate. From 2021-2024, I pastored a small church just over the Mississippi-Alabama line,” he said. “Working as a full-time teacher in one town while pastoring a church in another was quite the challenge, but the Lord blessed it.”

“God has been very good to me since I started preaching,” Bentley said. “I trust He will continue to work through me, despite my many flaws and shortcomings.”

In September 2023, a Skyline deacon called Bentley and said the church was searching for a pastor and asked if he was interested. Bentley first said no; however, he and wife Katie prayed and felt led to Madison.

Bentley interviewed with men from Skyline and then preached there. They formally called him as full-time pastor. To Bentley’s surprise, the congregation accommodated his need to finish his teaching contract and Katie’s college studies to graduate.

“It was indescribably difficult to quit my job, resign my former pastorate and move where we knew no one. However, Skyline Baptist Church has proven to be very loving. They . . . have taken great care of us. I hope to be the best I can for them,” Bentley said.

“I just want to serve the church and feed them the Word. Skyline is a growing church in a growing community,” Bentley said. “We want to build people. My vision for Skyline is . . . a church who loves God supremely and loves our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.”

Skyline Baptist Church will celebrate its 60th anniversary on Oct. 19. Bentley extends an invitation to the community to attend. Originally, charter members met in people’s homes in 1962 and then in the former American Legion, Post 37.

In August 1964, the mission bought two acres on Slaughter Road. In October 1964, the mission organized as ‘Skyline Missionary Baptist Church.’ Several charter members are still active.

“Nothing pleases my heart more than to have someone approach me on Sunday morning and say, ‘Thank you for the message. It really touched my heart.’ I don’t have the power to change hearts for Christ, but if He can use something I say to bless someone, that’s more than good enough for me,” Bentley said.

“I may have bad moments here and there, but a day lived as a child of God can never be bad,” Bentley said.

His wife Katie works as a dental hygienist. She earned a degree from Pensacola State College. Matthew and Katie married in April 2021.

“In February 2022, we were blessed with a beautiful baby boy, John. He’s a little comedian who keeps (us) on our toes. We love him as much as any human being can love another,” Rev. Bentley said.

“Some people have misconceptions about pastors, as if we’re somehow closer to Jesus. This just isn’t true,” Bentley said. “I’m a sinner saved by the grace of God! The relationship I have with God and Jesus Christ is available to anyone who would believe.”

Rev. Bentley has played piano for 20 years. He enjoys good movies and documentaries, listening to music and his time with Katie and John.

“I do most of the cooking. The kitchen is a creative space for me. My signature dish is cheesecake, which I have perfected over the last 12 years,”: Bentley said.

“My son loves being outside, so we like easy hikes and seeing the natural beauty of God’s creation. Having been raised on the Gulf Coast, I also love being on the water,” he said.

Bentley invites individuals, especially anyone without a church home, to visit Skyline. “It’s truly an encouragement to us all when we see new faces,” he said. Sunday School starts at 10 a.m., followed by morning worship and preaching at 11 a.m. Sunday evening service is at 5 p.m. The Wednesday meeting opens at 7 p.m.

Active in the community, Skyline members participate with the Polar Express Christmas Tree Trail and a booth at Madison Street Festival.

For more information, call 256-971-0420, or visit skylinebaptistchurch.org.