The Rev. Matthew R. Rasure, Ph.D.

The Reverend Doctor Matthew R. Rasure is the 26th minister of the First Baptist Church of Medford. He is married to the Reverend Rachael Pettengill-Rasure, who is pastor at the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Milton, MA. Together they are the parents of John ("Jack") and Magdalena ("Maggie").

Rev. Matt is passionate about community involvement, environmental consciousness, and helping people to engage more actively with God in their own lives. He also serves as President of the Board for the Center for Career Development and Ministry, an ecumenical non-profit dedicated to helping clergy in the Mainline traditions to thrive throughout their entire careers, from ordination to retirement. 

In his spare time, Rev. Matt loves to cook with his wife, and they are both avid fans of early and Baroque music, particularly the harpsichord. 

Rev. Matt is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Harvard University (A.M. &  Ph.D.). His  graduate work was in the Harvard department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Rev. Matt's first book on priesthood in the Old Testament is under revision and slated for publication in 2020 with Fortress Academic. He is currently preparing an article on the history of alphabetic writing for a special issue publication organized by the Southwestern Jiaotong University in China, and is researching his second book about the intersections of rationality, violence,  mental illness, and priesthood in ancient Israel. 

You can reach him via minister@firstbaptistchurchmedford.org or friend him on FACEBOOK.