March 23, 2025
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Midwestern Seminary celebrates 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, shared, “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.”
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 Midwestern Seminary’s Department of Worship Ministries, training residential and Global Campus students at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels.
Sharing his excitement for the role, Boswell said, “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. 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, shared, “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.”
Boswell currently serves as the founding and lead pastor of The Trails Church, located in the 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,” said the Swains.
In his role as visiting worship leader, Boswell will lead music for Midwestern Seminary conferences and events. He previously served as guest worship leader at the For the Church National Conference in 2024 and 2022.
“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. He shared, “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.”
Boswell went on to receive an M.A. in church ministry and a Ph.D. in Christian worship and biblical spirituality from Southern 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 he has previously 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.”
