Matt Ham, OP Site Pastor

Matt was born and raised in the small farming town of Mullins, South Carolina. Growing up, most of his time was spent playing sports or hunting with his dad and two brothers. He grew up in the church, but for many years he misunderstood the gospel of grace—and as a result, he loved himself far more than he loved Jesus or the people around him. Looking back, Matt is quick to say that his life was marked by a lot of self-righteousness and pride, and that the Lord has been extraordinarily patient and merciful with him.

After high school, Matt attended The Citadel, where he played football. Following graduation, he took a position as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at Clemson University. While at Clemson, a close friend began patiently walking Matt through the gospel of grace. Over the course of the next year, everything Matt believed about God, himself, and life began to change. As he often says, “For the first time in my life, God’s grace really was amazing.”

In 2006, Matt married the most amazing woman he had ever met, Stephanie, and they moved to Charlotte so he could complete his seminary training. Soon after arriving, friends invited them to Hope Community Church, where Matt met Mark Upton and Matt Guzi and encountered a gospel-centered community unlike anything he had known before. The authenticity of the people—especially leaders who openly led out of weakness and a deep need for grace—was both deeply attractive and, at times, unsettling.

Over the next several years, Jesus used Hope to press the gospel deeper into Matt’s heart. He came to see more clearly that he was far more sinful than he ever realized, and at the very same time, far more loved than he could have ever imagined. In May of 2008, Matt graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte with a Master of Divinity degree and accepted a call to Hope as a pastor. He still wakes up most mornings surprised by the goodness of the gospel and grateful that it really is true for sinners like him.

In the spring of 2025, Matt completed his Doctor of Ministry degree at Covenant Seminary, a journey that further shaped his love for the local church and his conviction that real change always flows from grace, not performance.

Matt has been shaped and influenced by many pastors, authors, coaches, and storytellers along the way—especially Mark Upton, Matt Guzi, Tim Keller, Paul David Tripp, Michael Horton, Pat Conroy, and a steady stream of college football coaches. He and Stephanie have three daughters: Lucy June (2009), Mary Rachel (2011), and Kate Briggs (2014).

Most of Matt’s free time is spent with his family, working out, coaching at Iron Tribe Fitness, re-reading Lonesome Dove or any Tim Keller book (often with grateful tears), listening to ’90s country and rap, telling stories, and occasionally pulling off a well-timed prank.