Matthew Cotten was appointed to serve as Avalon Baptist Church's Senior Pastor in June of 2012. Prior to that, he served as Associate Pastor of Education and Outreach at Pine Terrace Baptist Church in Milton, Florida.
The attributes that best describe Pastor Matt as a pastor are strong preaching, discipleship and servant leadership. He passionately leads Avalon Baptist Church where biblical views are embraced and encouraged, with members who care about the needs of those around them and who want to connect others to the body of Christ. Whether in his Bible or Bible app, he takes worship and preaching very seriously, spending many hours of his day focused on Bible study. He also thrives on being active in our community and involved in missions. Pastor Matt has been on many mission trips including trips to Central Florida, Montana, Haiti, Peru, and Thailand. He has also served with Florida Baptist Disaster Relief in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana. He spends many hours a week teaching at the coffee shop and anywhere that he is able to share. He also has many discipleship meetings throughout every week. Pastor Matt loves God and loves people. He truly cares and it shows in his work in our church and community.
Pastor Matt attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is getting close to completing his doctoral degree now. Prior to surrendering his life to ministry in 2002, Pastor Matt was a computer engineer with a graduate degree in Computer Science from the University of West Florida.
Pastor Matt has been happily married for over 30 years to his wife, Charissa. They have three grown children: Amber, Bretton, and Savannah.
