Tony Mathews has been in ministry for thirty-eight years. Thirty-five of those years have been spent providing pastoral and ministerial care not only to African Americans but also to other races and people from other cultures. He recently celebrated thirty years as Senior Pastor of North Garland Baptist Fellowship in Garland, Texas. He transitioned from that position to the SBTC to serve as the Senior Strategist for Missional Ministries. He has earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Angelo State University, San Angelo, Texas, a Master of Arts in Christian Leadership from The Criswell College, Dallas, Texas, and a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

Tony is the author of There’s More Than One Color in the Pew: A Handbook for Multicultural, Multiracial Churches, and he is a contributing author for both the North American Mission Board’s Journal of African American Southern Baptist History, and for the Next Steps Resources published by the International Mission Board. He also served two terms as a trustee at Southwestern Seminary and is a former president for the African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.  Tony has traveled on mission trips to South Africa, India, Ecuador, and Montreal. His trip of a lifetime was to the Holy Land in Israel.  He loves people and has a heart for pastors. He also has a passion for inspiring pastors to be mobilizers for missions in the local church. He is married to Angela Mathews, and they have three adult children and one granddaughter.