Despite pleading guilty to felony, Pastor Matthew Queen hasn't resigned, church reveals

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Despite pleading guilty last Wednesday to making a false statement to federal authorities about a sexual abuse investigation, former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary evangelism professor Matthew Queen hasn't resigned from his role as pastor at Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, church leaders said.

The revelation was made Sunday near the end of the church’s service by chairman of the deacon board, Darin Humbard.

Humbard explained that the deacon board had formed a special committee to review Queen’s status at the church after he was originally charged in May and they will have that review ready for Nov. 2, when they will also be meeting with the church’s personnel committee.

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For now, Humbard noted in a statement that had been previously shared with congregants after Queen pleaded guilty, that their pastor remains on administrative leave.

“Dr. Matthew Queen appeared in court … and admitted to committing a serious crime by pleading guilty to a felony charge of making false statement to the government. Sentencing is scheduled for February 2025, though this date may be subject to change,” Humbard said.

“We stand firmly against any behavior that undermines trust and integrity. Dr Queen remains on administrative leave and will not attend worship service as our leadership assesses his status and relationship with Friendly Avenue Baptist Church,” he added.

Queen pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement weeks before he was expected to go on trial in the U.S. Southern District of New York on Nov. 13, for making a false statement in connection with a U.S. Department of Justice investigation of the Southern Baptist Convention. The crime carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison, but the pastor’s attorney, Sam Schmidt, believes the judge will recommend a sentence of several months.

At the time he was charged, Queen was placed on administrative leave from his job at Friendly Avenue Baptist Church  pending the completion of the legal process. The church no longer lists Queen on their staff page.

“We are committed to transparency throughout this process and will provide further updates as our internal review finalizes. We recognize that this news may be difficult to process, and we encourage you to seek support from our pastoral staff and from one another,” Humbard told congregants on Sunday.

He said prior to Queens guilty plea, the deacon special committee had met with the pastor and talked about resolutions regarding his ongoing relationship with the church.

In a response to questions from The Christian Post, Friendly Avenue Baptist Church reiterated that Queen is on paid leave and will remain their pastor until they are able to address his relationship with the church, according to their bylaws.

"Church leadership is actively addressing Dr. Queen's status and relationship with Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in accordance with the church's governing documents," the church said in a statement.

Humbard further noted in his update to the congregation that church leaders also met with Queen about a resolution to the situation but they didn't agree on one.

“Please be in prayer for our church leaders and our Friendly family as we navigate this season and pray for the Queen family. The update I was bringing you from the deacon special committee was that we had finished our work. We had met with Pastor Matt and talked about resolutions. I’m not going to get into those specifically at the moment but that was before this news broke," he said. "What we have now is we have our deacon special committee meeting report scheduled for the deacons and the personnel committee on November 2.”

He explained that if both committees do not find a joint resolution to Queen’s status with the church “we will simply figure out a way to move forward.”

Interim pastor of the church, Chuck Register, made it clear in his sermon on Sunday that Queen’s guilty plea to a felony had disqualified him from his position.

“This past Wednesday, events unfolded in a federal courtroom in New York City that has brought all of us to this place of worship with the same question in our mind. The question is this: How do we address the issue of pastoral leadership at Friendly Avenue Baptist Church?” Register asked.

He then cited 1 Timothy, Chapter 3, where biblical qualifications for a pastor are outlined.

“Paul is saying there are two non-negotiables. No. 1, a call from God. Non-negotiable No. 2 is character, that counts,” he said. “And Paul says that a person who holds the office of pastor they must out of absolutely necessity, have this character that counts, a blameless reputation.”