Matt Keadle MDiv ’11 On Keeping the Faith and Building Community
When Matt Keadle MDiv ’11 first arrived at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago he saw it as more than just a seminary. It was an opportunity to cross a divide. Growing up in Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb, Keadle rarely ventured into the city. “The city was a place that we really didn’t go to,” he recalled. “Our world was in the suburbs, and maybe we’d go to a tourist area downtown every once in a while. But the rest of the city was this great unknown that was mostly defined by the news, which would only report on bad stuff.”
Still, he felt drawn to the city and wondered if there was a way to bridge the gap between what he knew and what he had yet to experience. “What LSTC offered me was a place to cross over, to step into the city as a learner, and to get to know this place that had been off-limits as a kid,” he said. “That paid off in really big ways.”
One of those ways came during his first summer in Chicago, when he worked at a men’s drop in shelter on the city’s North Side as part of his Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). Each day, he traveled the length of the city via the Red Line, absorbing the different faces and stories along the way. “To see who got on and off throughout that journey was so eye-opening,” he said. “I’ll never forget that experience, just all summer long. I learned that was as much the classroom as the classroom.”
That perspective—that learning happens everywhere—became a foundation for Keadle’s ministry. He found deep community at LSTC, forming close friendships with fellow seminarians Zach Parris and Adam Berndt. “We all lived in the same part of campus housing,” he said. “That experience of living in community and building bonds was so formative for me… Somehow, even 20 years later, it still powers me in a lot of ways.”
Beyond his friendships, living in Chicago provided an immersive theological education. “The city taught me as much as the classroom did,” Keadle said. During his time at LSTC, he served in a ministry context at Reformation Lutheran Church in the Pullman neighborhood, an experience that left a lasting impact. He recalled speaking with an elder in the congregation about conducting interviews for a class project. “She told me, ‘We’ve had so many people come in here and try to interview us,’” he said, acknowledging how often communities are studied but not truly engaged. “Just to learn some of that history and to know that folks have been around the block and that you are a rookie in the midst of this, and yet the grace of being welcomed in, even as a rookie…what an experience of grace that is.”
Thirteen years into his pastoral call, Keadle continues to navigate the evolving landscape of ministry. “The church is always changing,” he said. “Even once you feel like you’ve got it figured out, it changes again, and then you have to change with it.” To adapt, he prioritizes community, maintaining a network of colleagues and a coach to support his journey. “Don’t try to do it alone,” he advised.
Keadle also remains deeply connected to his faith through his podcast, The Vinyl Preacher, which he co-hosts with Parris. They launched the show eight years ago as a way to stay connected and to offer preaching insights through a unique lens—pairing each week’s lectionary texts with a curated playlist. “For years, I had been making a playlist each week to match the lectionary texts,” he said. “Whether it was Kendrick Lamar, Johnny Cash, Beyoncé, or Dolly Parton, [I’d find music that had a connection or] matched the vibe of the text.” The podcast became a way to bridge another divide—between sacred and secular culture. “God is not just in our hymnal,” Keadle said. “God is also on the radio.”
In working with young people, Keadle sees firsthand the shifts in faith communities. “We have to show the next generation what community can look like,” he said. He recalled a recent youth trip to New Orleans, where students, many of whom did not regularly attend church, built meaningful connections. “We have to prove it all over again…to show that beloved community is possible.”
Despite the challenges facing churches today, Keadle remains grounded. “The presence of God is what keeps me going,” he said. In difficult moments, he takes a deep breath and looks around. “I see my kids, my family…I see people who continue to show up to church, something pulling them there. [And I remember]—God is still here. God is still at work.”
For Keadle, ministry is about bridging divides, whether geographical, generational, or spiritual. And after all these years, he remains committed to that calling.