Meet the Client Relations Team | Rev. Matt Shears

Professional Background and Pension Fund

What is your job title? What territories do you serve?

My job title is Area Director, and I have the privilege of serving the Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Great River, Florida, Capital Area, and Alabama regions.

What career path brought you to Pension Fund? Do you mind sharing more about your professional background?

I am an ordained minister who has served in congregational ministry and previously worked in development for Johnson University (most well-known for being the alma mater of Fred Craddock), where I graduated. While in the development (fundraising) world, I worked with alumni and churches connected to the university. I am ordained in both the Independent Christian Churches and the Disciples of Christ, having served congregations in both groups. I also graduated from Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan University.

What is your favorite thing about working at Pension Fund?

I enjoy getting to work with all types of ministries and all kinds of people. We uniquely serve any and all organizations connected to the Stone-Campbell (Restoration) Movement, so I get to work with churches, preschools, nursing homes, missions organizations, colleges, and more. Each day presents a new person to serve and a new ministry and mission to learn about.

What do you wish every member knew about Pension Fund or our products and programs?

I wish everyone knew that we can serve any and all employees of eligible organizations. Does your church have a preschool? We can serve those employees. Does your college/school have part-time employees? We can serve those folks. Does your nursing home or benevolent care facility have on-call or seasonal workers? We can even serve them. We can tailor your retirement benefits to serve all employees wherever they serve and whatever they do.

At Pension Fund, our mission is “For the Support of Ministry,” in your time at Pension Fund, do you have a moment or story of serving out our mission that has impacted you in a important or meaningful way?

Some of the hardest but most meaningful conversations are the calls we receive from recently widowed individuals and other beneficiaries. Whether someone has recently lost their wife, husband, mom, or dad, we walk with those members through the journey of the benefits owed to them through our retirement products. I have had the honor of praying with many members or beneficiaries who are going through those situations. It is our honor to not only serve our members, but to serve the families of our members who they left behind after their passing.

Preparing for General Assembly

What are you most looking forward to about General Assembly this year?

I always enjoy walking around the exhibit hall and grabbing lots of goodies to bring back to my son. He enjoys all the knick-knacks I bring back from the exhibit hall.

Do you have any plans to explore Memphis? Where?

I have the privilege of serving Memphis as part of my assigned territory, so I find myself in Memphis sometimes 2-3 times a year. As such, I’ve enjoyed many of the typical Memphis sites. One unique one I try to visit when in town, however, is the former residence of Shelby Foote, a well-known southern writer, which happens to be right beside Lindenwood Christian Church. I also have visited his grave in Elmwood Cemetery, which is another neat site to visit, as it is the resting place for many historic Memphis figures.

Four Fast Facts

If you gave a 10-minute TED Talk today, what would it be about?

Over the years, I have become interested in historic Southern synagogue buildings and have traveled to visit and document many of them. I have been collecting photographs and historical information about these structures (some still active, but many not), hoping to turn it into a published project at some point. The most fascinating one I have visited is Temple Gemiluth Chassed in tiny Port Gibson, MS, which is one of the few examples of Moorish Revival architecture in the American South.

What is one surprising fact others might not know about you?

My wife, children, and I live on a farm in small town NC that has been in my family since the 1700s.

What is your favorite thing to eat and/or cook and why?

For special occasions, my wife and I like to have fondue parties with friends. We usually make a three-course fondue dinner: cheese, broth, and chocolate fondue. We like that it is participatory, stretches out the meal, and includes so many delicious foods.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I recently moved back home to NC and built a house on my family’s historic farm. As such, I really like where I live now, but if I were forced to move, I would live in Virginia or Tennessee, the closest states to my part of North Carolina.