Matthew D. Rouse, III is a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina and is the son of Dr. Matthew & Dr. Winnie Rouse. He and his wife, the former Marquitta McClendon, an Assistant Vice President General Counsel Attorney for Truist Bank, are the proud parents of Matthew, IV and Marc Franklin. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from North Carolina A & T State University in Industrial Engineering, and his Masters of Divinity degree from Duke University Divinity School. Reverend Rouse was conferred an honorary Doctor of Ministry degree by the Bread of Life Bible Institute, Whiteville, NC. He is currently a Doctoral candidate at Duke University Divinity School. He has also completed continuing education in Black Theology and Leadership at Princeton Theological Seminary and completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at UNC Hospitals.

He was licensed to preach in June 2007, and ordained in July 2011. In April 2012, he was called to serve as the sixth Pastor of the more than 140 year old Piney Grove East Missionary Baptist Church of Marshville, NC. After working in industry for a few years as an Industrial Engineer and Project Manager, he served administratively for five years in full time ministry before assuming the pastorate. He was the visionary and host of a weekly radio broadcast from 2011-2015 heard globally on the WIDO Radio Network called ‘What’s the Fresh Word.’ He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hoke Reading Literacy Council, and as Assistant Recording Secretary of the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (GBSCNC). He currently serves as the Recording Secretary of the Parent Body and Executive Committee, and a member of the General Board, all of the GBSCNC. Also, he was a 2019 Wingate University Mentor Medallion recipient, and is a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Pastor Rouse is a guest lecturer at Wingate University, a two-time recipient of the NAACP Freedom Fighter Award, and was dubbed an international speaker having preached in Pretoria, South Africa during the Congress of the Baptist World Alliance 2015, and during a pilgrimage to Israel in May 2016. He lives his life by the motto “Divinely Favored and Ordained for Greatness.”

You can send Pastor Rouse an email at Pastor@PineyGroveEast.org.