About Rev. Dr. Mathew P. John
Rev. Dr. Mathew P. John, known to many as Pastor Mathew, brings a wealth of professional, academic, theological, and ministerial experience to us. Originally an electrical engineer from the East (India), Mathew P. John pursued a successful corporate career in the Middle East (Kuwait) and eventually transitioned from 'technology to theology' in the West (Canada). He holds a Master's degree in Theological Studies (MTS) from the University of Toronto (Canada) and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary (USA) with a specialization in Film and Theology. His dissertation won the prestigious Alan Tippet Award for bringing three disciplines, i.e., cultural anthropology, world religions, and world cinema, into a trialogue.
Pastor Mathew is the creator of “The Mosaic Course,” an online platform for exploring world religions from a Christian perspective. He is also an award-winning producer and alumnus of the Professional Producer's Program at UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. As Phillip Yancey, Editor-at-Large at Christianity Today, asserts; "Mathew P. John has just the right spirit and content to speak to a culture often confused or turned off by religion."
Pastor Mathew has acquired three decades of professional experience in various academic, corporate, and ecclesiastical platforms. He has taught courses in theology, film, and culture and presented papers at academic conferences hosted by the American Anthropological Association and the Center for Religion at UCLA, etc. He is the author of Film as Cultural Artifact: Religious Criticism of World Cinema (Fortress, 2017) and The Unknown God: A Journey with Jesus from East to West (David C. Cook 2020).
Pastor Mathew served as the Pastor of Missional Outreach at the historic Lake Avenue Church, Pasadena until April 2, 2022. He is married to Joanne—also of Indian heritage who grew up in Kuwait in a Christian family – and who currently works as the CFO at Calpoly Pomona (Foundation). Together Mathew and Joanne delight in their two daughters, Hannah and Emma, both university graduates who are now pursuing careers in their respective fields of study.
