Hillcrest Church of Christ, located on East Ambler, has hired a new full-time preaching minister.

Matt Haynes (’05) has worked at Clifton Church of Christ, about two and a half hours from Abilene, since 2009 and will begin working at Hillcrest in March. Terry Brown was Hillcrest’s previous preaching minister, serving from 2004 until his retirement in 2012. Hillcrest began searching for Brown’s replacement a little over a year ago.

David Copeland, elder at Hillcrest, said a search committee, church elders and ministerial staff collaborated with church members to ultimately select Haynes.

“To identify prospects, the search committee asked for suggestions from our membership and other resource people. We followed up on all of the suggestions we received,” Copeland said. “For the prospects that were willing to talk with us, the committee read their résumés, listened to their sermons and personally interviewed several of them.”

Haynes has received two degrees from ACU and is pursuing a third, a Masters of Divinity Equivalency. In 2005, he received a Bachelor of Science in Christian Ministry and in 2010 a Masters of Arts in Christian Ministry. Haynes worked at Hillcrest in 2004 as an intern.

Dr. Joe Bell, elder at Hillcrest, has personally known Haynes for several years. He said Haynes will make a positive impact on the congregation.

“Matt is a very bright man with a wonderful family,” said Bell, chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition. “He has extensive experiences working across the age spectrum and will be excellent both from the pulpit and performing pastoral ministry.”

Bell said he is excited about the possibilities Haynes will bring.

“I am impressed with his personality and his almost photographic recall of Scripture,” Bell said.

Haynes’s first sermon at Hillcrest is expected to be delivered on March 3.