Matt Deen

Matt Deen grew up in an area of West Nashville called The Nations. It was a poor neighborhood, plagued by crime. Prostitution, drugs, and theft were common place. The community schools had the highest dropout rates in the city. Matt was lucky though. Matt was blessed to have two great Christian parents who valued education. He was also blessed to have many adult friends who served as tutors, coaches, and counsellors. Many of the mentors attended the same church, and were dedicated to seeing him grow both mentally and spiritually. As Matt grew older he started to recognize that having both parents in the home, graduating from high school and holding a good job made him and his family unique in the neighborhood. Matt’s heart started to go out to kids who were not so lucky. He started serving with Youth Encouragement Service in The Nations in 2007, completing many volunteer hours and two internships. Matt graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Johnson University in April 2014, and started Laurel Church of Christ JustLead soon after. Matt has been in Knoxville and a member of Laurel since 2010. His ministry experiences include being a house parent, a youth minister and inner city ministry. As the director of Laurel JustLead, Matt strives to give kids opportunities to better themselves mentally, physically and spiritually through challenging academic enrichment, structured team sports, and solid Biblical instruction.