One year after pleading guilty to one count of falsifying records, Dr. Matthew Queen has returned to ministry. Queen now serves on the pastoral care team at Plymouth Park Baptist Church in Irving, Texas.
In March, the former administrator and professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary was sentenced to six months of house arrest, one year of probation, and a $2,000 fine. Queen, who had faced up to five years in prison, resigned from Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, after pleading guilty.
Matthew Queen Falsified Notes in Federal Investigation
As ChurchLeaders has reported, the charge against Matthew Queen stemmed from a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into how leaders at various Southern Baptist Convention entities allegedly mishandled allegations of sexual abuse. Although the DOJ didn’t pursue charges against the denomination, it prosecuted Queen for falsification of records.
Queen, who had been serving as interim provost at Southwestern, gave investigators falsified notes from a 2023 meeting about a reported case of sexual abuse at the seminary. Investigators argued that Queen “attempted to interfere with a federal grand jury investigation by creating false notes in an attempt to corroborate his own lies.”
In October 2024, Queen pleaded guilty to the one count and agreed to cooperate with investigators. His six-month home confinement required him to wear an electronic monitor and participate in mental health treatment. He could leave the house only to seek medical care for himself or his wife—or with his probation officer’s permission.
Before being sentenced in March 2025, Queen expressed remorse and said he had been dealing with extreme stress, isolation, and “dysfunctional dynamics” at Southwestern. He told a federal judge he “did something quite out of character for me—I lied to two colleagues to make myself more credible by claiming I had made notes that I had not written.”
Queen said his behavior “shocked” him because “it is simply not who I am or how I have lived my life and ministry.” He admitted that after lying to federal authorities, he began planning to take his own life.
In his letter to the judge, Queen said he had repented to God and had “learned from my mistake.” He also indicated he would use his time during home confinement “to help others.”
People Attested to the Character of Matthew Queen
Before Matthew Queen was sentenced, dozens of friends, family members, and colleagues submitted letters attesting to his character. His attorney emphasized that Queen has advocated for victims of sexual abuse, encouraged them to report incidents to authorities, and knew his responsibilities as a mandatory reporter.
Hope Queen, Matthew’s wife, described her husband’s struggles with the “enforced silence” at Southwestern surrounding the DOJ investigation. The school emphasized it had “fully cooperated” with the inquiry and works to “protect all members of the seminary community from sexual abuse and harassment.”
Federal prosecutors disputed Queen’s claim that his conduct had no negative consequences. “The defendant’s repeated lies dragged out the Government’s investigation and distracted resources better spent elsewhere,” they told the judge.