Biography

Rev. Matthias Young is the Pastor of Worship at Clemmons First Baptist Church, located just outside of Winston-Salem, NC. Possessing the unique skillset of being both a choral conductor and a classical and contemporary guitarist, he is that rare worship leader who works seamlessly through traditional, modern, and blended worship settings. Focusing not just on music, he designs worship to flow gracefully between liturgical and musical elements, creating an immersive sacred experience.

He has taught guitar for 25 years. In 2012, he published his first book, Metal Guitar Method, which has sold thousands. His online guitar lesson videos have helped countless students as they have garnered well over a million views. He has been published in the Guitar Foundation of America’s quarterly journal, Soundboard, and has been a contributing author to Guitar World and Guitar Player.

As a composer, he has conducted his works for choirs and orchestras in the Atlanta area. His compositions have been performed and broadcast on Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters, WSB, and Cartoon Network. In the realm of rock ‘n’ roll, he composed a power-metal epic as The Fury, titled Uncharted Lands, which was released in 2015 and gained international popularity, as well as a nomination for the “Best Metal Band” at the Georgia Music Awards.

Matthias holds a Bachelor of Music from Georgia State University (where he studied guitar with John Sutherland, a protégé of Andrés Segovia) and a Master of Music in Sacred Music from Westminster Choir College, studying choral conducting with Tom Shelton and James Jordan.