Experience

Early Life

Matt Davis was born and raised in central Illinois. The son of Pastor John Davis, Matt grew up with an inside view to the complexities, challenges, and heart behind effective ministry. As he was searching for God’s will for his life as a teenager, Matt met Dr. David Gibbs, Jr., founder of the Christian Law Association, and was challenged to consider the legal profession as an opportunity for ministry. Dr. Gibbs described the legal challenges faced by pastors, missionaries, and Christians of all walks of life who were facing legal difficulty for simply practicing the Biblical faith. God used this to prompt Matt to dedicate his life to legal ministry.

Education & Family

Following in his father’s footsteps, Matt graduated from Maranatha Baptist Bible College (now Maranatha Baptist University) in 1996 with a degree in Business Management. His mentors in college, like Dr. Corey Pfaffe (CPA), Dr. David Ledgerwood, and Dr. Rich Akins, encouraged him to pursue his calling with excellence and demonstrated the proper balance of fidelity to God’s Word and compassion for the needs of others. After graduating, Attorney Davis followed the Lord’s leading to Southern Illinois University School of Law where he excelled as a student and established the life-pattern of local church ministry that would follow him into the legal profession. Matt graduated Cum Laude while serving as an editor of the Law Review, National Moot Court team member, president of the SIU chapter of the Christian Legal Society, and College & Career Sunday School teacher at Murdale Baptist Church in Carbondale.

Most importantly, Matt met his wife, Dana, at Murdale Baptist Church where they were later married. Dana has been a godly wife, constant companion, and true partner in life & ministry. Her unwavering support, rich wisdom, and practical encouragement undergird every public achievement and professional endeavor.

Professional Career

Following law school, God opened the door for Attorney Davis to begin his legal career litigating religious liberty cases and advising thousands of Christians and ministry leaders on legal issues in Christian education, ministry employment, risk management, and religious liberty as a staff attorney for the Christian Law Association based in Seminole, Florida. He never dreamed as a teen when he first considered legal ministry that God would allow him to join Dr. Gibbs and CLA right out of law school. Through his time at CLA, he grew in legal skill and ministry leadership under the mentorship of Dr. Gibbs, Jr., Dr. David Gibbs III. The staff attorneys assembled at that time was an incredible team of godly professionals who served the Lord with skill and diligence in their craft. The friendship and camaraderie with peers such as Zach Gray, Drew Gardner, Barb Weller, Charlotte Cover, Rex Sparklin, Warren Bennett, and Mark Johnson helped to shape Attorney Davis’s skill set and approach to the legal profession.

God blessed Matt & Dana with three sons during their time in Florida.

Wisconsin Home

In 2007, the Lord led the Davis family to Watertown, Wisconsin, where Matt joined up with Evangelist Mike Duffy to found a new non-profit ministry called Eternal Vision. At that time, Matt joined the Wisconsin bar and founded Davis Law Firm, LLC, as a means of using his training to serve those in need. Upon Dr. Duffy’s retirement, Matt became the president of Eternal Vision, which continues to serve as a conduit for God’s blessing from faithful stewards to support Christian colleges and schools, churches, foreign missions, and many other ministry organizations.

He joined the administration of Maranatha Baptist University full-time in 2009 as the Director of Institutional Research & Effectiveness, overseeing all institutional assessment and strategic planning activities. In 2010, he was promoted to Executive Vice President by then-president, Dr. Marty Marriott. In December of 2020, the MBU board of trustees appointed Dr. Davis (as he is known in that academic role) to serve as the Chief Executive Officer as part of an organizational restructuring of leadership. He continues to serve in the role of CEO with the current president, Dr. David Anderson.

Since 2013, Dr. Davis has served as an officer of the American Association of Christian Colleges & Seminaries. He was appointed as the president of AACC&S in 2021.

Attorney Davis is admitted to practice law in Illinois (1999), Florida (2000), and Wisconsin (2007).