Leadership

Pastoral Leadership

A happy family of four outdoors on a fall day, smiling at the camera. The father, with a beard, is holding a young boy with red hair and braces. The mother, with long red hair, is holding a baby girl with light hair and dressed in denim. The background shows a park with trees and a body of water.

Matthew Tarpley, Lead Pastor

Matthew Tarpley was voted in as the Pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in February of 2026. His passion in life is to feed Christ’s sheep through faithful exposition, personal counseling, developing biblically-ordered families, and evangelizing the lost with courage and compassion. Prior to the pastorate at FBC, Matthew was also the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Lake Waccamaw, NC, where he completed his M.Div. at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and served with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Matthew also spent time on the mission field (the Himalayas, Turkey, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Romania) before being called to pastor. He met his bride Sarah while they worked on their bachelor’s degrees at Dallas Baptist University. They were married in July 2020, and together they have two little boys. 

Staff

A family of four posing outdoors in a park during autumn, with trees and sunlight in the background. The father has brown curly hair and a mustache, wearing a checkered shirt. The mother has long brown hair, glasses, and is wearing a red dress. Their young son is in front, wearing a red and white checkered shirt, jeans, and sneakers. The daughter is being held by the mother, wearing a blue dress with floral patterns and has curly hair.

Josiah Horton, Music Minister

Josiah joined the Friendship team in June, 2018 as the Minister of Music. Josiah grew up as a pastor's kid and spent most of his childhood in Lockhart, Texas. In 2013, Josiah moved to Brownwood, Texas, to study Church Music at Howard Payne University.  During his time at Howard Payne, he became a licensed minister at Brownwood First Baptist Church. In May, 2020, he completed his Masters of Music in Church Music as Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Josiah heard the word of God through his father and accepted Christ as Savior at a young age. Josiah met his wife, Elizabeth, at Howard Payne University, and they married in July of 2017. Josiah and Elizabeth are both extremely excited to be here in Parker County, and very much enjoy being a part of the Friendship Baptist Church Family. Josiah is also the Music Teacher at Grace Classical Christian Academy in Granbury. 

Portrait of a middle-aged woman with shoulder-length blonde hair standing against a brick wall outdoor background.

Carla Walker, Secretary

Carla joined the office staff in December 2020. She is married to Jonathan and loves spending time with her family. She has two daughters and three grandchildren.