For Rev. Shelly Matthews, faith began in a small Methodist church in Rugby, North Dakota. Her home church became a place that shaped not only her understanding of the church but also her understanding of kindness, community, and calling.

“This church was very important to me growing up,” Shelly shared. “A place of transcendence, spirituality, and also a place of safety and kindness.”

While many people carry difficult memories of church experiences, Shelly remembers something different.

“I just remember the churches filled with many, many kind people who nurtured us in the faith.”

Raised in a farming family, Shelly’s faith was nurtured by both church and home. Her father farmed, while her mother modeled a deep and steady faith through her involvement in the church. Her early experiences at Wesley Acres Camp would also become deeply formative. Supported by United Methodist Women scholarships, camp became a place where faith, friendship, and leadership began to grow.

“That led me to positions as a camp counselor when I was in college,” Shelly said. “I met lifelong friends.”

After attending the University of North Dakota, where she studied humanities and German, Shelly went on to earn her Master of Divinity from Boston University. She then served congregations in Larimore, Arvilla Presbyterian, and Emerado Presbyterian before pursuing doctoral studies in New Testament at Harvard Divinity School.

“I had a great interest in the Bible and biblical languages,” she said. “I felt like I had an academic gift and an academic calling.”

That calling eventually led Shelly into extension ministry and theological education. Over the years, she taught New Testament at Furman University in South Carolina and later at Brite Divinity School in Texas, where she taught and mentored future clergy and scholars.

Looking back, Shelly sees both ministry and teaching as deeply intertwined.

“The ministry is about the heart,” she said, “but I think the mind is a good thing to continue to engage.”

Though her ministry took her far from the Dakotas geographically, Shelly intentionally maintained her connection to the Dakotas Conference throughout her career.

“I just have a love for the Dakotas,” she shared. “Loyalty to that land and people.”

Among Shelly’s most meaningful accomplishments is a recently completed scholarly book on early Christian resurrection, a project shaped through years of perseverance amid profound personal challenges, including cancer treatments and the loss of her husband.

She also reflected fondly on co-authoring a two-volume commentary on the Gospel of Luke and on the countless students she has taught over the years.

“Every once in a while, I will get a note from a student, thanking me for my influence on their life,” she said. “That makes me happy.”

As she reflects on vocation and discernment, Shelly encourages those exploring ministry not to remain on the sidelines.

“The Red Sea did not part until someone put their foot into it,” she said. “Don’t sit on the edge of the riverbank waiting, just step into it or wade into it a little and see if it parts.”

In retirement, Shelly plans to move to the Chicago area to be closer to family while continuing to teach, research, write, and preach.

“I still imagine engaging in the sort of research, teaching, and scholarship that academics do,” she said, “and I hope still to engage in the preaching and teaching of the gospel.”

Even in retirement, Shelly’s passion for learning, teaching, and faithful service remains clear. Grounded in the kindness of a small North Dakota church and shaped by decades of scholarship and ministry, her work has left a lasting impact on students, clergy, and the wider church alike.