OUR HISTORY
The Beginning
Houston's First Baptist Church organized in 1841 by sixteen men and women. The church has survived through wars, yellow fever epidemics that took an early pastor, and the 1900 Galveston hurricane which destroyed one of the early church buildings.
In the 20th Century, as the city continued to grow, so did Houston’s First Baptist—with the help of great pastoral leadership. In the later part of the 1960s, as was the case with many churches in the downtown Houston area, church membership began to decline. Even so, the core of committed members remained faithful to First Baptist.
Growth
In 1970, First Baptist called Dr. John R. Bisagno as pastor. John was a man of vision, with enthusiasm equal to that of our great city. A renewed emphasis on evangelism, strong religious education and a vision for missions sparked a phenomenal growth in the old downtown church. Within a few years, it was obvious that to continue to grow, the church would have to relocate. In April of 1977, First Baptist moved to our current location at the corner of I-10 and the 610 West Loop.
At the new location, First Baptist continued to grow through sound doctrinal teaching, and with an emphasis on evangelism and missions. Church members began to travel throughout the world sharing the gospel, digging water wells, and meeting needs. In the 1980s, the church began an emphasis on starting new missions and helping declining churches. Many members answered the call to be a part of this outreach for the cause of Christ.
After thirty years as pastor, Dr. Bisagno retired in 2000. He believed it was time for a new pastor to bring the church into the new millennium. For nearly four and a half years following Dr. Bisagno's retirement, Associate Pastor Dr. David Self provided leadership for the staff and church. During this time, the church continued to add new members and prosper financially--a tribute to Dr. Bisagno's legacy, Dr. Self's leadership, and the faithfulness of the members of First Baptist.
A New Chapter in the Story
While the church continued to grow, an 11-member Pastor Search Committee carefully reviewed 265 candidates from 33 states and four foreign countries. Consistently seeking divine wisdom and guidance, the committee was intensely focused on finding God’s choice and not merely fulfilling criteria.
On March 28, 2004, they unanimously proclaimed “we have sought God’s direction and we faithfully believe the Lord has given us His choice in the person of Gregg Matte.” Then, on Easter Sunday, April 11, 2004, this conviction was again confirmed by the congregation as they approved and embraced Rev. Gregg J. Matte as Pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church.
The calling of a new pastor by Houston's First was a pivotal passing of leadership from one generation to the next in the history of a world renowned church that began in 1841. In response to the church's call and his acceptance to be the new pastor at Houston's First, Pastor Gregg stated, “I’m humbled by and grateful to the Lord.”
Gregg sharpened his leadership gifts at Texas A&M University and then earned a Master's Degree in Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Gregg founded Breakaway Ministries as a college sophomore and expanded it from a home-based Bible study to a weekly gathering of more than 4,000 students. He is also the author of The Highest Education: Becoming a Godly Man and an in demand national retreat and conference speaker.
Gregg is married to Kelly and they have one son, Greyson (born in 2002), and one daughter, Valerie (born in 2008). He summarizes his ministry as an overflow of his walk with God, and colleagues and friends often state that he is a man after the heart of God, possessing strong integrity, true leadership, the gift of preaching, and a humble spirit.