First Houston calls pastor after four-year search

After four years without a permanent pastor, First Baptist Church of Houston on Easter Sunday called Greg Matte of College Station to shepherd its flock, the church’s newsletter, First Edition, reported.

Matte is the founder of Breakaway Ministries, which he began in 1988 as a college sophomore as an outreach to his fellow Texas A&M students. It has grown to include 4,000 students attending weekly Bible studies. A graduate of Texas A&M and Southwestern Seminary, Matte and his wife, Kelly, have a 2-year-old son, Greyson.

Matte is the author of “The Highest Education: Becoming a Godly Man.”

The church reported that an 11-member search team reviewed 265 candidates from 30 states and four foreign countries.

Matte succeeds John Bisagno, who was pastor for 30 years. During the interim period, Associate Pastor David Self led the church in continued growth.