Houston's First Baptist Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Gregg Matte

Founded 1841

Denomination Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)

Service Times The Loop: Sun 9:15a, 11a, 4p; Cypress: Sun 9:30a, 11a; Downtown: Sun 9:30a, 11a; Sienna: Sun 9a, 10:45a

Men's Ministry Yes

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.houstonsfirst.org

Pastor Credentials Senior Pastor since 2004; M.Div., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

SBC church — affirms orthodox Christology (Nicene, Chalcedonian).

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

SBC — Baptist Faith & Message 2000 affirms inerrancy and authority of Scripture. Church 'fully embraces the beliefs and values of the Bible as true, eternal, and life-changing.'

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Men's ministry confirmed on website.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

SBC — salvation by grace through faith. BF&M 2000 framework.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Complementarian — SBC standard (CBMW halfway position; MOOP holds patriarchal headship as the biblical standard). Male senior pastor confirmed; verify whether headship convictions are robust or drifting toward functional egalitarianism.

Male senior pastor confirmed. Complementarian per SBC BF&M 2000 (CBMW halfway position; MOOP holds patriarchal headship as the biblical standard); verify whether headship convictions are robust or drifting toward functional egalitarianism.

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

'Pastor Gregg' referenced on site; 'Deacon Resources' page present indicating deacon polity.

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Verify — check sermon archives for expository vs topical.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

SBC churches give through Cooperative Program; Great Commission emphasis standard.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Verify — check for DEI/CRT language or social justice emphasis.

Caution

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Confirmed SBC flagship; footer SBC indicator present. Verified 2026.

Strong

Assessment

Houston's First Baptist Church is one of America's oldest and largest SBC churches, founded in 1841. Led by Gregg Matte since 2004. Multi-campus presence across Houston metro area with The Loop, Cypress, Downtown, and Sienna campuses. SBC affiliation confirmed. Strong missions emphasis.

#sbc#megachurch#houston#multi-campus#historic#verified-2026

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

Pastor Signatures & Affiliations [Orthodox-aligned signatures]

Public statement signatures and organizational affiliations of this church's named pastors. "People is policy" — these are evidence-weighted signals about doctrinal trajectory, not the sole determinant of any rating.

Nashville Statement

Gregg Matte

Source: cbmw.org — hover for details

Sources & Evidence

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source houstonsfirst.org

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.