News

Mud Creek pastor retires after 44 years behind the pulpit

Mud Creek Baptist Church Senior Pastor Greg Mathis greets church members on Sunday after announcing his retirement.

By Amy McCraw, Published: May 5, 2024

Calling it one of his hardest days, Mud Creek Baptist Church Senior Pastor Greg Mathis announced his retirement Sunday after 44 years leading the congregation in Hendersonville.

Mathis announced from the pulpit on Sunday that he intends to retire at the end of May. He said the decision to step down was difficult for him and his wife, Deborah.
“Lord knows I’ve tried. I’ve asked the Lord to show me and guide me and give me strength as I announce that I will be retiring at the end of May,” he said. “Words can not express how difficult this has been for Deborah and me.”
Mathis announcement came at the end of a regular service that included his sermon on the second coming of Jesus. He encouraged the congregation to accept Jesus and be ready for his return.
Mathis reflected on his time at Mud Creek as he announced his retirement.
He became the church’s pastor in 1980 at the age of 25. Mathis drew laughter from the congregation when he recalled overhearing a conversation in a local restaurant shortly after he was hired. A woman who thought he was 35 told a friend she thought he was too young to lead the church.
“Mud Creek is all our family has ever known,” Mathis said. “Our children have grown up here. They were dedicated, saved and baptized here. Our five grandchildren were all dedicated here, four have already been saved and baptized here.”
He thanked the church for giving him the privilege of leading the congregation for so many years.
“After much prayer, conferring with my doctor and my family, I believe retiring is in the best interest of my health, the wellbeing of my family and the wellbeing and future of this church,” Mathis said. “I love you from the bottom of my heart. God bless you.”
The congregation stood and applauded Mathis at the end of his announcement and many greeted him with handshakes, hugs and well wishes as the service ended.
Mathis' announcement on Sunday came a few weeks after he returned to the church from an absence that began in December when he apparently struggled while preaching.
Mud Creek typically posts videos of its Sunday sermons by Mathis on its Facebook page and website. But those sites do not include a video of the Dec. 31 service at the church.
In a Jan. 1 Facebook post, David Stanford, Mud Creek’s community pastor, announced that the church would not hold a formal Wednesday service that week but invited members to come to the church and pray.
Several people who commented on the post expressed their prayers for Mathis and the church. At least one person who commented asked for clarification on what had happened during the Dec. 31 service.
In response, another person commented that Mathis went to a hospital emergency department after struggling during his sermon.
Posts signed “the Mathis family” on Jan. 2 and Jan. 4 provided updates on Mathis’ health and thanked the congregation for praying for the pastor.
Doctors believed Mathis’ problems during the Dec. 31 sermon were a stress reaction to an episode in November and his medications were adjusted, according to the Jan. 4 post.
Mathis was encouraged to “rest and disconnect during his sabbatical,” according to the post.
A video archive of sermons on Mud Creek’s website includes Sunday sermons from various church pastors other than Mathis from Jan. 7 to March 24. The next time Mathis appears in the archive is a sermon he delivered during the church’s Easter service on March 31. He also preached during the Sunday services on April 7 and on April 28.
Other Mud Creek pastors delivered sermons during services on April 14 and 21.
Mathis, 69, has served as senior pastor at Mud Creek for the last 44 years. His son, Jared, serves as the church’s connections pastor and his wife, Deborah, serves in the church’s women’s ministry. Mathis also works as a professor of evangelism at Fruitland Baptist Bible College in Edneyville.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in religion from Gardner-Webb University and a master’s degree in divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary before joining Mud Creek in 1980.
In 1995, Mathis was elected to a two-year term as president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. The association of Baptist churches in North Carolina is one of the state conventions associated with the Southern Baptist Convention. At the time of Mathis’ election in 1995, the N.C. convention claimed 1.2 million members.