Houston’s First Baptist Church

I am Greek Orthodox but went here with my Fiancé per his request. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the sermon! Will be going back

Yes, sermon here is really great and I am sure this church has a lot of amazing people. What good is it if they turn away people who are seeking help?
I literally got turned away at the doorstep when I tried to join their celebrate recovery small group. It took a couple of years and a lot of courage for me to actually visit and I was very intimidated and hesitant as I walk down the hall to get to the room. Many times, I wanted to just leave but I forced myself to keep walking telling myself I have to do this in order to live. I opened the classroom door that was stated on their website. I apologized for being five mins late and was about to walk in. I got annoyed looks from people and someone stated this is a closed group and I should go to their Thursday main celebrate recovery service. Well, there is a reason why I visited this group instead of Thursday night service. Anyways, no point talking to someone who is telling me the group is closed so I apologized and walked away. After walking down the hall for a while, a lady came out and said that people in the group know one another well by now and the group is closed and informed me of other churches. I told her I am out of town due to work on weekdays and she still recommended other celebrate recovery services that are on weekdays. I reminded her I am out of town on weekdays and she recommended a church in Humble. First baptist is already half an hour away from me and I am not driving an hour and half to go to Humble on Saturday nights. How does she think that someone who visited a church on 610 and I-​10 would be within reasonable distance from Humble, TX? I didn’t want to be rude so thanked her for the information and walked away. I started balling as soon as I got to my car.
I tried non-​Christian based meetings and really hated it. Didn’t feel comfortable nor find it helpful sharing and getting advice from people who don’t have the same set of values. I tried a few therapists who in general were not too helpful and /​or just too costly. I was suicidal a couple of years back but have gotten better only because of God’s grace. I really wanted to find a sponsor or a small group that shares Christian values, preferably southern baptist. I was really hesitant to admit I needed help and once I decided, well, I guess it wasn’t meant for me. I researched a lot and reviewed all options on celebrate recovery website before finding out that first baptist is pretty much the only feasible one given the schedule and location. Well I was told I can’t come to this group so I am back to square one.
I hope a staff or a pastor sees this and stops turning away others who may knock on the door because they really need help and have nowhere else to turn to.

I’m so incredibly happy to have found this church.
Truly real, tangible and sincere people striving to live in fellowship of Christ, foster community and growth.
My elation is due to ample «age appropriate» classes!
Yahoo!
Whether you’re single… at any age… married, divorced, widowed, single parent… any and all combinations.
They will have an avenue for you to connect.
Services are not «bubble gum» worship.
Greg gets into the Bible, teaching you with understandable verbiage that’s dripping in theology but not beating you about the head.
No pretentiousness. No pressures.
You CAN come here broken, struggling, trying to regroup, redirect… maybe just dabble in the «what if» factor of being a Christian… and FIND PEACE, ACCEPTANCE AND THE ABILITY TO EXHALE!
Seriously. It’s not a Baptist thing. It’s a God thing. And this place will give you the tools to awake everyday with zeal, hope and purpose.
Your problems will seem lighter.
And you’ll find friendships to maintain a lifestyle that’s consistently happy and joyful even though your surroundings are chaos.
I’ve been to many churches in Houston. Across the country really. None houses the grace of this place!
I came here ready to invest, commit and make my life accountable because that’s the only time I’m «whole.» The people here are investing in me. It’s beautiful.
At church we praise and worship. We also laugh and share hilarious stories. We tear up and are emotional with one another. We are uncomfortable and forced to face facts and grow. We have outings. Dinners. Lunches. Celebrate one another’s accomplishments. Console loss. We play volleyball and drip with sweat on the indoor courts… it’s fun!
I tell you all that because it’s not just sing a song, preach and go home place. You can if you want too. There’s a community here, if you’re seeking.
We’re here trying to be be better people through Christ… you can too.
We’d love to meet you! Come out!
;)

This is a great, friendly, warm church. It’s BIG, so there are lots of resources and opportunities. It’s a great place to meet people, especially if you’re new to Houston.
I was a member here from 2004 – 2006, but have since moved on. However, I’m still here regularly for professional supervision in their counseling department — so grateful!
It’s a Southern Baptist church, so it’s very conservative (socially and politically), but pretty nice people.

I’ve been coming here off and on for the past 2 years. This past Sunday, something made me come back and I realized that this might be the church that I will attend from now on. Houston’s First Baptist always have some kind of activities every single day for their members to do. Seems that they have many classes that fits everyone’s needs. I haven’t yet joined any of the bible studies but will start looking for one really soon. I’ve been trying out many churches that were tiny, small and huge and I’ve realized that no church can be compared to Houston’s First Baptist. I am ready to embark on the next chapter of my life with this church and I can’t wait.

Houston’s First Baptist is a great church where all members of the family can find a place to grow and serve. The Thru the Roof ministry for kids with special needs is amazing and helps those families be able to be a part of a church more easily. Mr. Chad and the kids ministry is amazing too. They have kids worship services that help prepare kids for «big church» instead of just hanging out with flannel graphs and graham crackers. If you don’t have a church home come check it out.

I have a home church already but I do enjoy every now and then stopping by and visiting their «Metro You Adults» Service.

I used to be a member here many years ago. However I have many good memories here as well. You good people came from here. But the one thing I would’ve changed is how sometimes it gets a bit over-​the-​top about Aggies and Longhorns. That has no place in church I think. All should be welcome regardless of their Aggies or Longhorns in the church.
Why did I leave you ask: it got too big for me and I was kind of just losing touch there. So I started sending the Vineyard and have not looked back.

I’ve been a member here for the past 5 years, and several other reviews have said the same things I would– pastor is great people are nice, place is big.
First Baptist puts on many special events, and has classes and groups for «special interests» such as single parents, adoptive parents, foster parents, families with special needs children, single adults, college groups, newly-​wed classes, cancer survivors… the list goes on and on. On top of the regular groups, each semester they offer different Milestone Wednesday night classes on specific topics, such as:
Addiction Issues
Adoption/​Foster Care
Blended Families
Choosing your Child’s Schooling Options
Dealing with Divorce
Dealing with Gender Confusion
Difficult Marriage
Difficult Teens
Discipline with Young Children
Facing Difficult Illness
Facing Infertility
Grieving Loss
Introducing your Child to Christ
Prodigal Kids
Raising a Child with Special Needs
Raising Children Alone
Unbelieving Spouse
Unplanned Pregnancy
So if you’re looking for spiritual guidance in any situation, First Baptist is ready to help. For situations that require more privacy, they do have a counseling center where you (and your family) can receive personal, confidential Christian counseling on a variety of situations.

I am glad Pastor Greg Matte is so great because he is an Aggie too. He always seems to speak directly to my heart. Great music and fellowship.

Don’t let the word Baptist Church run you off… or keep you away! After visiting number of churches over the past several years… I give Houston 1^st. «Four Stars» because of their Message of Jesus Christ, their Worship Music and their Missions & Outreach Ministries. Pastor Greg does not have blinder on and is very transparent and relevant to current events. He is an amazing, humble teacher… that inspires, motivates and connects you with God’s plans and purpose for your life. Regardless if you are young or old, married, single or divorced… you will fit in! My wife & I have enjoyed Houston 1^st as much as son, his new wife and their single friends. The only negative (if you let it be a negative) is that it is a huge Church… and the parking can be an issue. However… I look at it like going to a Awesome, Great restaurant that has a wait or requires reservations… it will be worth it!!! Come, taste & see like we did… you too will be satisfied!!!

Super nice place, enormous too, thankfully God saw fit not to strike this Catholic down with lightning for entering a baptist establishment. :)

Southern Baptist churches always scared me growing up. Watching the movie Footloose about the small town Southern Baptist preachers who scare you with hell and brimstone never settled well with me. After all, I am a Houston born woman, but I was raised in Colorado, so the SBC way of doing things was foreign to me when I was accustomed to the gentler teaching ways of a preacher.
The idea of attending a Southern Baptist Church was not at the top of my list, but I was being given a lot of push from clients and new friends to try out Second Baptist Church and Houston’s First Baptist Church. Ok, fine, I’ll go, but I’m going to keep my guard up about these Southern Baptist people.
I was given a good dose of my own medicine by Gregg Matte about not judging a book by its cover. I had no idea that this SBC had such a progressive way of teaching the Word of God. This is exactly what I was used to, what I was craving, and what my soul, mind, and heart desired.
Sitting through my first sermon taught by Senior Pastor Gregg Matte proved to me that my stereotype of SBC style would forever be changed. His sense of leadership, compassion, and empathy are so transparent as he so passionately teaches. He presents his sermons and has the passion for what he wants to share, like a 3 year old that has just discovered Blue Bell Ice Cream and wants everyone to taste it because of what they have just discovered.
The excitement that Pastor Gregg brings to the «pulpit» every Sunday is incredible. You don’t just sit through a lesson, you are actively pulled by your spirit to engage in what he is saying and you leave feeling compelled to move forward in your life with purpose, passion, and perseverance.
The church may seem a bit overwhelming with the amount of traffic, people, and the mere size of this massive church, but trust me, there are so many people waiting and eager to help you find your way. If you go, be sure to show up early to find a spot in guest parking (if it is your first time), or a parking space in the main lots. If you’re a regular, be sure to park off site due to the high volume of newcomers and traffic.
After attending for 2 years, I finally joined a Bible Study group which was part of my regiment in Denver, but I hadn’t found a class I liked until I got involved at HFBC. After 3 years of attending, i finally decided to join the church, and after 4 years, I have become a regular volunteer for the many activities of the church.
If you are looking for not just inspiration and motivation, but purpose and passion, then attending one of Gregg Matte’s Sunday teaching sessions is an absolute must! Being a non-​traditionalist about church music, I prefer the 11am service because it offers up a Praise Band with Contemporary Christian music. Hope to see you in church!

My husband and I have been coming here for 4 ½ years. Pastor Gregg is wonderful. He is a great teacher and goes through one book of the Bible at a time in depth and applies it to life today. There are three services — 9:15, 11, and 5:30. The 9 am has a formal choir, the 11 is a little less formal, and the 5:30 is casual. Pastor even changes into jeans. There are multiple Bible studies, and activities for those who want to get involved. Excellent programs for all stages of life. All are welcome.

While we are not technically members we do attend their annual Halloween festival which this year they have fittingly named «FirstFest». We have nothing but praise and appreciation that they hold such a large and festive event which is «Free for Guests». The attendance last year alone was 3000 people who enjoyed carnival games, bounce houses, food trucks and petting zoo to name a few of the many attractions. This has got to be the best place to celebrate a safe and family oriented Halloween. We LIKE LIKE LIKE.

Beautiful campus with amazing resources for ministries and multiple ministries for you to get plugged in! I am a member of another awesome church but visit some of their events. Without a doubt, this church will bring you closer to an initimate relationship with GOD!

This is a very nice church. The facility is new and the members are all very friendly. They follow up with their visitors promptly and personally. For example, after my first visit here I received a hand written card inviting me to Sunday school. The worship is tastefully done to where you can still actually hear yourself sing with the band. Pastor Gregg has thought provoking sermons that are great for old and new Christians alike. They have 3 services on Sundays to accommodate everyone’s schedules which is great. They are very involved in the community, always have something going on, and you can tell there is a genuine love of the Lord here.

I absolutely adore the serenity in the midst of all the music and learning. Every Sunday is refreshing! The volunteers are soo awesome, as well as Pastor Gregg. If you become a member, they have a ton of perks!