Matt Capps, lead pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, N.C., who’s served in a variety of leadership roles in Baptist life, will be nominated for second vice president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina during this year’s N.C. Baptist annual meeting.

Jordon Willard, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Weddington, N.C., announced his plans to nominate Capps in an email to the Biblical Recorder sent Wednesday, Sept. 5.

“Matt is a proven leader marked by character, conviction, and competency,” Willard said in his email. “I have known Matt as a good friend for many years, and I have served alongside him in various settings. I have seen up close that Matt is a man who is committed to following Christ passionately, loving his family deeply, shepherding his church faithfully, reaching the lost zealously, and serving N.C. Baptists joyfully.”

Capps is a Charlotte, N.C., native who has served as lead pastor of Fairview Baptist since June 2015. Before coming to Fairview, he was the teaching pastor at The Fellowship in Nashville, Tenn., from 2013-2015. During Capps’ time in Nashville, he also worked with Lifeway Christian Resources as brand manager for the “The Gospel Project” Bible study curriculum. Capps has also held other ministry positions at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., and at Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C.

Capps has held a number of leadership roles in Baptist life on the state and national levels. He served on the N.C. Baptist board of directors from 2018-2021, which included stints as vice president and president of the board. Capps was N.C. Baptist board president in 2021 when the board voted to present Todd Unzicker as its nominee for executive director-treasurer for the state convention. Unzicker was later elected to the position during a special called meeting in May 2021.

Capps served as president of the N.C. Baptist Pastors’ Conference in 2018, and he helped establish The Pastors Network of North Carolina in 2016, a group focused on helping church leaders across the state build relationships, share resources and learn from one another. 

“The Great Commission-minded, local church cooperation we are witnessing in our state right now is special,” Capps said in written comments he shared with the Recorder. “Our church family is intimately connected to the work of N.C. Baptists and Baptists on Mission. I can tell you first hand, being ‘on mission together’ is not a marketing motto, but a missional movement.”

Nationally, Capps has served on leadership councils for the North American Mission Board and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). He also served on the speaker selection council for the 2023 SBC Pastors’ Conference and as chair of the SBC’s Committee on Nominations from 2023-2024.

Capps has also been a contributing writer to various Bible studies and other publications. He served as editor of “The Timeless Truths Bible,” which was published in 2023.

“No matter where Matt is, who he is serving, or what task he is accomplishing, you will always find the same faithful man in each setting — one who is serving Jesus and loving those around him for God’s glory,” Willard said. “He is often the sharpest mind in the room, yet at the same time he is also the most humble person in the room. I consider Matt to be the epitome of a Christian leader. Which is why I know he will serve N.C. Baptists well as second vice president.”

According to state convention records, Fairview Baptist Church totaled 513 members in 2022 and reported 12 baptisms in 2023. The church allocates 8% of its annual budget to the Cooperative Program (CP), 2% to N.C. Baptists on Mission and 2% to the Pillar Network. In 2023, Fairview contributed $79,884 to CP and also gave $25,722 to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions, $31,413 to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions and $19,971 to state missions.

Capps holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a master of divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctor of ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from Ridley College in Australia.

Capps and his wife, Laura, have three children.

Capps is the first announced candidate for second vice president of the state convention. This year’s N.C. Baptist annual meeting is scheduled for Nov. 4-5 at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, N.C.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – The Biblical Recorder (BR) is committed to avoiding conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest whenever and wherever possible. In the interest of full transparency, we disclose that BR Managing Editor Chad Austin is a member of Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, N.C., where Matt Capps serves as lead pastor.)