Former Baptist State Convention (BSC) president Greg Mathis has been named interim president of Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute.
The appointment was announced Jan. 13 by Milton A. Hollifield, BSC executive director-treasurer. The Fruitland Board of Directors unanimously affirmed the decision, he said.
Mathis, pastor of Mud Creek Baptist Church in Hendersonville and as professor of evangelism for 24 years at Fruitland, will direct the school’s day-to-day operations until a new president is named. Mathis said he will remain pastor at Mud Creek, which is about 10 miles from the Fruitland campus.
He said he is not a candidate for the presidency at Fruitland.
“I fully know my long-term calling is at Mud Creek Baptist Church,” he said. Mathis was awarded the J.C. Canipe Teaching Award at Fruitland in 1997. He served two terms as president of the BSC and as president of the North Carolina Baptist Pastor’s Conference. Mathis has also served on the BSC Board of Directors, executive committee and budget committee. He also served on the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee and resolutions committee.
Mathis complimented Kenneth Ridings, who retired Jan. 1 as its president. Mathis is also Ridings’ pastor.
“This appointment is both an honor and an obligation for me,” Mathis said. “I approach this task as a sacred trust to all North Carolina Baptists as well as all others who pray for this institution. It is my prayer that during these months of transition this campus will be known for an education that is on fire for Jesus Christ and points others to the gospel path of salvation.”