Matt Harris '10 Inspires as This Year's Pastor in Residence
Like most people right out of high school, Matt Harris wasn’t focused on any particular career path when he graduated from McCallie in 2010.
“I was born in Winston-Salem (North Carolina), and I knew I wanted to go to college there at Wake Forest,” he said this past week. “But other than that, I had no idea what I wanted to study.”
He eventually got a degree in Business with a focus on marketing and non-profits. He began an internship with Sam’s Club. And that’s when his life changed forever.
“I was preparing my final presentation on how to increase Sam’s Club membership,” he recalled. “And I realized my heart wasn’t in it. I wanted to talk to people about their Faith, about my Faith.”
He was already dating his future wife Mallory, and they were both drawn to the ministry.
“My faith really grew in college,” Harris said. “I had always been a good kid. I went to church. I tried to do the right things. But I didn’t really do it for any other reason than that’s how I was raised. I really didn’t focus on the why or the purpose.”
But all that changed in college. “I realized I believed in three things above all others,” he said. “One, I loved the Lord. Two, I loved the Bible and theology. Three, I had a love of people who wanted to know the Lord.”
With that realization, his career path changed quickly. He got a Masters of Divinity in Preaching and Pastoral Ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina. He served six years as Student Pastor at Parkwood Baptist Church in Gastonia, N.C., just south of Charlotte. He and Mallory began a family that now includes four children—Nora (10), Anne Marie (9), Charlie (6) and Jane (3).
In 2021, the family moved to Sparta, N.C., in the northwest corner of the state, where Harris became the senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Sparta, a church “of roughly 250 regular parishioners.”
And on April 6, Harris returned to Chattanooga with his family to serve as McCallie’s Pastor in Residence for a week.
Not surprisingly, his first advice to the students at that Chapel gathering involved his wife and kids.
“Right now you may be worried about your grades, or what college you’re going to get in, how your athletic team does, what career you may ultimately choose,” he said. “And I will tell you that none of that matters compared to the girl you choose to marry and how you raise your kids.”
It could be argued that every other word of wisdom that Harris imparted over the remainder of the week, be it to one-on-one sessions or group teaching opportunities, paled in importance to that sage advice.
“You look at all the failed marriages in this country,” he said. “All the struggling kids. Nothing you do in your life is as important as your marriage or the home and guidance you provide for your children. Nothing.”
It wasn’t the only message he discussed with students and staff and faculty. He talked about focusing on the permanent. He asked students would you rather live in a tent or brick-and-mortar home? “One is permanent,” he said. “One is temporary.”
Along those lines, he talked about embracing what lasts, what stands the test of time, like a relationship with the Lord. He recalled a conversation he’d heard on 60 Minutes with a young Tom Brady, who had already won a couple of Super Bowls, married a super model, received all that fame and riches could bestow on him.
He recalled how the interviewer had asked Brady what he thought of having achieved all this at such a young age. Brady replied, “My first thought was, 'Is this all there is?'"
“The reality is all those things are fleeting, temporary. You need something permanent in your life. You need to live in a building, not a tent.”
Harris wasn’t just a fine student and person during his time at McCallie with good enough grades to get into Wake Forest. Middle School athletics director Roc Evans ‘91 told the MS students that, “Matt was probably the third best point guard in McCallie history,” during his time playing for the Blue Tornado.
Harris later said, “I’m not sure about that, but it was a nice compliment.”
But what he does remember about his time here as a student, and why he jumped at the chance to be part of the Pastor in Residence program was his affection for the place.
“I love McCallie,” he said. “There are still faculty here from when I was here and that longevity is really impressive, really healthy. These teachers love the students, really care about their future and so many have come up this week and talk about their memories of me. That means so much.”
Does he feel anything has noticeably changed since that time?
“I think there’s an increased emphasis on faith, which is good to see. I think there’s more concern for the mental and emotional health of the boy. I think McCallie is always evolving, getting better. But I also think that what most impresses me about McCallie hasn’t changed. And that is its mission to inspire boys and build men and that seems as strong as ever.”
As institutions residing in sturdy buildings rather than tents tend to be.
