Rev. Debbie Matthis is a child of the living God, pastor, student, and mother. As a child of God,
she is both a sinner and a saint who is working to learn to love all God’s children with the love of
Christ. She was ordained as an elder in the United Methodist Church in connection with the
North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church where she hopes to serve full time
until the mandatory retirement age of 72. (if she stays healthy and God is willing.) Saint James
UMC is her fifth appointment.
A lifelong learner, she was the first in her family to attend a four-year college, graduating from
NC State with a Civil Engineering degree in 1983. Upon graduation, she began her first career in
the commercial/industrial construction industry. She shifted from commercial to residential
construction after several years and eventually was the president and CEO of a small regional
construction company. She earned her Master of Divinity in 2014 and is now set to finish up her
Doctor of Ministry degree in May, 2023. Once she graduates, Pastor Debbie will have spent 25
years enrolled as student. She thanks God (and the Duke Endowment) for this privilege.
She raised two daughters who also value education: one has a master’s degree and the other
has a Juris Doctor degree. Haylie lives in Raleigh and works in Wilson at Merck in the Global
Procurement Department. Jessica lives in Washington, DC, and works at the U.S. Department of
Labor in the Occupational Safety and Health Division. Pastor Debbie and her daughters
communicate via text daily and talk over the phone often. When they can find time from their
busy schedules they enjoy traveling, hiking, and exploring new places and new food together.