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When Dr. S. Martin (Marty) Marriott arrived at Maranatha as a transfer student from the University of Cincinnati in the fall of 1974, he immediately sensed the difference.
“I was saved when I was 20 years old,” Marriott said. “During my first visit to Maranatha, I was overwhelmed with the Lord being present on the campus and in the life of the students. I knew it was where I wanted to be.”
Marriott has helped make a difference in the lives of the students who followed him through his service as a member of the Board of Trustees. And, sometime during the 2010 spring semester, he will take an even more active role in those young lives.
The Senior Pastor at Faith Baptist Church of Warren, Michigan, has been named Maranatha’s fifth president.
“If you would have ever asked me as student whether I would someday become Maranatha’s president, I would have said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding,’ ” Marriott said. “The president’s role is one of spiritual leadership on every level. I do not take that responsibility lightly. I will need God’s grace and enablement.”
Marriott earned a BA in Bible and Pastoral Studies (1976) and an MA in Biblical Studies and Languages (1977) while at Maranatha. He also earned an MDiv from Temple Baptist Theological Seminary (1979) and a BS in Business Management from Liberty University (1990). Marriott received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Maranatha in 2007.
His pastoral experience dates to 1979, when a Bible study he started in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, led to the founding of Oak Ridge Baptist Church. Marriott was pastor of that church until 1988, and also from 1993-97. He also served as pastor at First Baptist Church of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania (1988-93) and Faith Baptist of Warren (1997-present).
“He is a man of conviction, clearly a Baptist, clearly a Biblicist, and will continue the direction the school has been founded upon,” said Maranatha graduate David Anderson, assistant pastor for youth and music at Faith Baptist Church. “I think ‘approachable’ is an excellent term for him. Visitors come in to our building and they are right at ease with him. He is very easy to talk to.”
The 56-year-old Marriott has served as a Maranatha board member since 1998. He also serves on the boards of Baptist World Mission, the Independent Fundamental Baptist Association of Michigan, and the Michigan Association of Christian Schools.
Marriott and his wife Miriam (Cummins) met at Maranatha in 1974. They were married June 26, 1976. The Marriotts have three grown children and six grandchildren. All three children are in full-time Christian ministry.
“Marty is a people person, but he also has a backbone of steel,” Board member Tim Rader said. “I really think he is what we need right now.”