Welcome to the forum CHeath! Where in NC are you? I have a sister in the Asheville area and a good friend in Greensboro so I try to make it down every now and then. I live in Virginia by the way and we have had a cold spell lately too.
On the chimney liner, I had a terra cotta liner, and upon inspection there were some cracks in it, which inevitably will happen over time. At the very least I would get it inspected. I opted to have a stainless steel liner put in, and it was just inserted with the clay liner still in. If the chimney has never been used, the clay liner will be okay for awhile, but I would definitely get inspected.
I think your stove pipe will be okay, I use sheet metal screws to hold mine together and have never had a problem.
As for the wood, I'm sure others will chime in, and I see Dennis already has, but I'm surprised you see creosote on the stove pipe already. And that 200 degree stove temp is pretty low. Both are due to wood that has not been properly dried. Luckily, we don't have much time left burning here. But try to get some wood split and stacked for next year if you can, and you will notice the stove gets hotter easier and faster. Do you cut your own wood? If so, wood that is already dead will dry faster, so try that first. When I cut dead or downed oak, it can be ready in a year or two. If you have space to store wood to get ahead that would be great also. Hope this helps, and again, welcome!