Leadership and Staff

Senior Pastor: Dr. Ed Seay

Pastor Ed Seay and his wife Cindy came to Cleveland’s First Baptist Church after serving together in full-time ministry for 50 years. The last 33 of those years, Pastor Ed was the Senior Pastor of Magnolia’s First Baptist Church. Pastor Ed and Cindy are both natives of Houston. They have 5 children, 20 grandchildren and 1 great-granddaughter.

Pastor Ed has a passion for teaching the Scripture in a clear and practical way, loving and shepherding God’s flock at CFBC and leading the church to fulfill the Great Commission both in our community and through world-wide mission partnerships.

Cindy is a registered nurse and served 26 years as Medical Director and counselor at New Life Adoptions, a Christian pro-life pregnancy assistance and adoption ministry before her retirement. In addition to serving alongside Pastor Ed, Cindy also plays the piano with our Worship Team at CFBC.

Associate Pastor of Church Ministries & Discipleship:
Juan Flores

Pastor Juan and his wife Rosie have been married for more than 30 years. They have four children and have known God’s mercy and comfort through the loss of a son in a tragic accident. They also have been blessed with six grandchildren and a seventh due this summer.

Juan has a powerful testimony of how he came to faith after many struggles in his life and how God has changed his heart and life completely and called him to full-time ministry. Before coming to CFBC, he served at New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Houston. He is currently pursing a degree in Biblical theology from the College of Biblical Studies in Houston.

Pastor Juan oversees the day to day operations of CFBC as well as all of the church’s discipleship and age group ministries. He has a passion to see people come to faith in Christ and grow in their relationship with Him. This passion is contagious for all who know him and serve the Lord with him at CFBC.

Youth and Worship Pastor: John Golike

John joined us in August 2024 and hit the ground running! Already planning a busy fall for youth with service opportunities in the community and fun events like driving go-karts! He leads a mix of hymns and contemporary on Sunday's AND hosts a small worship session on Wednesdays for Youth and Kids. His lovely bride Kelsie is finishing up a degree in Counseling but can often be spotted keeping him organized and going!

Pastor de CFBC en español: Carlos Herrera

¡Carlos y su familia, esposa María y su hijo Christian, son miembros desde octubre de 2020! A lo largo de los años, cada uno ha ofrecido su mano y sus habilidades de diversas maneras. En marzo de 2024, Carlos, con gracia y valentía, asumió el papel de liderar nuestro ministerio en español. Esperamos ver la forma creativa en que Cristo utiliza a Carlos aquí en CFBC.

Carlos and his family, wife Maria and son Christian, have been members since October 2020! Thru the years, each has offered their hand and skill in various ways. In March 2024, Carlos graciously and boldly stepped into the role of leading our Spanish ministry. We look forward to seeing the creative way Christ utilizes Carlos here at CFBC.

Latin Missions se reúne todos los domingos por la mañana, de 9:30 a 10:30. ¡Nos encantaría que te unieras!

Children's Director:
Bethany Porter

Bethany has known since childhood that her calling is to work with kids. As a kid she attended Sunday School, Awana's, VBS, Summer Camp, and more. As a teen she moved over to volunteering at these events and babysitting. Now as an adult she has worked with kids in a variety of roles, most importantly, as mom of three. In addition to being our Children's Director she also has several ties to the community by being an active volunteer in several organizations. Bethany goal at CFBC is to make sure children have a strong Biblical Foundation and know the love of Jesus. 

Office Manager: Cathy Hill

Cathy and her husband, Mike, moved to Cleveland in 1982, building their home on family land once known as the Lewis Homestead. They raised their two children here, and are now blessed to have their families, including their four grandchildren, nearby. Cathy retired from Cleveland ISD in 2011, having taught Bilingual Education in the primary grades for 22 years. Mike and Cathy have been actively involved in FBC Family life since 2012.