Pastors and Ministry Oversight

1926 to 1927

Herbert Drake

Pastor of Clarence Park who led the beginning of the Milton work and its first services. He moved to Brixham and later retired to Weston.

1929 to 1950

Cecil H. Thompson

Pastor of Clarence Park when it took sole responsibility for Milton. He remained a familiar visitor after retirement.

1931 to 1936

Mr Lawrence

A retired police officer who offered to pastor the fellowship until ill health forced him to stop.

1937 to 1940

W. A. Pearce

Assistant pastor for Milton, living at 56 Baytree Road before moving to Birmingham.

1940 to 1945

Norman Finney

A teacher with the evacuated London school who pastored the fellowship and led services during the war.

1947 to 1961

W. J. H. Hitchcock

Assistant pastor from 1947 and MBC's first pastor after independence in 1950. Appointed Pastor Emeritus in 1992.

1961 to 1978

Phillip Gathercole

Pastor during the 1965 building extension and a period of substantial growth in church life.

1979 to 1991

Roger Collins

Pastor during the development of the Worle work and an expanding ministry team.

1980 to 1986

Brian Lawrence

Assistant pastor who became the first pastor of Worle Baptist Church.

1986 to 1991

Antony and Marianne Orr

Antony served as assistant pastor and Marianne was inducted into ministry in 1989.

From 1988

Mark Griffiths

Assistant pastor for the developing work in Nailsea.

1993 to 2005

D. Marc Owen

Pastor through the major rebuilding project and the move into the present building.

2002 to 2006

Roy Connor

Associate Pastor.

2006 to 2014

John S. Smith

Pastor until his retirement in December 2014.

2006 to 2017

Elaine 'Shaggy' Abdon Shortley

Pastoral Worker and later Associate Minister.

2017 to 2022

Bob McKay

Pastor until April 2022.

2024 onward

Rev Dr Lou Luft

Arrived as Minister in Training and was inducted as pastor in November 2024.

Mission, youth, children and administration

MBC's wider ministry has included Sybil Staples, Emma Smith, Andy and Jutta Cowie, Andy Pearce, Pauline Carr Woods, Tunde Szabo, Becky Allison and Hannah Piper, as well as the developing Romanian ministry and many volunteers whose service is part of the church's story.