Pastor Clifford Mayes was born into a teaching and preaching family in Alabama that helped him gain the vision he needed to clearly navigate the path he’s taken on the spiritual journey that has led him to his new church home – the Olivet Missionary Baptist Church.
“(My parents) made sure my sister and I were not involved in anything we shouldn’t be,” said Mayes, who accepted Christ at the age of 6. He said he and his sister had to be home before the streetlights came on, attend revival services and Vacation Bible Study School. Like most kids, he found his parents’ rules annoying but as he matured, he began to feel grateful for their guidance.
The strict rules, he said, prepared him for his role as pastor at Olivet. After a 22-year assignment at Macedonia Baptist Church, in Toledo, Ohio, Pastor Mayes said he felt he was being called to lead a new congregation.
“I knew God had another assignment for me,” he said, reminiscing about leaving his church in Ohio. Mayes spent about two years asking God for direction and, after much prayer and divine intervention, God led the pastor to Olivet Missionary Baptist Church in North County. He was elected at the end of 2023, and in January 2024 he began his new journey in St. Louis.
… Mayes was called for his first pastoral ministry in Athens, Ala., at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Over the next three and half years the young minister led a congregation where he was the youngest adult. He learned to listen to the elders and grew the membership from 19 to 125 members.
At the top of the year, Pastor Mayes took the reins of leadership and hit the ground running, getting to know his congregation and building relationships with his members.
Deacon Chair Allen Bluiett Jr. likes that Pastor Mayes, 51, is bridging the gap between the diverse age groups within the church. Mayes already has found a natural way to connect with his youthful members by sporting his impressive collection of Air Jordans. “It is nothing for him to challenge one of them to a 3-point shooting contest, Bluiett said. “He wins all the time.”
In the last seven months, the deacon has noticed that Pastor Mayes is bringing positive change to the church. “He teaches us to focus on worship and God; keep our eyes on God and nothing else,” he said.
Joyce Rogers, administrative assistant to Pastor Mayes, said his sermons are geared to teaching his members about being righteous believers.
“Pastor Mayes has a wonderful way of bridging the gap between youth, adults, and seniors.
We had many members who had stopped attending the church, and who have come back. The church is filled each Sunday,” she said.
Sweet home Alabama
Pastor Mayes accepted his calling to preach at 18 years of age, just two weeks before he graduated from high school. Ministering during his teen years was a stark difference compared to what other teenagers were doing. “The places they were going, I couldn’t go to. The things they were doing, I couldn’t do,” he said, describing the challenges of being a young pastor.
He said he felt isolated and lonely but, in that quiet space, he found himself. “I realized there was a special anointing in my life,” he said. Two years later Mayes was called for his first pastoral ministry in Athens, Ala., at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Over the next three and half years the young minister led a congregation where he was the youngest adult. He learned to listen to the elders and grew the membership from 19 to 125 members. He used sports, especially basketball tournaments, as an evangelistic tool to attract more members.
The children are our future
In 1996 Pastor Mayes was called to pastor a church in Florence, Ala., where he also served as a volunteer youth counselor for misguided juveniles. He taught them better ways to resolve conflicts. Mayes said he believes that children are God’s gift to extend the immortality of a family’s lineage.
“It’s imperative that those who are mature pour into young people,” he said.
Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.