MINEOLA BAPTIST CHURCH
Rev. Jim Cline, Pastor
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The Reverend Jim D Cline is married to Mary Malinda (Miller) Cline. They have three children, Stacie (Nathan) Carroz, Katie (Jared) Goodwin, and Jason (Courtney Johnson) Cline. He graduated from Fort Zumwalt High School in O’Fallon Missouri and Missouri Baptist University with a Bachelor of Arts. He attended Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City and graduated with a Master of Divinity and Master of Religious Education. He was licensed in October 1973 and ordained in March 1975 at the First Baptist Church of St. Peters. He has been the pastor at Mineola Baptist Church since 1985. His testimony best tells the story of a lifelong dedication to serving the Lord:
"My parents are the late Reverend Duane Cline and my mother, Bernie Cline, is still living. Dad became a believer after he graduated from high school and was drafted into the Navy towards the end of WW2. After the war, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, got a job as a welder and met and married my mom. A few years later they moved to Shawnee Oklahoma, so Dad could attend Oklahoma Baptist University.
I grew up in a family where the name Jesus was as common as Mom or Dad and where He was honored as the Savior and Lord of all mankind. Consequently, at a young age, I asked Jesus to take charge of my life and forgive me of my sin. A short time later, I was baptized at Calvary Baptist Church in Shawnee.
When I was about to enter fourth grade, we moved to Kansas City, so Dad could attend Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and pastor the New Liberty Baptist Church, outside of Oak Grove, Missouri. During the 6 years we lived there, I was faithful to attend church, pray and read the Bible, but I was not living for Jesus. Before my high school sophomore year, we moved to St. Peters, Missouri where Dad was called to be the pastor of the First Baptist Church. I continued to be a secret agent Christian, absolutely believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, but living like the other kids I hung out with.
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The year after I graduated high school, I was asked to teach a Sunday School class of 4th-6th grade boys. At the end of our class time, we gathered together with the director and girls' classes for a test about the lesson material. In a contest of boys vs girls (the boys were outnumbered by the girls 2 to 1), the boys won almost every time. It blew my mind that the boys I taught were learning something!
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God really used that class to convict my heart and get me back on track for Him; so I made an appointment with my pastor who just happened to be my Dad! I wasn’t sure if he was going to act like my Dad or my pastor, but when I confessed my sins, he simply said, "Jim let’s pray." That next Sunday I publicly told my church that I was sorry for the way I had been living and wanted to rededicate my life to the Lord. I learned a major truth from that experience ~ if you won’t let Jesus be in control of your life and follow His teachings, then He can’t be the Lord of your life.
Amazingly I really started growing as a Christian, telling the Lord that whatever He wanted me to do with my life, I would do. Prior to that time, I'd told the Lord I would do anything in a local church ~ be a Sunday school teacher ~ lead the music ~ but I would never become a minister. It was roughly a year later, on a Sunday evening, when I felt sure God was calling me into the ministry. That evening at the end of the Sunday night worship service, I went before the church and publicly surrendered to that call."
Malinda Cline
Proverbs 3:6 says, "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." (KJV) Malinda was raised in a Christian home, where she attended Sunday School, Worship services and Vacation Bible School, even as a toddler. But it wasn't until the summer of 1975, that she "claimed" Proverbs 3:6 as her own. She'd just graduated from high school and was undecided about the next step in her life. That summer, after the Vacation Bible School director asked her to teach a first grade class, Malinda discovered that she loved teaching little ones about Jesus. Then the pastor asked Malinda to take a group of teens to a local summer camp and her love for summer camps began. Malinda was a Christian, faithfully attended church and loved the Lord, but she had never asked Him to direct her paths. Malinda rededicated her life that summer and started down the path of encouraging young people to learn all that God has to offer each and every day of their lives. So naturally when Malinda met Jim, she knew God was directing her life. Jim and Malinda married on July 2, 1983 and God called them to Mineola on January 6, 1985, where Malinda thoroughly loves working with young people, challenging them to seek God's direction in all areas of their lives.
Malinda enjoys teaching the Youth Sunday School class at Mineola Baptist Church; planning youth activities that promote fellowship and new experiences; and directing Loutre Valley Youth Camp. She has had the privilege of seeing many young follow Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, as well as minister in local churches all around the world.
Malinda and Jim have three wonderful children of their own. She obtained a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education in 2004 and a Master's degree in Elementary Administration in 2009. She is also the Life Skills teacher in a local school district.
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If you are a family with teens and are looking for a church home that loves and supports young people - both prayerfully and financially - then MBC is the place to be! Malinda would love to encourage your teen to seek God in all their ways, knowing He will direct them in the paths of righteousness.
Rita Kaller
Director of Music
Rita Kaller moved to Montgomery County Missouri in 2002 after retiring from a career in IT with the United States Postal Service. A God-ordained encounter at a conference in Jefferson City, led her and her husband to the Mineola Baptist Church (MBC). Raised in a musical family, it was natural for Rita to be drawn to the music ministry. In addition to choral music, Rita has a passion for orchestral and band music. Discovering the incredible musical talent at MBC, she formed its first praise band. Over the years, God has blessed MBC with musically gifted students and adults who love to play an instrument. MBC also has a congregation that loves to sing! One of Rita’s greatest joys is hearing the congregation heartily sing each Sunday and she admires their readiness to embrace new songs, as well as vocalize traditional hymns. The most challenging aspect of Rita’s job as music director is selecting music appropriate for all vocal and instrumentation skill levels. Keeping this in mind, two thoughts guide her. The first is a quote by Charles Spurgeon, “As a Christian, let this ambition fire your soul, ‘To Him be the glory forever! Amen,’” and the 2nd is a quote by John Wesley, “Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself or any other creature.” In addition to her volunteer duties as the MBC Music Director, Rita also plays the piano for the Montgomery County middle school and high school choirs.