Leadership

In September 2021, Clint Landry returned to our staff as Senior Pastor. From 2006 2010, Clint served as our Minister to Students and after a decade serving in the pastorate at three other churches, the Lord has brought him back to lead during this season in the life of our church. Clint is committed to lead churches through expository preaching and strategic engagement in disciple-making ministries.
 
Clint and his wife Suzanne were both raised in South Mobile County, Alabama. Suzanne is a special education teacher at Wetumpka Elementary. They have three children, Maggie, Joseph, and Amelia, who are currently in school at Wetumpka High and Wetumpka Middle. The Landrys love our city and are happy to call it home!
 
Clint has served a total of six churches in South, Central, and North Alabama. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Mobile and earned his Master’s and Doctoral degrees from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
 
Most weekends you can find the Landrys at a local ball field supporting their children, but they also love to travel. Clint loves a good trip to see the beauty of God’s creation in our national parks, while the whole family can’t wait for the next opportunity to go to Disney World or another theme park. 

After serving as a lay ministry leader for many years, Bart Teel joined the FBCW ministerial team in January of 2011 to serve full time as Minister to Students and Coordinator of Evangelism and Outreach Ministries.  After serving four years in that role, the church expanded Bart’s leadership role to that of Associate Pastor in January of 2015, and he continues in that role today, working alongside our pastor to help cast a clear vision for ministry for our church family and to help equip our members to grow in their faith and serve as leaders in ministry.  Throughout each ministry week, Bart is engaged in leading, teaching, and discipling in a wide variety of age group ministries, from younger school-aged kids to high school athletes to young adult couples to FBCW Men.

Bart and his wife, Denise, are both graduates of Wetumpka High School as well as Samford University.  Bart also has postgraduate degrees and professional leadership certifications from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Auburn University in Montgomery, and the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.  Denise is active in ministry at FBCW, serving in ministry to children, to young mothers, and as a member of the adult worship choir.  The Teels have been blessed with four children.  Their oldest daughter and son-in-law, Tori (Teel) & Tanner Harris (and grandson, Brody!) live and work in Birmingham, AL.  Their second-born daughter, Karen, is a professional educator in Germantown, TN, just outside Memphis.  Their third-born and oldest son, Sam, lives and works in Denver, CO, in public accounting, and their youngest son, Jay, is a junior at Auburn University.  The Teel family has been a part of the FBCW family since 1993.

Bart’s hobbies include distance running and serving as P. A. announcer for Wetumpka High Football.  On any given weekend you are most likely to find the Teels working around the house, reading, running, enjoying local youth sports events, enjoying local lakes and trails, or traveling to visit with their young adult kids.

First Baptist Preschool Ministry is led by Mrs. Cathy Sanford. She is the director of our Child Development Center. She is committed to the loving care and safety of our preschoolers. Cathy has lived in Wetumpka and been an active member of the FBC family since 1972, when she married Ed. Their two boys were “trained up in the way of the Lord” here at First Baptist Wetumpka. They both live in Wetumpka. She now enjoys partnering with them in training six grandchildren. Cathy looks forward to getting to know your family and invites you to join them on Sunday for worship if you do not have a church home. 

After fourteen years as a member of the First Baptist Family, in April, Heather joined the staff as Children's Minister.  Heather and her husband James,  have found First Baptist to be a wonderful church home to raise their three children, Evan, Emie and Euan.

Heather comes to the ministerial staff with an eager heart to help children grow in their faith and love for Jesus.  Not only is the goal to love on children, but to walk alongside their parents in teaching and leading in the ways of the Lord. The goal of our WETUKids ministry is to encompass the entire family, beginning with kids in kindergarten through sixth grade. There is something really special about the innocence of children and their vulnerable minds to grasp the Gospel and begin to understand the importance of knowing and serving Jesus well.  As the coordinator of the chaos that sometimes comes with Children's Ministry, Heather is excited to plan with other church leaders to help foster an inviting and exciting safe place for the kids of Elmore County to come to know the Jesus who will change their lives forever.

A native of Centreville, Alabama, Heather graduated from the University of Alabama in 2005 with two Bachelor of Science degrees in Human Development and Family Studies, Early Childhood Development and Child Life.  James and Heather married in 2005 and made Wetumpka their home. Evan made them first time parents in 2008, Emie joined in 2013 and shortly after, Euan completed their family dynamic in 2016.  In Heather's free time, she enjoys baking, shopping and spending time with her family.