Christ Centered Missionary Baptist Church

Leadership

Rev. John Edward Cunningham Jr. Lead Pastor Christ Centered Missionary Baptist Church Hayward, CA Before Pastor John ever stood behind a pulpit, he served his country. A U.S. Army veteran, he carried that same sense of duty into ministry when he answered the call to preach in 1996 — not as a career move, but as a conviction he simply couldn’t shake. He was ordained in 2019. Under his leadership, Christ Centered Missionary Baptist Church has come through a genuine season of renewal — not just in attendance or programming, but in the kind of spiritual depth that changes how people actually live. One of his greatest joys has been watching more and more people pick up their Bibles on their own, not just on Sundays. Daily Scripture reading and weekly Bible study have become a growing rhythm in this congregation, and Pastor John takes that seriously as a sign of real growth. He has expanded the church’s digital reach so that more people can connect, and he has consistently challenged the congregation to bring their faith into contact with the real needs of their community. Pastor John preaches a gospel that doesn’t stop at Sunday morning. He believes following Jesus means showing up for people — advocating for the marginalized, confronting injustice, and doing the slow, unglamorous work of community care. He has been at this since the 1980s, and he still preaches like it matters, because to him, it does. He lives in Richmond with his wife, Latasha, their blended family, and seven grandchildren who keep things lively. Everything he does is anchored in a verse he returns to again and again: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” — Ephesians 3:20