Our Staff
Dr. Blake Harwell
Senior Pastor
As the primary teaching pastor, Pastor Blake has a passion for carefully unpacking the truths of Scripture. He has served at First Baptist Church Clinton since 1998. Blake is happily married to Sharon and he has two adult children, Brindley and Abby. Blake enjoys the outdoors, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and connecting with other people.
Rev. Mark McMahan
Associate Pastor for Music & Worship
Rev. Mark McMahan, an accomplished musician and singer/songwriter, serves as the Associate Pastor of Music and Worship. Outside of his love for God’s word, Mark enjoys playing golf and working on construction projects. His wife Cyndi enjoys reading and the ocean. They have two daughters who are now grown and grandchildren they enjoy spending time with.
Rev. Jay Roland
Associate Pastor of discipleship and outreach
Having grown up at First Clinton, Jay has a deep love for this church and the Clinton community. He is a husband to Autumn and a dad to Jilliana. Jay loves helping people take their next step, or their first step, in following Jesus. Jay enjoys reading, cheering for the Clemson Tigers, and just about anything that involves the outdoors.
Melissa Chandler
Minister to Children
Melissa Chandler serves as our Minister to Children. Melissa grew up at First Baptist and has a deep love for children. She holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and is currently employed as a 1st grade teacher at Thornwell Charter School. She enjoys sharing God's love with all children. She and her husband Austin have two daughters, Anna Grace and Amelia.
Rev. Tara Webb
Minister to Students
Rev. Tara Webb is our current Minister to Students and Church Pianist. She has served at FBC since 1995. She was born and raised in Clinton and grew up at FBC. She had an opportunity to step into the ministry during her senior year of High School where she served at Hillcrest Baptist Church in the music ministry, children’s ministry, and youth ministry for 9 years. The door was opened for her to return home and serve in ministry in the church that impacted her life so greatly. She is a graduate of Presbyterian College. She is also a Vice President & Trust Officer at Arthur State Bank where she helps manage the department for the bank. Tara has two adult children, Amanda and Braeden. Both of her children are involved in worship leadership (keeping the music ministry legacy going since Tara’s great-grandfather).