About

CBC

Our Beliefs

Central Baptist Church is an autonomous church in cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, and the Bluebonnet Baptist Association.

We affirm The Baptist Faith and Message (2000) as an accurate summary of the clear teaching of Scripture.

Baptist Faith & Message (2000)

Pastoral Team

Pastors are God-called men recognized and ordained by the church to oversee and care for its people and ministries through preaching and teaching, prayer, and spiritual oversight.

Welcome our new Senior Pastor

A welcome graphic featuring a photo of Pastor Harry Irwin, his wife Natalie, and their three children smiling together inside a warmly lit church lobby.

Harry and Natalie Irwin

We are so excited to announce that Pastor Harry Irwin will be joining Central Baptist Church as our new Senior Pastor! He was born and raised in Odessa. He graduated from Permian High School and received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UTPB. In 2014, he graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master’s Of Divinity. He was licensed to the ministry in 2005 at First Baptist of Odessa and Ordained in 2015 at Victory Baptist of Haltom City. He is married to the love of his life, Natalee, and they have three children, Emily, Jonathan, & Nicholas. Harry accepted the Lord as his Savior as a young child at Second Baptist of Odessa, and later surrendered to the ministry as a teenager at First Baptist of Odessa. Harry’s desire is to glorify God and grow His Kingdom. This is fulfilled by honoring God in all areas of life and sharing the love of Christ through purposeful evangelism.

We look forward to all that God has in store for Central Baptist Church and the Irwin family as we begin this new chapter together!

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” — Proverbs 3:5–6

Please join us in welcoming the Irwin family and praying for them as they begin this new season with us!

Jerry and Sylvia Benavidez

Associate Pastor of Children and Youth

Jerry and Sylvia Benavidez joined the CBC Luling Pastoral team first in May of 2022-2024 to serve in the Kids Ministry. After this time they continued serving in ministry opportunities throughout San Marcos, Geronimo, and Seguin. May 2026 God called Jerry and Sylvia back to lead our kids and youth programs at CBC, with a common church goal to reach the community to experience the love of God. They have over 40 years experience in several Ministry positions. Pastor Jerry was a lead Pastor for a couple of Baptist Churches, including starting a Church Plant in San Marcos. Jerry and Sylvia have been married 47 years with 1 son, 2 daughters, 11 grandkids and 1 great- granddaughter. They enjoy family time, and seeing their family serving God.

Email Jerry

BILLY BARNES

Associate Pastor of Transition

Billy joined CBC's pastoral team in 2025 to oversee our 55+ ministry. Before joining the CBC team, served as Senior Adult Minister at First Baptist New Braunfels and 55+ Coordinator with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. He and Judy have been married for more than 50 years and have two children and four grandchildren.

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Klinton Goerdel

Pastor of Visitation and Care

Klinton has served at CBC in a variety of roles since he and his family joined the church in 2019. He teaches a Sunday morning Bible study for men at 9:30 and leads the church in its ministry of visitation and care. He joined the pastoral team in June 2025.

Klinton was born and raised in Luling and graduated from Luling High School and Texas A&M. He and Stephanie have two sons and a daughter.

Email Klinton

Staff

Deacons

Deacons at Central Baptist Church are ordained servants of the church who seek to encourage and support the church body through a ministry of service.

A blue graphic listing the members of the Administrative Leadership Team (ALT), including Pastor Harry Irwin and six other members with their respective roles.