Elders
Men who sense a calling to ministry as an elder or as a member of the pastoral staff must be examined according to the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:6-9.
The elder board also consists of Pastor Mark Pratt and Associate Pastor Joe Abraham.
Mark Pratt
Senior Pastor
Mark and his family moved to the neighborhood from Tennessee in 2011. He and his family began attending Scranton Road Bible Church in 2017. He was hired on staff in Spring 2018 and took on the role of Senior Pastor in September 2019. He and his wife, Evie, have 4 children — 3 boys and 1 girl. They love to go camping whenever they get a chance and have enjoyed exploring Ohio State Parks over the past 7 years. In his free time Mark loves to play board games, read, and he is trying to teach himself how to play the banjo.
Joe Abraham
Associate Pastor
Pastor Joe first came to Cleveland in 1974 as a sports writer before he felt called to enter into ministry. After serving through Youth for Christ for 11 1/2 years, with 8 years in urban ministry, he came to Scranton Road Bible Church in 1988 and began serving as Senior Pastor in 1992. In order to enjoy more time with his family, Pastor Joe took on the role of Associate Pastor in September 2019. He and his wife Debbie have two adult sons, Jeremy and Chad. He is amazingly in love with grandson Cooper (2) and soon to be born granddaughter Callie (7/23). Pastor Joe continues to write in his free time and read books by favorite authors such as Philip Yancey and biographies of all kinds.
…and he still roots for his hometown, Detroit.
Bob Beckstrom
Bob moved from Los Angeles to the Cleveland area in 1986 with his wife Lidia and their four children. They began attending SRBC sometime around 2010, and he became an elder in 2016. Bob – who is a composer and conductor – retired as Dean of Arts & Humanities from Lorain County Community College in 2017. He has been taking courses offered by Jerusalem University College since 2020. Bob and Lidia enjoy nature walks, traveling, studying God’s Word, and helping with the grandchildren.
Pete Donoghue
Pete and Toni first attended SRBC about 10 years ago when they moved to the west side of town. They raised two daughters, Andrea and Wesley, in Chagrin Falls. Both daughters graduated from Biola University, are married and live in the Cleveland area. Pete and Toni are proud grandparents of 3, Everett, Owen and Remi. They are passionate about family and serving others through SRBC. Pete loves sports and manages sales and marketing at Enerco Group. Toni is the SRBC Secretary and she manages the nursery on Sunday mornings.
Paul Heitzmann
Paul first moved to Cleveland in 1995 after serving with the Navigators in Russia for 14 months. In 2005 he began attending Scranton Road Bible Church and now serves on the Board of Elders. He and his wife, Sue, have 4 children. When Paul isn’t out enjoying the outdoors on the golf course or riding his motorcycle, he likes to try out the many great restaurants in the Cleveland area.
Mark Ritzman
Children’s Pastor
Mark, his wife Candi, and kids Tytus, Zach and Coco have been a part of SRBC since 2017. Before that, Mark spent time as a pastor and church planter here in Cleveland and in Philadelphia, PA. Mark enjoys flight simming and rooting for the Cleveland Guardians.
Jack Shearer
Jack and his wife, Jan, and two children Jill and John have been attending Scranton Road Bible Church since 1982. Beginning in 2000, Jack has served as an Elder and took on the role of Financial Secretary in 2012. He was born in Texas but has lived in Cleveland almost all of his life and is an avid Cleveland Indians fan. He is now retired but still working part-time for Stein Inc. Jack enjoys spending time with his family, collecting baseballs cards, playing in the church softball league, and watching old movies from the 20’s through the 50’s. One of his favorite verses is Luke 9:62.
Ivan Stojanov
Ivan moved to Cleveland in 2016 from Boston, having previously lived up and down the East coast and in Croatia. He has been a part of SRBC since moving here and has served as an elder since 2023. Ivan met his lovely wife Daisy in Cleveland, and currently works at Cleveland Clinic. Together Ivan and Daisy enjoy serving in the church’s children’s ministry and, in their free time, traveling and being outdoors.
Craig Tennant
After having attended Scranton Road Bible Church for three years, Craig accepted the call to the Elder position in 2006. He and his wife, Tracy, have been married since 1990 and have 3 adult children. Craig was born and raised in Cleveland and enjoys spending time with his children. Craig works currently for BioThane in North Ridgeville.
Chris Whitmore
Chris & his wife Michelle started attending SRBC in 1994, and have been privileged to raise their 2 daughters here. Formerly an Engineer, Chris now directs Scranton Rd. Ministries, a sister organization to the church that serves Cleveland through Gospel-focused educational and legal services, and workforce development. Chris & his family enjoy sports, growing in God’s Word, and exploring the national parks.
