Women's History Month: Rev. Dr. Gloria Otis

Throughout March and extending into April, the Cleveland Baptist Association is celebrating the women pastors faithfully serving our churches and communities.

Rev. Dr. Gloria Otis

Interim Pastor, Lakewood Baptist Church, Lakewood, OH

Rev. Dr. Gloria J. Otis currently serves as Interim Pastor of Lakewood Baptist Church in Lakewood, Ohio, where she is guiding the congregation through a season of grief, healing, and renewed hope for God’s future.

Dr. Otis earned her Doctor of Ministry from Ashland Theological Seminary in June 2013, following a Master of Arts in Practical Theology (2009) and a Diploma of Theology (2005) from Ashland’s McCreary Center for African American Religious Studies. She is ordained through the Cleveland Baptist Association of American Baptist Churches USA. Dr. Otis gave her life to Christ in June 1982 and answered her call to gospel ministry in 2003.

An Associate Minister at Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, where the Rev. Dr. Napoleon Harris V is Senior Pastor, preaching and teaching God’s Word and supporting a variety of ministries. Her service includes work with Hope for Africa, leadership and facilitation of workshops, and ministry alongside the deacons and singles ministry.

Beyond the church, Dr. Otis is deeply engaged in community ministry. She serves with Youth Opportunities Unlimited as a Career Readiness Facilitator, partnering with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District to prepare young people for future opportunities. She also serves as a PRN Chaplain at Cleveland Clinic – Lutheran Hospital, where she provides pastoral care and facilitates spirituality groups for adults, including those in Senior Behavioral Health, Mood Disorders, and Inpatient Alcohol and Drug Recovery units.

Dr. Otis has previously served in numerous pastoral and ministry leadership roles. She was Pastor of a Senior Residential Assisted Living community (2017–2021) and facilitated ministerial mentoring in preaching at The Woodlands of Shaker Heights. Her ministry experience also includes service as an Associate Minister at Second Metropolitan Baptist Church, under Rev. Napoleon Harris IV, and an intern at New Mount Zion Baptist Church, where she worked with youth ministry while completing her doctoral project.

She has also led and developed several impactful ministries, including founding and facilitating Healing Hearts, a bereavement support ministry she led for 12 years. As a Small Groups Director for a decade, she guided ministries such as Men for Change, O.A.S.I.S. (Seniors 55+), Celebrate Recovery, Enlightened Book Club, God’s Word Children’s Book Club, Singles Unlimited, and Tapestry Women’s Fellowship. Earlier in her ministry, she served as an Associate Minister at Affinity Missionary Baptist Church, teaching in Children’s by leading the call for Pastor’s Little Kids, Youth, and Teen Church.

Professionally, Dr. Otis also served at the National Offices of the United Church of Christ in Cleveland as an Administrative Professional for the Congregational Vitality and Discipleship Team, supporting ministries related to worship, music, liturgical arts, youth and young adults, children and families, spiritual formation, stewardship, curriculum development, and church development.

Her broader ministry involvement includes serving as Assistant Chaplain at Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility, alongside Rev. Dr. Gregory F. Clark, Sr., and participating in numerous volunteer outreach efforts. These include ministry in juvenile detention centers, county jails, prison outreach, youth development programs, and urban community ministries. She has also served in Women’s Missionary groups, Child Evangelism Fellowship, evangelism outreach ministries, and Sunday School leadership.

Through decades of faithful service, Rev. Dr. Gloria J. Otis continues to embody a ministry centered on preaching the gospel, nurturing spiritual growth, and extending Christ’s compassion to both church and community.