Attendance at St. James-Gregory continued to grow beyond capacity. With the shifting demographics, a larger church, Paseo United Methodist, located at the corner of 56th & Paseo was experiencing a shrinking membership. Bishop W.T. Handy, Jr. orchestrated a merger of the two churches with Reverend Cleaver as the Senior Pastor of the newly renamed St. James-Paseo United Methodist. With the help of a dynamic music ministry, soul-stirring preaching, and a large Blue Hills Neighborhood, the congregation continued to grow.
In the ensuing years, Rev. Cleaver was first elected to the Kansas City, Missouri City Council, then as the first African American Mayor of Kansas City, all while continuing to serve as Senior Pastor. A merger with Swope Park United Methodist Church was created in 1994 and rescinded in 1995. Removing Paseo from its name, the church was once again St. James United Methodist. Several ministries were launched including a food pantry, the development of St. James Place, an apartment complex for Seniors, and the purchase of the 40 Acres and a Mule Campus, which hosted Gospel Under the Stars and a Kansas City Freedom School site.