Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCPC) associate pastor Paul Goebel has accepted a nomination to take the helm of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville.
Christ Presbyterian Church will hold a congregational meeting this weekend to vote on Goebel’s candidacy. He said in a letter posted on PCPC’s website that, if successful, he anticipates making the move to Nashville this summer.
“Started in 1981, Christ Presbyterian Church is a sister church in our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America, that shares many connections to members of PCPC. And much like PCPC, Christ Pres has a rich history of ministry, missions, and church planting as well as brokenness, pain, and a deep need for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is truly humbling to be considered as their next Senior Pastor,” Goebel’s letter read. “But the possibility of leaving PCPC also fills us with great grief. We love PCPC, we love our staff and our pastors, we love our elders and deacons, and we love you. Jenni and I have grown up in life and in ministry at PCPC. We were married here, I was ordained here, our daughters were baptized and took their first communion here, and we have been dearly loved here.”
The Rev. Mark Davis, PCPC senior pastor, praised Goebel in his letter to the congregation.
“One of the great joys of serving on the pastoral staff of PCPC is the privilege of sharing life and ministry together with such godly and gifted men,” Davis wrote. “When Paul shared the news with me about his potential call to serve as the senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, I was not surprised — no one is surprised! His abiding relationship in Jesus, the gifts and passion for preaching, teaching, shepherding, and leading along with his deep love for Christ’s Church make him an obvious candidate. We praise God for who Paul is in Christ. We praise God also for Jenni, Ann Elise, Margaret, and Georgia, and how they are deeply woven into the fabric of PCPC.”
