We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
- Psalm 33:20-21
It is with great joy and thankful hearts for God’s provision that we, the Lead Pastor Search Committee, unanimously and enthusiastically recommend to the congregation the Rev. Dr. Chuck Colson as the next Lead Pastor of ChristChurch.
We invite you learn more about Chuck, Melissa, and their children by watching the introduction video and reading the linked brochure below. Let us prepare our hearts to welcome the Colsons during the Candidating Weekend on October 17-19th, giving thanks for all that the Lord has done and all that He is going to do in the days to come.
A Word from the Search Committee Chair
About the Rev. Dr. Chuck Colson
Dr. Chuck Colson was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina, baptized in a southern Presbyterian Church, and never remembers days apart from knowing God. He later attended Furman University, where me met his wife, Melissa, and began working with Campus Outreach. Following graduation, he continued to work with Campus Outreach at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina before embarking on his seminary studies at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida.
Chuck has served as an assistant pastor at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee and as church planter in a center city congregation in Arlington, Virginia. For the past eleven years, he has served as Senior Pastor of Christ Church Presbyterian in Jacksonville, Florida, where the Lord has quadrupled the size of the congregation. In 2022, Chuck completed a Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen, writing his dissertation on John Calvin’s theology of the Sabbath commandment.
Chuck and Melissa have three children: Sim (22), Ware (20), and McKenzie (15).
Timeline & Next Steps
Candidating Weekend: October 17th-19th, 2025
Friday and Saturday will include meetings for Chuck and Melissa with church officers and staff.
On Sunday, you will have an opportunity to meet Chuck, Melissa, and their daughter, McKenzie, as well as their two college-aged sons, Sim and Ware, who will be joining us for the worship service.
On Sunday, October 19th, there will be two opportunities to hear from Chuck and Melissa:
Q&A Session, 9:00AM: During the Sunday School hour, the search committee will host a Q&A time with Chuck and Melissa in the sanctuary. There will be no other Adult or Youth Sunday School classes during that hour; Sunday School and nursery will be available in the Woodland.
Worship Service, 10:30AM: Chuck will preach during the worship service.
Home Group Visits
During the two weeks surrounding the Candidating Weekend, members of the search committee will visit with each of the Home Groups to answer questions.
Congregational Meeting: Sunday, October 26th
A congregational meeting will be held on Sunday, October 26th after the worship service to vote on the search committee’s recommendation to call Dr. Chuck Colson as Lead Pastor (BCO 20-2). All communing members are eligible to vote, but you must be physically present at the meeting.