Who We Are

Our Pastors

Eric Zellner is the Pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church, Auburn.

Born and raised in Nashville, Eric received his undergraduate degree from Auburn University in 1996. After college, his career took him to Birmingham where he worked in the fields of health insurance and worker’s compensation. In 1998, Eric married Susan Grainger. While serving as a deacon at Faith Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Eric and Susan sensed a call to full time vocational ministry. This led to a move to St. Louis, Missouri, where Eric earned a Masters of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary in 2006.

After seminary, Eric served for five and a half years as Associate Pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2012, the Zellners moved to Indianola, Mississippi where Eric pastored First Presbyterian Church for six years. In April of 2018, Eric received a call to plant a new PCA church in Auburn. The Zellners moved to Auburn in June to plant and pastor the people that the Lord would gather to Christ Presbyterian Church.

Eric and Susan enjoy sharing the love of Christ through building and nurturing relationships. They have four children, Olivia, Emma Frances, Cord and Lucy. The Zellners are delighted to be a part of God’s kingdom work here in Auburn.

Josh is the associate pastor at Christ Pres. Josh grew up in Senatobia, MS and graduated from Mississippi State in 2010. He then served with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) for 9 years (1 year in Italy, 4 at the University of Alabama, and 4 at Mississippi State).

Sensing a call to pastoral ministry, Josh moved to Jackson, MS in 2019 to begin seminary at Reformed Theological Seminary. He married his wife Mackenzie Hemphill in 2020.

After graduating, Josh was hired in April 2022 to serve Christ Pres in discipleship ministries of Sunday School and small groups, youth, college, and young adults. Josh, Mackenzie, and their son Hutton are so grateful to be in Auburn and a part of God’s good work in Christ Pres.

Our Staff

Blair Dickson

Director of Music and Girls Discipleship

Caleb Gaunce

Director of College Guys Discipleship

Katie Hames

Office Manager and Ministry Assistant

Mackenzie Shideler

Nursery Coordinator

Janie Spiker

Events Coordinator

Our Story

Christ Presbyterian Church of Auburn was planted as a joint work of the Presbyterian Church in American (PCA) and the Southeast Alabama Presbytery. After gathering for informational meetings in summer of 2018, our first worship service took place on July 29, 2018 at the Auburn Alumni Association building on South College Street next to the campus of Auburn University. Eric Zellner’s sermon title was “I AM – The Bread of Life.” The sermon appropriately pointed the congregation to Jesus Christ. Our name reminds us that Christ is the Savior of sinners, the foundation for this young church and the spiritual nourishment for our souls. Upon the firm foundation of Christ, the church continues to meet for worship, teaching, prayer, and fellowship.

As part of the PCA, we are members of an evangelical denomination that proclaims the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The word “evangelical” comes from the Greek word meaning “good news.” We desire all people to trust in the saving work of Jesus and enjoy eternal life in him. (1)

The PCA is a reformed denomination in that we believe in the biblical truth proclaimed during the Protestant Reformation. The Word of God, rather than tradition, is the only guide for the Church. God alone saves through his immeasurable mercy and according to his sovereign plan. We believe the system of doctrine taught in the Bible is summarized well in the Westminster Confession of Faith with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. (1)

From a heart of gratitude to God for His mercy and grace offered to us through faith in Jesus Christ we desire to worship God with reverence, communicate His truth winsomely, and to foster warm relationships.

1 “Presbyterian Church in America, Who We Are”, Presbyterian Church in America. https://pcanet.org/about-the-pca/ (accessed December 1, 2018).

Core Values

Biblical Expository Preaching: A church that believes in preaching sequentially through the books of the Bible carefully explaining, illustrating, and applying the text to the congregation.

Biblical Worship: A church that loves the forms of liturgy of the historic, Reformed tradition and by conviction desires to see the focus of worship on God.

Biblical Theology: A church committed to the theology of the Westminister Confession of Faith as the most faithful summary of the teachings of Scripture.

Biblical Holiness: A church that encourages its members to embrace the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit and to grow in personal holiness.

Biblical Evangelism, Church planting and Missions: A church committed to the spread of the gospel in the Auburn community and throughout the world through support of foreign missions and local church planting.

Biblical Discipleship: A church committed not merely to numerical growth in the congregation but real spiritual depth in its membership.

Biblical Wisdom: A church that understands the times while simultaneously ministering in a university environment and maintaining Biblical commitments to truth.

Biblical Community: A Church with a multi-generational approach to ministry. While we believe that God has instituted the covenant family as the central part of the Christian home, this does not make us insular; rather we strive to live as a body of believers united in genuine community.

Our Pastors