The Rev. Paul Roberts

Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA)
Organization: Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, Atlanta, GA

The Reverend Paul Timothy Roberts Sr. is President of Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA, a position he has held since the spring of 2010. Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary is one of the ten theological schools of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the only one that is historically African American.

Paul is a native of Stamford, Connecticut.  However, he grew up in Bradenton, Florida, which he considers his home.  Paul graduated from Princeton University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture and African American Studies. Prior to his career in ministry, Paul worked for eight years in advertising in New York City. Paul later received the Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in New Testament Studies from Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Paul is also an Academic Fellow of The Ecumenical Institute at Bossey in Celigny, Switzerland. 

Beginning in 1997 and for the next 13 years, Paul was the Pastor of Church of the Master (PCUSA), a church founded in 1965 as an intentionally interracial congregation.  During that period he was active in the work of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, served on several civic boards, and became president of the Seminary's alumni association. Before being elected President/Dean at JCSTS, he served one year as the interim leader of the Seminary.

Under Paul's leadership, the seminary tripled enrollment, expanded and reorganized its trustee board, set forth a new vision and strategic plan, and is attracting new friends and supporters.  He is a contributing writer to Pastoral Care: A Case Study Approach by Orbis Books in 1998, and to Feasting on the Gospels by Westminster/John Knox Press released in December 2013.  Paul and his wife, Nina, have three children.