Dr. Wilson Benton
wbenton@christpres.org (615)373-2311
Pastor

Wilson grew up on a farm in Brandon, Mississippi. He attended Belhaven College, majoring in English, history, and Bible. Two weeks after starting, he met Pam. Two weeks after graduation, they were married.  Upon graduation, he taught at his alma mater for one year before entering Columbia Seminary where he earned the MDiv.

After seminary, Wilson, Pam, and their 13-month-old son Louis moved to Scotland, where Wilson received his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh and Pam gave birth to their daughter Paige. Upon returning to the United States, they were immediately invited to pastor First Presbyterian Church, Cleveland, Mississippi. There they were blessed with another little girl Laura. For 16 years they led the church and raised their family.

In 1985, the Benton family moved north to St. Louis, Missouri to answer a call from The Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church. They taught, loved, and learned from that church until Wilson retired 21 years later and was named pastor emeritus.

In 2007, Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC) pulled the Bentons out of retirement, asking Wilson to serve as interim senior pastor and later extending that call to stay as senior pastor. Today, Wilson and Pam live in Nashville, TN, pastoring CPC and enjoying their nine grandchildren.
 
Over the course of his career, Wilson has also served in a number of denominational leadership positions, including Moderator of the 20th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of America, Chairman of the Committee for Mission to North America, Chairman of the Committee for Reformed University Ministries, and as Adjunct Professor and Senior Associate in the Center for Ministry Leadership at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.

Rev. Todd Teller
tteller@christpres.org (615)373-2311
Associate Pastor, Congregational Care

Todd grew up in Vicksburg, Mississippi and attended the University of Mississippi majoring in history. At Ole Miss he was drawn to the ministry of Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), and he met his future wife, Wheat. After graduation in 1990, he served as an intern with RUF for two years at Mississippi State.

By the end of his internship, Todd’s call to the ministry was clear and he entered Covenant Theological Seminary. While in St. Louis he and Wheat were married.  He earned the Masters of Divinity in 1996 and accepted a call to First Presbyterian Church, Clarksdale, Mississippi, where he spent half his time with the youth, half his time doing anything else that needed to be done. In 1998 Wheat gave birth to their first son, Land.

In 1999, they responded to a call from First Presbyterian Church in Augusta, Georgia, one of the oldest churches in the south. Todd served the church as Associate Pastor while he and Wheat welcomed the arrival of a daughter Emme and a second son Beckett.

In 2005 the Tellers arrived in Nashville answering the call of Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC). JonWallace arrived later that year.

As Associate Pastor, Todd provides pastoral care for CPC members, teaching and preaching, visiting the sick and bereaved, counseling those in crisis, welcoming and assimilating newcomers, loving and encouraging everyone.