Church Leaders
Pastor Madison Roberts didn’t plan to be a pastor. In fact, before going to seminary, his career path included being an engineer and attorney. After being a practicing attorney for 12 years, he was inspired by the book The Case for Christ by renowned author and Christian apologist Lee Strobel.
While teaching a Sunday School class on The Case for Christ, Roberts shares, “I started feeling this pull. It turns out it was a call.” His wife Rebecca encouraged him to consider becoming a pastor after seeing how much he enjoyed teaching in Sunday School. “I was the dynamite, and she lit the fuse,” Roberts said, adding that he started to feel a tug on his heart and God telling him “I’ve made you for this.” He shares that he had reservations about changing his career path including leaving his home state of Georgia, eventually relocating his young family, salary differences, and more. To every one of his reservations, he heard God whisper “Follow Me, and see what happens.” He applied to Princeton Theological Seminary and was accepted just two weeks later. The 40 year old quickly relocated to attend classes. “I was living in a dorm,” Roberts laughingly shares, adding, “I was the oldest guy in the dorm by so much.”
By God’s perfect timing, Mountain Brook Presbyterian Church was searching for a pastor when Roberts graduated from seminary. “When we came together, it was perfect,” Roberts shares adding that the last two and a half years as the pastor of Mountain Brook Presbyterian have been challenging in all the best ways. A few of his favorite aspects of being a pastor include having a captive audience each week and sitting with people in their joyous moments and grief-filled moments. “Being with people at their worst and their best and being able to relate to them and connect with them has been one of the most fruitful pieces that I did not expect,” says Roberts.
A Weekend with Lee Strobel. Roberts has been a fan of Lee Strobel’s for many years and often mentions his books. One of the members of Mountain Brook Presbyterian approached Roberts and said, “What if we can get Lee Strobel here and be a beacon for the Gospel through apologetics?” A week later, the church member wrote a check to the church to book Strobel for a weekend event in Birmingham on March 2-3, 2024. Roberts shares that the event is centered around apologetics which means the defense of the faith. Topics discussed over the weekend will include science, geography, history, and more. On Saturday morning, Strobel will speak at The Fennec at 9 a.m. on the question- Is God real? Saturday night at 5 p.m. at the O’Neal Library Community Room, Strobel will discuss some of the incredible transformation stories he has seen and Pastor Roberts will join Strobel for a Q&A session on apologetics. On Sunday at 10:30 a.m., Strobel will deliver a powerful sermon on a case for Christ. All events are free but the church does request that guests RSVP. Pastor Roberts shares that his hope for this powerful weekend is that anyone who attends will leave bolstered in their faith. To learn more and RSVP, visit www.mbpcusa.org/lee-strobel.
-Melissa Armstrong
