Paul Timothy Roberts Sr. is president of Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary (JCSTS) in Atlanta, Georgia, a position he has held since the spring of 2010. Under Paul’s leadership, JCSTS has gained prominence in the national conversation about new models of theological education.
Paul grew up in Bradenton, Florida, and graduated from Princeton with a bachelor’s degree in architecture and African American studies. After graduation, he worked for eight years in advertising in New York City. He later earned a master’s of divinity degree with a concentration in New Testament studies from Johnson C. Smith Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. Paul is an academic fellow of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey in Celigny, Switzerland. An ordained minister, he was the pastor of Church of the Master (PCUSA), a church founded in 1965 in Atlanta as an intentionally interracial congregation, from 1997 through 2010.
Paul serves on the boards of the Presbyterian Foundation, Montreat Conference Center, Macedonian Ministry Inc., and NEXT Church. He is the recipient of the 2016 Devoted Service Award from Louisville Theological Seminary.
Paul and his wife, Nina, have one adult daughter and two teenage sons. Recreationally, he enjoys tennis and gardening.