GET TO KNOW

CORAL RIDGE

VISION

A Gospel Centered-Church that Equips Culture-Shaping Christians from Generation to Generation.

MISSION

To proclaim the Gospel to each generation and empower them to live in light of the foundational truth that Jesus is Lord of all.

As a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church is a confessional church, fully committed to living out in today’s context the rich theology, piety, and practice of the historic Christian faith recovered at the Protestant Reformation, and best summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

OUR BELIEFS

THE BIBLE

We believe that the Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the revelation of God’s truth and is infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.

THE TRINITY

We believe in the Holy Trinity. There is one God, infinite and unchanging, who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

MAN AND SIN

We believe that all people are sinners by nature, are guilty in God’s sight, and are totally unable to save themselves from God’s displeasure. His free grace alone provides a way of salvation.

ELECTION

We believe that this salvation is the work of God alone. He sovereignly chooses whom He will save. We believe that His choice is based solely on His grace, not on any merit found in his people, their foreseen faith, or their religious activity.

JESUS CHRIST

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through His perfect obedience and sacrificial death as the representative and substitute of his people, atoned for the sins of all who would trust in Him alone for salvation.

JUSTIFICATION

We believe that the only way to acceptance with God is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.

God's Covenant Promises

We believe that God is gracious and faithful to His people not simply as individuals but as families in successive generations according to His covenant promises.

The Church

We believe that the church is the covenant community of God and the sphere within which the grace of God is available to all, through the preaching and teaching of the Bible, and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Outside the church there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells God’s people and enables them to trust Christ and follow Him. Faith is the gracious gift of God.

Perseverance of the Saints

We believe that having come to saving faith in Christ, believers can never be lost, but persevere to the end, being kept by the power of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This perseverance is both the responsibility of every believer, and the infallible promise of God to all his people.

The Return of Christ

We believe that Jesus will return at the last day, bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind and to receive His people to Himself.

Living the Christian Life

We believe that all aspects of our lives are to be lived to the glory of God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ as we wait for the day of his glorious appearing.

OUR VALUES

Gospel Centrality - “The Gospel affects everything”

At Coral Ridge, through the power of the Spirit, we endeavor to be people who understand the Gospel as being the lifeblood of the Christian individually and the church collectively. More than merely the entrance into a restored relationship with God, the Gospel is the lens through which all of life is understood, informing who we are and what we do. The Gospel is the catalyst for an engaged and active laity, a recognized priesthood of all believers, and the multiplication and mentoring of future ministers for the Gospel. Romans 1:15-16

A Hopeful Outlook – “God is making all things new”

At Coral Ridge, through the power of the Spirit, we endeavor to be people who live life with an expectant hope in the understanding that God in Christ is making all things new. This renewal of all things by God includes people, relationships, communities, and culture and is the driver for a life motivated to labor optimistically in the knowledge that one’s efforts are part of God’s sovereign plan to restore the created order to its original glory. Revelation 21:5; 1 Peter 1:3

Generational Faithfulness – “Our story in God’s story”

At Coral Ridge, through the power of the Spirit, we endeavor to be people who eagerly minister in the present and expectantly look toward the future with an awareness of God’s sovereign and faithful guiding of Coral Ridge for more than five decades as a part of God’s grander narrative of redemption for all time. We endeavor to be people who celebrate being part of a work of God, much bigger than ourselves, in this local community and beyond. Deuteronomy 6:10-12; Psalm 145:4

Compassionate Hospitality – “We love because Christ loved us”

At Coral Ridge, through the power of the Spirit, we endeavor to be people who extend the indiscriminate love, welcome, and cherishing embrace of Jesus, the Great Physician, to all who enter the doors of this church. We endeavor to do this not thinking we are “physicians” ourselves but recognizing we minister to the broken and hurting with the mutual need of and reliance upon the life-giving attention of Jesus. 1 Peter 4:8-10

South Florida – “Seeking the common good for our communities”

At Coral Ridge, through the power of the Spirit, we endeavor to be people who sincerely love and value the Greater Fort Lauderdale community in which we have been placed, seeking the peace and the prosperity of the city to such a degree that civic flourishing comes as a direct result of the church’s efforts to bless its neighbors. This is best accomplished through the collaborative efforts of all churches in South Florida. Jeremiah 29:7

Next Generation – “Investing in the future of our church”

At Coral Ridge, through the power of the Spirit, we endeavor to be people who shepherd the church with great emphasis placed on discipling and equipping those who are growing up in the faith in our midst. From children to the young adult, we endeavor to minister in a way that effectively teaches this next generation the love of Christ and empowers them to carry it into the future. Deuteronomy 11:20-22

Congregational Worship – “Encountering the glory of God together”

At Coral Ridge, through the power of the Spirit, we endeavor to be people who understand and treasure the weekly assembling of the church community for the purpose of together worshipping our God. We endeavor to be people who place a high value on in-person, corporate worship understanding that the church is the very body of Christ, to be included as members of that body is a cherished gift from God, and that the gathering of believers in worship is a unique means of grace where we encounter the glory of God. Hebrews 10:25; Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:16

Image of God in All People – “Celebrating that everyone is created in the image of God”

At Coral Ridge, through the power of the Spirit, we endeavor to be people who celebrate that we are one body with many parts (gifts, age, race, gender, culture, social status) and through these different expressions of God’s image we all labor together to do the work of the church. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

SENIOR PASTOR

ROB PACIENZA

Dr. Robert J. Pacienza is the Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church (Fort Lauderdale, FL), the CEO/President of Coral Ridge Ministries, and the Founder of the Institute for Faith and Culture. He serves on the General Council of the Gospel Reformation Network, serves as Board Member for National Religious Broadcasters, and is a contributor to WORLD Opinions and The Washington Times.

Rob is a graduate of Samford University (B.A. ’03), Knox Theological Seminary (M.Div. ’12), and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia (D.Min. ’23). His doctorate project was entitled, This Is My Father’s World: A Vision for Equipping Culture-Shaping Christians. Rob is married to Jennifer and they have three children – Preston, Lydia, and Lilianne.

OUR STAFF

Rob Pacienza

Senior Pastor
954.334.5102

Andrew Nichols

Executive Director
954.334.5233

Andrew Siegenthaler

Associate Pastor of Adult Ministries and Care
954.334.5254

Caleb Koornneef

Pastor of Families & Next Generation
954.334.5280

Bev Atkinson

Music Librarian
954.334.5279

Elena Barkey

Weddings & Events
954.334.5109

Pete Bloemendaal

Security Manager
954.334.5267

Kailey Bonds

Executive Assistant to the Executive Director
954.334.5233

Brandon Brower

Facilities

Lauren Buschmann

Executive Operations Manager and Children’s Ministry Director 954.401.2630

Rita Cefalu

Scholar in Residence & Senior Fellow of the Institute for Faith & Culture

Lauren Cooley

Institute for Faith & Culture, Vice President of Public Affairs
954.829.3194

Janice Forsgren

Children’s Ministry
954.547.2950

Miguel Gonzalez

Director of Contemporary Worship

Warren Hopkins

Security & Facilities

Brody Howell

Director of Evangelism

Michael Irvin

Director of Traditional Worship
954.771.8840, ext. 5177

Cindy Jarvis

Facilities Coordinator
954.334.5261

Lisa Joynt

Contemporary Worship Coordinator

Cathy Key

Congregational Care
954.334.5263

Madeline Lee

Hospitality and Events Manager
954.334.5253

Mari Eason Lemarr

Digital Content Creator

Alice Mellor

Outreach
954.600.1506

Duane Mellor

Director of Outreach
954.600.1506

Catherine Moraitis

Social Media Manager

Sandy Murch

Receptionist
954.771.8840

Benson Nguyen

Facilities

Meg Nordstrom

Administrative Assistant to the Music Office
954.334.5255

Fritz Oleus

Facilities

Beth Petersen

Women’s Ministry and Communications Assistant
954.334.5234

Emily Scheimann

Director of Communications
954.334.5262

Craig Starley

Men’s Ministry Coordinator

Gary Steenhoek

Security

Julia Stoutt

Concert Series Manager

Ting Van Hofwegen

Digital Content Creator

Gail Wall

Accounts Receivable
954.334.5257

Charlotte West

Executive Assistant to the Senior Pastor
954.334.5102

Tina Williamson

Little Ridge Operations Director
954.771.8840

Are you passionate about ministry and seeing the Kingdom of God advanced here in South Florida and around the world? Browse our job openings below and submit your application to join the team!

CURRENT OPENINGS

ELDERS

Jim Airdo

Jeff Bercaw

Tec Clark

Jorge Cedeno

Mike Critch

Ken Key

Sam Lamerson

Teaching Elder

Rob Meacham

Bob Mendenall

George Moraitis