pastors
Pastoral transition coming summer 2026
On Sunday, April 12, 2026, Holly Aragon Jones, chair of Staff Parish Relations Committee, announced that Rev. Dr. Cathy Johns and Rev. Doug Johns will retire this June. You can read the Johnses' letter to the congregation here.
Rev. Jad Denmark will become lead pastor of Christ Church in July 2026. Pastor Jad served as Director of Student Ministry at Christ Church in the early 2000s; his wife Shelly was a teacher at Christ Church School, before they both attended Candler School of Theology at Emory University. You can watch a greeting from the Denmarks here.
We are grateful to the Johnses for their joyful service at Christ Church for the past two years, and we look forward to welcoming the Denmarks this summer.
Co-Lead Pastors Cathy and Doug Johns
Rev. Dr. Cathy Johns and Rev. Doug Johns are co-lead pastors for Christ Church United Methodist. This husband/wife team comes to us from the West Ohio Conference. Pastor Cathy Johns is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and a graduate of Manchester College (B.A., 1981), United Theological Seminary (M. Div., 1984), and Chicago Theological Seminary (D. Min., 2003). Pastor Doug Johns is a native of Lansing, Michigan, and a graduate of Ohio Northern University (B.A., 1983), United Theological Seminary (M.Div.,1986), and recipient of the Executive Certificate of Religious Fundraising from Lake Institute/Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis, School of Philanthropy.
Pastors Cathy and Doug served churches separately for about 18 years before co-leading churches in 1995: First United Methodist Church, Warsaw, Indiana; and Church of the Saviour and Hyde Park Community, both United Methodist churches in Cincinnati, Ohio. Each brings their own strengths to ministry. Pastor Cathy’s strengths are preaching, spiritual formation, and pastoral care. Pastor Doug’s gifts lie in administration and finance. After being in ministry in the West Ohio Conference, they moved to the Fort Lauderdale area in 2023. The Johnses have a daughter and son-in-law who live in Cincinnati and a son and daughter-in-law who live in Lexington, South Carolina. They are blessed with three grandchildren.
The Johnses offer these words to us: “It is with great joy that we come to join you in ministry! God has blessed Christ Church United Methodist with a blessed past and a faithful present. We look forward to seeing the words from Jeremiah come alive: ‘For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.’ (Jeremiah 29:11) “Please join us in prayer for God to guide our steps as we begin this journey together. We look forward to a vibrant ministry of loving, leading, and learning with you as we strive to be faithful to God’s call to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Pastor Cathy Johns
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Pastor Doug Johns
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Monique McBride
Pastor to School & Families
Monique is an ordained Deacon in the United Methodist Church with a calling to Christian Education and children. A native South Floridian, Monique grew up in Coral Springs and went to school at University of Florida and Duke University, where she received her master’s in divinity degree with a specialization in Christian Education. Monique oversees children and family ministries at Christ Church and serves as the Pastor to Christ Church School teaching Bible and Art classes, leading Chapel, and offering pastoral counseling to children and families. Monique has been married to her husband Ryan for more than twenty years. They have two boys, two rescue dogs, and two turtles.
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