Meet the Team

Pastoral team

TJ Tims

Lead Pastor

T. J. is Lead Pastor of Immanuel Nashville. He and his wife, Jessica, have been members of Immanuel since 2012. They have four young kids—Charlotte, Maggie, Cleo, and Goodwin. T.J. holds a PhD in systematic theology from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and a theology degree from King’s College London. He was ordained into the Christian ministry in 2008. T.J. is also a council member of The Gospel Coalition, for whom he occasionally writes.

Sam Allberry

Associate Pastor

Sam grew up in England, where he became a Christian and eventually a church pastor. He is the author of several books. Outside of Immanuel Sam serves as a Canon Theologian for the Anglican Church in North America, and as a Fellow at the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. Sam joined the staff of Immanuel in 2023 and lives in south Nashville. He loves helping people discover the welcoming heart of Jesus Christ.

Barnabas Piper

Assistant Pastor

Barnabas grew up as a pastor’s kid, graduated from Wheaton College, and spent 14 years working in Christian publishing. He began attending Immanuel in 2017. In 2018 he began to sense God’s call on his life to pastoral ministry. He joined the staff of Immanuel in 2019 and was called as a pastor in 2020. He loves investing in and shepherding this community of believers who welcome hurting and weary people and walk with them to Jesus. Barnabas is the author of several books and lives in the north suburbs of Nashville with his wife and two daughters.

Vince Greenwald

Assistant Pastor

Vince lives in West Nashville with his wife Caroline and their three little ones, Bear, Lila, and Grace. Caroline and Vince "adulted" at Immanuel starting in 2016 after graduating from Baylor University. Vince especially loves watching youth and college students at Immanuel steep in the good news of Jesus Christ, experience a culture shaped by the gospel, and find a sense of belonging in the Church.

Tony Shepherd

Assistant Pastor

Tony lives in Antioch with his wife, Jolene, and their six children: David, Stephen, Lydia, Mark, Noelle, and Moriah. Tony and Jolene became members of Immanuel in 2010 and were sent out in 2013 to help plant a church in Virginia. After serving as a pastor in Virginia for nearly a decade, Tony and his family returned to Nashville in 2022, where he joined the Immanuel staff and now serves as an Assistant Pastor. You can find Tony around the city taking photos and meeting new people, in the studio listening to Christian hip-hop, or at Immanuel, giving a gospel welcome to everyone!