The Southern Union Conference Executive Committee voted on September 24, 2026, to call Paul Goodridge as associate director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL). Goodridge, who currently serves as senior pastor of the Mt. Calvary Church in Huntsville, Alabama, begins his new role January 1, 2027.

Goodridge brings more than 25 years of pastoral ministry and servant leadership to the position. He has pastored in the Northeastern, Southeastern, and South Central conferences, and before his current assignment at Mt. Calvary, he served as associate pastor of the Oakwood University Church. He has also taught theology, ministry, and evangelism courses as an adjunct instructor at Oakwood University.

Since 2019, Goodridge has served in a dual role, leading a congregation while also directing Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the South Central Conference. That experience gives him direct, practical grounding in advocacy, public engagement, and organizational leadership, strengths he now brings to the union level.

“Finding the right person for a union-level Public Affairs and Religious Liberty position can be a daunting task, and I am thrilled that Pastor Goodridge has accepted the call,” said Amireh Al-Haddad, director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the Southern Union. “No decision is made without prayer and reflection, and after much of both, we felt led to him. I believe he will play a vital role in strengthening our leadership and our service to members across our conferences.”

Al-Haddad noted that the importance of the appointment is often underestimated. “Most church members don’t realize that PARL work in the Southern Union is carried out almost entirely at the union level. That fact alone makes this leadership choice so important. We ask for your prayers as Pastor Goodridge transitions into this vital ministry in these last days before Christ’s return.”