Christ the King Church is a congregation of the Tennessee Valley Presbytery (TVP) in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). As a presbyterian church, CTK is led by a group of “presbyters,” more commonly known as elders. Elders are collectively known as a “session.”
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Nate Xanders
Pastor / Teaching Elder
In April 2018, Christ the King Church called Nate Xanders to be the church’s first Teaching Elder. Nate has been married to Leslie since 2015. They have three sons.
Nate was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida by his parents Greg and Beth El. Nate feels blessed that his parents, his only sibling (Laura) and her husband (Matt), as well as their four children, are all members of Christ the King Church.
Nate attended Tennessee Tech on a football scholarship and graduated with a BS in English Communications (Journalism) in 2009. He will tell you that he has “done nothing” with his undergraduate degree, but that isn’t entirely true. After an injury ended his football career, he took up Rugby and eventually began studying Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. He graduated from Covenant Theological Seminary in 2014 with an MDiv, and he was a Kern Scholar during his time at Covenant. While in seminary, he discovered the beauty of good coffee and continues to enjoy this hobby. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Christian Counseling at RTS-Charlotte.
He has a handful of favorite books: The Hobbit and The Wingfeather Saga are his favorites in the realm of fiction. His favorite from seminary is Far As the Curse is Found by Michael D. Williams. Nullification by Thomas E. Woods, and The Revolution by Ron Paul are certainly near the top. His favorite films include The Last Samurai, Gladiator, 13 Hours, Kate & Leopold, and the MCU Anthology circa 2019. Although not a film, he would be remiss to not include The Mandalorian on this list. This is the Way…
Favorite Quotes:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” -The Apostle Peter in John 6.68-69
“Doesn’t matter what the press says. Doesn’t matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn’t matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world—’No, you move.'” ~ Captain America, The Amazing Spiderman #537
Casey Coykendall
Ruling Elder
Casey is thankful to be married to his bride, Mindy since the year 2000. They met while in college and together they have six blessings in their children Emma, Katie, Joseph, Anna, Sarah and Matthew.
Casey was born in New Zealand, but has lived in Tennessee for most of his life. His mom is from New Zealand and his dad is from Watkins Glen, NY. Casey’s family moved many times due to his father’s work, but finally landed in Tennessee when he was about six years old.
Casey graduated from Tennessee Tech University in 1997 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He has had many engineering roles in R&D, applications, design, manufacturing, and management. He went to work with Matt McCurdy at Summit Machine Works in 2015, where he gets to work with a dear brother and best friend.
Casey’s favorite book is The Lord of the Rings. His favorite movie is a toss up between the film adaptation of LOTR and The Princess Bride. He enjoys backyard sports and fellowship. He grew up playing a few years of soccer and baseball, but his love was racing. He really enjoyed Formula 1, Indycar racing, and he dabbled in amateur racing. But he now enjoys playing with family and friends in everything from board games to hide and seek to mountain biking and airsoft.
Favorite Quotes:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
~ The Apostle Paul, Phil. 4.6-8
“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” ~C.S. Lewis
Matt McCurdy
Ruling Elder
In the fall of 2002, Matt married Kelli, his partner in adventure. Since then, they have grown closer to each other and to their Savior day by day. They have conquered mountains, renovated homes, started businesses, and born a family of eight beautiful children: Daniel, Caleb, Benjamin, Abbigail, Luke, Elizabeth, Charleston, and William.
Matt was born and raised in Michigan where he enjoyed sailing on the lakes and living on a farm with his Dad (Richard), Mom (Georgia), and family (Rick, Nate, Liz, and Rebecca).
Matt graduated from Tennessee Tech in 2006 with a Degree in Mechanical Engineering. After working with Denso for six years he started his own company, Summit Machine Works in 2012, which he now shares with his faithful friend and brother, Casey Coykendall. Matt is surrounded with an amazing community and dear family in Christ, he is also the character of numerous urban legends including but not limited to killing a bear with his bare hands and lifting a fork lift single handed. (But seriously, according to one pastor in the presbytery, when Matt was in college, he pulled another college student out of a cave by putting them on like a back-pack before using a muddy rope to climb/pull the two of them out of the cave.)
Matt’s favorite things to do are machining, rock climbing, mountain biking, and family worship with his family. He is not a coffee buff, but does enjoy a good mug. Matt’s favorite books are Genesis, 1 Samuel, and Lord of the Rings. His favorite movies are LOTR, Braveheart, and Amazing Grace.
Favorite Quotes:
Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. ~ John 3:18
“Is the Reformed faith opposed to human rights? Yes, very much so. It is not human rights but Divine law which is the foundation of liberty and the safeguard against tyranny. It is not something proceeding from man (rights), but something proceeding from God (revealed law) which is to order Christian society.” ~ James B. Jordan
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
~ Frank Herbert
Jeff White
Ruling Elder
In 1975, Jeff wisely married Jinger (Jennifer Parkinson). They recently celebrated 45 glorious years together. They have 6 children: Kelli McCurdy, Kandice Vick, Kaleb White, Katie Bradford, Klaire Twidle, and Kristian White. They are all married and following the Lord. Jeff and Jinger have 22 grand-children and there is not enough space for all the names!
At this stage of life, Jeff really enjoys bicycling, camping, hiking and spending time with kids and grandkids. He’s also a coffee buff and can home roast with the best of them.
Jeff was as born in Princeton, Kentucky, and moved to Maryville in 1984 to start his insurance business. He grew up in West Tennessee and completed his undergraduate degree from Union University in 1979. He majored in business admin and minored in history before pursuing a career in sales.
Some of his favorite books include R.L. Dabney’s biography of General Stonewall Jackson, The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink, and The Making of a Man of God by Alan Redpath. Some of his favorite films are The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Braveheart, and The Patriot.
Favorite Quotes:
“Limit your ‘ALWAYS’ and your ‘NEVERS.'” ~ Amy Poehler
“But better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie.” ~ Khaled Hosseini