Josh Coe, Lead Pastor

Email: josh@gcceugene.org

Family:  My wife Jacquelynn and I have been married since 2018, and we have one son named Dominic.

Testimony:  I was born in Chicago, moved to Salt Lake City at 7, and moved to Dallas at 14. Shortly after we arrived in Dallas, I declared myself an atheist. From then to 19 I lived like an atheist, like someone who didn’t think God was watching. At 19, I read a book that opened my eyes to the goodness of God in Christ. I wanted the gospel to be true, so I prayed a “God if you’re there” prayer, and he was. My first act as a Christian was stealing a Bible off my roommate’s dresser. From there God led me to Christian community, to growth in Christ, to various kinds of leadership in the church, to pastoral ministry, and ultimately to Eugene in July 2026. 

Evidences of Grace:  Jacq and I have been foster parents since 2020, and that has been an amazing theater of God’s grace. There have been so many times that we didn’t know what to do or what would happen next, but we’ve seen God meet needs, sustain us, protect and grow children, and even heal families. We’ve seen God work through his people in beautiful ways. We could never do this work without the grace of God, but we’re grateful to have a front row seat to it! 

Favorite Book(s): My favorite book is Gilead by Marilynne Robinson - a beautiful book about fathers and sons, life and ministry, faith and doubt. I also love anything by Cormac McCarthy, Simon Winchester, and John Owen. 

Hobbies/Interests: We’re excited to be in Eugene because we love to get outdoors and travel however we can - hiking, backpacking, camping, road tripping, exploring. I’m also a big soccer fan (Newcastle United) and love film, literature, and music (especially classical!). The highlight of my week is usually Daddy/Dom Days where my son and I get intentional time together to ride bikes, go to the zoo, or get donuts together.

I want my GCC family to know:  Jesus loves Eugene, and Jesus loves GCC. There are good things ahead for this place and this people! 

A month into my time in Bible College, I felt the call from the Lord to serve in ministry, with a ferocious desire to reach people with the Gospel. I met my wife after moving to Oregon to help a church plant. We now have four beautiful children and serve at Gospel Community Church.

Evidences of Grace: My evidences of grace would be moving to the U.K to attend bible college followed by moving to Oregon. In both seasons, I was discipled and grew in my walk with the Lord. Although I was being stretched, challenged, broken, and put back together, I would not change those seasons for anything.

Favorite book(s): LOTR, Narnia, The Space Trilogy, Holliness, The Pilgrims Progress King Arthurs books, Malcolm Guite’s poems, William Blake’s poems, GOT, A Good Man Is Hard to Find, and Spurgeon’s Lectures.

Hobbies/interests: Golfing, reading Tolkien’s works, fishing, playing with my children, eating (I am a foodie), cooking, anything pizza, smoking meat, playing pinball, history buff, and watching baseball (Go Phillies).

I want my GCC family to know: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” - 1 Cor 2:2. Also, that I am, and will be, committed to serving our church, while pointing anyone and everyone to the man on the middle cross.

I felt like I finally understood the gospel and God’s grace at a deeper level although I had believed in God for as long as I could remember. Shortly after, God blessed my life with Jake. We got married in 2015 and had 2 children. We started attending GCC in 2021. GCC felt like home and aligned with our view of the importance of the Gospel. We were both baptized on Easter Sunday, 2024. I love GCC for its ability to continue to point my life back to the gospel and how important God’s grace is.

Evidences of Grace: I would not have been able to stick through my four years in college without the grace of God. I believe that he put me through the trials and tribulations of that time to grow me and help me to understand my need for a savior. There are so many wonderful things that came out of my college years and have shaped me into the person that I am today, and I thank God for that.

Favorite Book(s): You’re Not Enough (and That’s Okay) by Allie Beth Stuckey

Hobbies/Interests: I love to play slow pitch softball, run, swim, high intensity workouts, read, cross stitch, paint by number, and spend a lot of time snuggling with my kids.

I want my GCC family to know: I’m loving my new role as Administrative Assistant, and I love helping people in whatever way I can. I enjoy completing tasks and want to build genuine, lasting relationships with my church family members.

I felt the call to vocational ministry around the same time. I had been leading my peers in musical worship starting at age 12, and by my junior year, felt the call to do that for as long as I possibly could. So, I applied to Baylor University to enroll in their Church Music program and graduated from this program in 2021. I moved back to Houston where I worked full time at the church that started my faith journey. After 2.5 of learning everything that I wished that I learned in University, I moved up to Eugene to begin working here at GCC.

Evidences of Grace: I was 21 years old when COVID began. My junior year of college was disrupted entirely, right around the time when I was supposed to start my internships and get my true hands-on experience in my major. Summer of 2020 when I received the email that school was starting back, I had a complete breakdown. I didn’t see any path to work in any church around me and I decided that I would create my own path, fully give up on trusting in the Lord’s timing. In February of 2021, 2(ish) months before graduating, I got a call from my home church in Houston. They were starting a search for a worship leader. It was a beautiful reminder of the grace and sufficiency of the Lord, even when I forget it and try to do things in my own understanding and with my own strength.

Favorite Book(s): Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin and The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson

Hobbies/Interests: I really wish I had more outdoor activities to list here, but I come from the land of heat and humidity where it was a chore to go outside at any time. I love strength-training, listening to audiobooks, and the occasional ttrpg.

I want my GCC family to know: I am so incredibly excited to get to come alongside all of you in worshiping the Lord together. I am deeply passionate about worshipping the Lord and I hope to have worship permeate everything that I do in life.

I had one friend in particular that would always share the gospel with me and eventually, I took her up on her offer to come to church. I certainly felt uncomfortable in the beginning, but I knew that learning about the truth of the gospel and developing a relationship with God was something I was being called to pursue.

Evidences of Grace: My biggest evidence of grace is simply just being at GCC. The fact that I grew up with so much doubt to now being one to share my faith with others is only possible because of God. My second evidence of grace is the community that I’ve found myself in. Eugene is not a place I saw myself staying long term, but the people that surround our family are what keep us here.

Favorite Book(s): There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda Åkeson McGurk (I listen to a lot of podcasts, I don’t have much time for reading!)

Hobbies/Interests: CrossFit and renovating our house are the two biggest ones! I also love to ski, ride my bike, and garden.

I want my GCC family to know: I have loved being part of GCC for the last few years and it feels like a gift to be able to help our church grow in a different area. I am excited to see how God develops our Kids Ministry in the future!