Meet Our Senior Pastor
Reverend Dr. Chip Blackshear
Chip Blackshear has served as Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian since August, 2009. He was born in California, the son of a U.S. Air Force pilot. He grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, graduating from Baton Rouge Magnet High School where he met his wife, Leslie. Both were active in Young Life, and Chip is an Eagle Scout.Chip and Leslie graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana) in Lafayette, where Chip earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing. After college Chip worked in the computer graphics and printing industry for seventeen years, running his own computer graphics company for eight years before feeling called to the ministry.
For many years Leslie served in leadership with Bible Study Fellowship in Lafayette, Pittsburgh, and Corpus Christi. Both were very active at First Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge, where Chip served as a deacon, and later at Grace Presbyterian Church in Lafayette where they worked with the youth and Chip served as an elder.
The Lord called Chip to Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where he received his Master of Divinity degree in 2009. During his seminary years, Chip served as a seminary intern at Hebron United Presbyterian Church in Penn Hills, PA, a church of about 800 members with three worship services each Sunday. Leslie taught kindergarten at the Pittsburgh Urban Christian School.
In 2021 Chip earned a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, with an emphasis on Leadership in the Changing Church Context. His area of research was in leadership development through disciple-making in the church.
The Blackshear’s have two grown children. Michael, who earned his Eagle Scout in Troop 2, graduated in electrical engineering from the University of Tulsa in 2020. He and his wife Carlie live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Robin graduated in film and video production from TAMU-CC, served for several years as the Young Life area director for Gregory-Portland High School, and now lives in San Antonio and works in non-profit marketing.
Chip is passionate about helping people become disciples of Jesus and is especially interested in helping young adults get connected to the faith and to the church. He does not own any skinny jeans!
