The Rev. Paul M.C. Eldred (he/him/his) serves as pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, a congregation of the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), located in Bellevue, Washington.

The foundation of his call to ministry is the belief that God’s radical love is for the whole creation and that the call of the gospel is to help spread that love through word and deed. His mission as a pastor is to help create a space where all people are truly welcome just as God made them – beautiful and flawed children of God – as they work together with Christ to realize the vision of God’s perfect reign of love, justice, and peace.

Pastor Paul earned his Bachelor of Arts in politics from Willamette University in Salem, OR and his Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in Chicago, IL with an emphasis in biblical studies and a concentration in liturgical studies. During seminary he served as a pastoral intern at First Lutheran Church in St. Peter, MN and a pastoral resident at Wicker Park Lutheran Church in Chicago, IL. He was ordained into the Ministry of Word and Sacrament on April 21, 2018.

Growing up in Washington state and Alaska, Pastor Paul feels at home surrounded by mountains and large bodies of water. He loves watching sports – he is an ardent supporter of Seattle Sounders FC and a lifelong fan of the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks. He enjoys reading, running, hiking, music, travel, Netflix, and trying new microbrews. He lives in Seattle with his husband, Ryan, who works in digital marketing, and their dog, Alki.

Pastor Paul is a member of Proclaim, the professional community for Lutheran pastors, deacons, candidates, and seminarians who publicly identify as LGBTQIA+.