Nate Shurden
Nate Shurden is the Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Franklin, TN, which he planted in 2011. Before moving to Franklin, Nate was the Minister of Discipleship & Young Adults at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, MS, and the Assistant Editor of reformation21, the online magazine of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. Nate was born and raised in Laurel, MS, and educated at Bannockburn College (Franklin, TN) and Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson, MS). In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, Nate serves as an adjunct professor at New College Franklin and is regular contributor to Ligonier Ministries, Christward Collective, and He Reads Truth. In 2001, Nate married his college sweetheart, Christy. They have five children (college to toddler): Rosalyn, Katie, Knox, Luke, and Lila.
Tony Giles
Assistant Pastor
Tony is a native of Nashville where the Lord captured his heart as a senior in high school and began to gently and thoroughly re-orient his life around the gospel. Seven years later with a degree from Vanderbilt University, and three years ministry with Young Life, he headed south with his new bride, Mary Lynn to Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. They made their home in Charlottesville, VA for the next 24 years where he fell in love with the church as both Associate Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church and Director of Undergraduate Ministries at the Center for Christian Study. He returned to Nashville in 2008 and most recently served as interim senior pastor at Christ Community Church Franklin, TN. Tony’s ministry through the years has revolved around shepherding, spiritual formation, and leadership development. The two great surprises of his life: the lavish grace of the gospel and that he finds himself a pastor. Tony and Mary Lynn have two adult daughters, Rebecca Diboll and Mary Grace Bundrick.
Sebastian Bjernegård
Assistant Pastor
Sebastian was born and raised in Upplands Väsby, Sweden, before coming to the U.S. at the age of 18. After completing his senior year of high school in Alabama, he moved to Jackson, MS, where he studied at Belhaven University followed by Reformed Theological Seminary. It was at Belhaven that he met his sweet wife Ainsley. They have three children: Felicity (age 5), Theo (age 3), and Eleanor (age 0). After graduating from RTS, the Bjernegårds moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, for Sebastian to pursue a PhD at the University of Edinburgh in theology. They’ve recently moved to Franklin to serve at Cornerstone and are excited about this opportunity presented by the Lord.
Drew Abercrombie
Assistant Pastor of Youth & Families
Born in Winter Park, Florida, Drew grew up in the church, the third of four children. Both his parents served and led in youth ministry at his church before he was born. He graduated from Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee, having studied English, Bible, and Biblical Languages, and then moved to teach English in South Korea for seven years. While there, he met and married his wife Kelly in their international church, where they discipled and ministered to international students and families. Sensing a call to ministry, they moved to the United States so Drew could attend Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta. Now Drew and Kelly have two little boys, Samuel and Silas. Drew enjoys taking walks with Kelly, swimming with his boys, cycling, frisbee, board games, and learning new things. His passion is discipling students and supporting families in their calling to bring up their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
Greg Wilbur
Worship & Chief Musician
Greg grew up in the church as the son of a pastor and church musician. Even as he studied music at the University of Alabama (B.A. & M.M.), his desire was to serve in the church leading and planning corporate worship. With a desire to teach congregations the heritage of her worship and music, he has composed and released three CDs of his compositions of congregational psalms, hymns and service music—My Cry Ascends, Christ is Our Cornerstone, and Rise and Worship. He also composes for choir, orchestra, film and chamber ensembles including the soundtrack for the recently released documentary on Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Logic on Fire. Opportunities to educate and disciple young adults led to the creation of New College Franklin—a Christian liberal arts college. His wife, Sophia, and daughter, Eleanor, all enjoy reading, cooking, taking walks and enjoying life in middle Tennessee.
Dan Fiedler
Church Life Coordinator
Originally from the corn fields of Illinois, Dan has been in the Nashville area since 2002. Dan has his B.S. in Business from Trevecca University and worked for many years with World Vision coordinating live events, logistics and innovating ways to engage Christians in giving. Through this work he had many opportunities to travel and has been to 49 states (ask him to find out which one he has yet to visit). Dan moved from East Nashville to Franklin and shortly thereafter met his wife, Lisa. They have been married for ten years and have two wonderful daughters. They’ve been members of Cornerstone since 2014 serving in various volunteer roles and capacities. Dan enjoys making things — from breads and from-scratch pizzas to making memories with his family.
Whitney Ruff
Office Administrator
Whitney was born in Memphis, TN, but moved to Cleveland, OH, when she was 7. She carried on her family’s tradition and graduated from Ole Miss in 1986 with a B.S. in Speech and Hearing. She received her M.S. from Vanderbilt in 1988 and completed her Clinical Fellowship in Audiology at Tripler Army Medical Hospital. She worked as an Audiologist at Fort Knox, KY, until 1991, and then moved to Jasper, IN to raise her three girls (Paula Quinn, Sophie, and Camille), who are now grown with families of their own in Florida, Kansas, and Texas. Whitney is “Gigi” to four amazing boys and two sweet girls and she loves traveling to see them! She moved to Franklin in 2022 and joined Cornerstone in 2023. She is so grateful to be part of this church family and serve here as our Office Administrator.
Martha Brooks
Women’s Ministry Director
Martha has lived in Middle Tennessee all her life, except for the years she spent in West Tennessee at Union University. While at Union she earned a B.S. in Education, and met her husband of twenty-two years, Preston, a teacher in Williamson County Public Schools. After college Martha taught middle school in Columbia, TN for five years before “retiring” to have three daughters in quick succession: Eva, Hope, and Lillian, in 12th, 11th, and 9th grades. Every summer they take off in their camper for a couple of weeks, seeing America. When the family isn’t traveling or playing sports, Martha can be found reading, hiking, kayaking, swinging on the porch, or folding laundry.
Meredith Suits
Children's Ministry Director
Meredith is a native of Jefferson City, Tennessee, where her parents were both professors at Carson-Newman University. After getting her B.A. in English at Mercer University in Macon, GA, Meredith moved to Nashville to complete her M.Ed. at Vanderbilt. In 2011, she married her college sweetheart Matt, and they bought a cute house in East Nashville. Meredith taught high school English for several years, and when she and Matt had their first child Sam, they moved to Franklin. After two years teaching A.P. Language and Composition in Spring Hill, Meredith is taking some time away from the classroom to enjoy life at home with Sam and his little sister Charlotte. She is very excited to be serving as the elementary director, helping kids grow in their knowledge of the Lord and his Word.
Christy Shurden
Nursery Coordinator
Christy grew up in a small town in Mississippi. She attended the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg and studied Deaf Education. In 2001, she married her husband, Nate. They moved to Franklin in 2010 and love being in Middle TN! Christy loves to see children learn new things and grow in their love for the Lord. She and Nate have five kids: Rosalyn, Katie, Knox, Luke, and Lila.
Kelley Shell
Communications Director; Youth Assistant
Kelley was born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi. She moved to Franklin to attend New College Franklin and graduated with a B.A. in Liberal Arts in 2022. While in school, she worked for the youth ministry at Christ Community Church and spent a summer in Edinburgh working with 20schemes—a church planting & revitalization ministry bringing gospel churches to Scotland’s poorest. Most recently, she was a manager at Triple Crown Bakery just a few blocks away from Cornerstone. She is currently pursuing her M.A. in Biblical Studies through Reformed Theological Seminary. Kelley and her husband, Max, were married in 2023.
Everett Vencel
Media Coordinator
Everett Vencel is the oldest of four children born and raised in central California. In 2016 he started a podcast engineering business that he grew and maintained until 2023, when he sold it and took on the role of Media Coordinator at Cornerstone. In 2020, he moved to Franklin, TN, to pursue a B.A. in Liberal Arts at New College Franklin. As of January 2024, he is completing his last semester of college and preparing to attend seminary. He loves reading books, playing piano, and discussing philosophy and theology. Everett married his wife Emily in May of 2024.
Maxwill Shell
Music and Worship Assistant
Growing up in Western Nebraska and Iowa, Max hails from a large family of musicians. He moved to Franklin in 2019 to attend New College Franklin, which is also when he started attending Cornerstone. After multiple years of talking with Greg Wilbur and serving on Cornerstone’s music team, he started to pursue a call towards music ministry, specifically aiming at being trained for leading and planning corporate worship. He graduated from New College Franklin with a B.A. in the Liberal Arts in 2023 and promptly married his classmate Kelley. In addition to serving with the music team at Cornerstone, Max teaches maths at a local homeschool tutorial, plays multiple instruments, and reads about philosophy and theology.
Nathan Johnson
Teacher in Residence
Nathan Johnson is a native of Dayton, Tennessee and the son of a PCA pastor. After graduating from Bryan College, he attended Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC, earning an M.A. in Biblical Studies and an M.A. in Theological Studies. While in Charlotte, Nathan also taught theology, literature, and history at a classical high school and served as the Director of Discipleship at Huntersville ARP Church. Nathan met his wife Hannah in Santa Fe, NM while he was doing summer graduate studies at St. John’s College, and they married in 2020. A week after their wedding, Nathan and Hannah moved to Franklin so that Nathan could begin teaching at New College Franklin, where he serves as Professor of Moral Philosophy and Assistant Dean of Academics. Nathan and Hannah live in Fairview, TN with two vivacious golden retrievers and too many books.
John Mark Gulliver
Pastoral Intern
John Mark is an Orlando native currently pursuing his undergraduate degree at New College Franklin. Throughout high school, his love for learning grew with his literature & philosophy classes, his Shakespeare drama performances, and his hikes as an officer in his Trail Life USA scouting troop. Alongside his studies and his internship with Cornerstone, he enjoys piano, basketball, and getting to know new people. He also serves on the NCF Student Guild, the student publication Artifact editing team, and on the NCF Media writing team. He continually looks forward to his internship responsibilities, whether participating in music ministry, attending a prayer meeting, or discussing the work of a pastor.