The Rev. Dr. Paul H. Lee will take over as senior pastor of First United Methodist Church of Evanston on Tuesday, July 1, succeeding the Rev. Grace Imathiu after her eight-year tenure.

Bishop Dan Schwerin of the Northern Illinois–Wisconsin Conference appointed Lee to the 601-member congregation at 516 Church St., according to an announcement the church's Staff-Parish Relations Committee shared with members on Sunday, March 1. Lee currently serves as pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church in Sterling, Illinois, a post he has held since 2019.

Before his Illinois pastorates, Lee spent more than 25 years doing mission work in South Africa and Zimbabwe and lectured at a theological seminary in India, the church said in its announcement.

Imathiu had led the congregation since July 2018. The church reported average weekly attendance of 188 and total income of nearly $1.4 million in 2024, its most recent reporting year, according to United Methodist denominational records.

First United Methodist, a Reconciling congregation on the southern edge of Northwestern University's campus, also hosts a soup kitchen and partners with the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation for programming. Lee's appointment takes effect Tuesday, July 1.