Shepherds

The Shepherds at Pennyrile serve as the leaders of our family. God has charged them to be spiritual examples and leaders of the church community. These men have been selected by the Pennyrile family to lead because we believe that they reflect God in their daily lives and because they fulfill what the Bible says a Shepherd is to be.  


  • Barry Webb

    Barry & Elizabeth were high school sweethearts in Camden, TN and continued dating through college. They married in 1982. After moving to Madisonville in 1985 they raised two children.  Both now live in Madisonville with their families; Karen Pressley, married to Zach. and Jesse Webb, married to Kirsten. In addition, Barry and Elizabeth have 4 grandsons! Barry was an manufacturing and engineering leader for GE Aviation and retired December of 2020. Elizabeth is a multi-licensed marriage and family therapist and operated the Pennyrile Christian Counseling center located in the church building until July of 2023 when she retired and closed her practice.  Barry & Elizabeth are charter members of Pennyrile Church of Christ.


  • Dan Rust

    Dan and Betty Rust met at Dairy Queen in Madisonville in 1982.  They were married in 1983.  They have 3 girls; Danielle's and Melissa's families live in Madisonville, KY while Denita's family lives in Alaska.  They have 6 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild.  Dan is retired from CSX railroad and Betty is retired from Dana Corporation.  They have been members since 1987.



  • Byron Pruitt

    Byron and Brenda met in the late sixties when their mothers were both employed by the Metcalfe County Board of Education as lunchroom supervisors. They dated for five years and married in December of 1974 and moved from Edmonton, KY to Madisonville and have been married for 49 years.Both are graduates of Western Kentucky University, Brenda retired from Hopkins County Board of Education and  later worked for the University of Kentucky in the child care field, before retiring again. Byron retired from Power Machinery and Implement after 22 years and 45 years in the farm equipment industry. They have 2 grown sons  Ross, married to Sarah  they live in Martin, TN and have a son, Callum. Josh is married to Jennifer. They have two daughters, Ellie and Sadie, and reside in Hanson, KY. Brenda and Byron have volunteered with 4-H, extension programs in Hopkins County for many years, as well as the Hopkins County Fair, where Byron currently serves as vice president.




  • Sean Niestrath

    Sean and his family moved to Madisonville to work with the Pennyrile congregation in January, 2011. He has completed B.S. in Biology/Chemistry (Oklahoma Christian College, 1983), Master of Divinity (Abilene Christian University 1989), M.A. in Ancient Church History (ACU 1994), and Doctor of Ministry (ACU, 2007). He has done mission and ministry work in the Caribbean, England, Italy, Wisconsin, and Michigan.