Donald grew up in Massachusetts and professed faith as a child. In 1984 Donald left for France working in missions with Arab World Ministries then studying theology at the Faculté libre de théologie reformée, today the Faculté Jean Calvin (John Calvin Seminary) in Aix-en-Provence. Claire-Lise is from Switzerland and came to Christ at an early age. They were married in 1992. After seminary, Donald taught at a Bible College in Switzerland then after moving to Florida, became a teaching elder in the PCA.

The Cobbs have been with Mission to the World since 1996 serving first in the Middle East with an indigenous Presbyterian Church. Donald’s focus there was on pastoral training and church planting. They then returned to France, joining a church planting team in Bordeaux, France led by a national pastor. Since 2004, Donald has been teaching at the seminary in Aix-en-Provence, today one of the few solidly Reformed and Evangelical seminaries in Western Europe. His burden is to instill in his students a desire grow as disciples of Jesus Christ and be used by God as He moves His Kingdom forward in Europe.

Donald has the privilege of training young men for ministry in the church throughout the French-speaking world. The Distance program is an important part of the Seminary as it makes it possible to study Scripture while serving in a church or working a secular job. Today, a growing number of students do their studies in this way. Donald and Claire-Lise are also part of a local church where Donald preaches on a regular basis, leads worship and heads up a home group with regular outreach to non-Christians. Claire-Lise is actively involved in a denomination-wide Christian education commission that is currently creating a comprehensive Sunday school curriculum.