Pastor Nunn a Bethel Christian Worship Center icon

“Part of my calling is to equip the saints to do the work of Christ”

“I didn’t foresee myself as a pastor”, said Pastor Curtis Nunn Sr. who is celebrating 50 years of pastoral service at Bethel Christian Worship Center in East St. Louis Illinois.

Nunn was just 19 years old when he became the pastor of Bethel Christian Worship Center. Nunn was a sophomore at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying electrical engineering and computer science. But as the old saying goes ‘Man plans, and God laughs’. The summer before his junior year of college Nunn started to experience the pull of his spiritual calling. 

“It’s been a journey,” said the pastor, describing the last 50 years of pastoring at Bethel Church. There have been ups and downs, and being in East St. Louis has not always been the easiest call to mentor and serve those in his community.

But what keeps Nunn grounded is knowing this is his calling and will give it his all to ensure he is doing God’s will. The father of six adult children and 13 grandchildren, Nunn and his wife Kimberly Nunn are still on fire for Christ. Bethel church has a youth outreach program, and food giveaways, provides services for the unhoused, sponsors community health fairs, and donates to women’s shelters. 

He describes himself as a nerd and a nerd for the Word of God. He studies the Word and teaches his congregation not to leave their brains at the door when coming into the church. His sermons have gained popularity over the years and was featured on WESL radio station in East St. Louis. The 50-year pastor had a segment called Moments of Deliverance for three years that broadcasted in Topeka Kansas.

His mentorship helped other members start their church in the Metro East, being a pastor for 50 years has required Nunn to be creative and think outside the box, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic–he had to rely on technology to preach the Word of God. He uses social media to reach the younger generations.

Reaching young people was something Nunn was familiar with– at 19 when he started leading his church after the unexpected death of his mentor and pastor, Pastor Henry Phillips Sr. he said it was like Pastor Phillips was prepping him to lead his church. He had just pre-registered for his third year of college and was pretty excited about that.

But one day he drove to the White Castles at Natural Bridge and Kingshighway to grab some lunch and he started telling God in the parking lot his plans for his life. He wanted to get his degree in engineering, obtain his pilot’s license, and preach when he had time. He began to pray and said ‘If this is your will God for me to pastor then I’d rather do your will than my own’. At that moment Nunn said he felt convicted by God and dedicated his life to pastoring Bethel church. He became the youngest pastor in the Eastern Missouri and Western Illinois jurisdiction of the Church of God In Christ. The then 19-year-old didn’t have a lot of resources to begin his journey, and he didn’t want his age to hinder his calling. He was always told he was wise beyond his years and that characteristic helped him lead a church that had members much older than him.

He uses 1 Timothy 4:12 KJV as a point of reference– “ Let no man despise thy youth but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

With that in mind, he decided to not ‘preach’ to his congregation but instead share the teachings of the Bible. 

“The gospel and the Word of God hasn’t changed but we had to change our procedures and our mode of operations.” said the pastor. 

His goal for Bethel Christian Worship Center over the next 50 years is to prepare and help equip the next leader who can take Bethel into the future.

“Part of my calling is to equip the saints to do the work of Christ,” said Pastor Nunn.

Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.