Bishop James Curtis Austin, Sr.

Bishop Austin is a dedicated pastor, spiritual teacher and uncompromising preacher in Christ, located in the notorious Cabrini-Green community of Chicago, Illinois. God be glorified, for on January 3, 1946 he gave Pastor James Curtis Austin, Sr. to Godly parents: the late Assistant Overseer Luke Austin and the late Mother Addie Austin Lenox. Together, Luke and Addie Austin raised an honorable man, a holy man – a man of God. Bishop Austin received God’s call to ministry in 1966 while studying biology and chemistry at his alma mater, the University of Illinois. In 1967, Bishop Austin was ordained an Elder in the Churches of God in Christ by the Founding Bishop of the Fifth Jurisdiction of Illinois, the late Bishop F.G. Green. Because of his never-ceasing commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and because of his undying faithfulness to the church, Bishop Austin was elevated by God and appointed by Bishop F.G. Green to the position of Pastor of St. Luke Church of God in Christ, in 1978.

Now, Pastor Austin and the St. Luke family look with joy everlasting to his many accomplishments and contributions to the body of Christ, to the community and to the world at large:

• Developer of the Reaching Ministries of St. Luke. The membership reaches “Up to God”, “In to the St. Luke family” and “Out to the community and world”
• Overseer of the fastest growing church on the near north side of Chicago, presiding over the tripling of the membership

• Chairman of the Board of Directors, St. Luke Church of God in Christ
• President of the Near North Ministry Alliance – a multi-ethnic, multi-denominational aggregation of pastors and ministers who are committed to the community in which they serve
• Former Vice-President of Olive Branch Mission, Inc. and Liaison to Tabitha House, Inc. – organizations charged with housing homeless men, women and children and with giving hope to the hopeless
• Assistant Chairman of the Jurisdictional Assembly (1979) and Chairman of same (1980-1993)
• 1st Administrative Assistant to Bishop Samuel Steven McCarthy (1993-2003)
• Member of the Board of the National Charles Harrison Mason Foundation (1988) – drafted to serve by the late Presiding Bishop Louis Henry Ford
• Producer of “Legacy of a Leader”, a work commissioned by 1st Presiding Bishop J.O. Patterson, Sr. as video documentary of the life and ministry of Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, founder of the Church of God in Christ, Inc.
• Opening speaker at the 1st National Holy Ghost Conference of the Church of God in Christ (1990)
• Founder of For Christ Ministries, Inc., a registered foreign company organized to effectively minister on the mission fields of Liberia, West Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Haiti, South Africa, and Thailand.

God be praised as in May, 2004 He has elevated and consecrated Pastor Austin to the sacred office of Bishop. May God ever bless Bishop James Curtis Austin, Sr. as he serves in this most cherished and honored capacity, Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Bishop James Curtis Austin, Sr. is husband to Missionary Vernesta T. Austin. Together they are the proud parents of James, Jr., Dorcas, Prisca and Marcus.