Dr. Barbara Gunn: Back to School, Back to Church

Barbara Gunn is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She accepted the Lord Jesus as her Savior in her early 20’s, and began her Christian journey at Ebenezer Baptist Church under the pastorate of Dr.J.V.A. Winsett. It was at
Ebenezer that Barbara received the call to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and was both licensed and ordained at Ebenezer. Her secular education was in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, Allegheny Community College, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Computers.

Pastor Gunn is a graduate of American Baptist College. She attended Harty Bible School and the Center for Urban Ministry through Geneva College. In May, 2007 she received the Masters In Theological Studies from the Reformed
Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and is a recent graduate of United Theological Seminary’s Doctoral Program. Barbara’s secular career was in corporate management, where she served as the Publications Services Manager for Donnelley Directory, for fourteen years until 1989, when she was called to pastor the First Baptist Church of North Vandergrift, Pa. She was the first woman to be called to an established Baptist church in Western Pennsylvania.

Pastor Gunn also holds the distinction of being the first recipient of the Woman of Character award from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. After 11 fruitful years at First Baptist, Barbara was called to pastor Mount Carmel Baptist Church, N. Versailles, Pa. and will celebrate 20 years there in April 2021. She was on the faculty of the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education for over 20 years, and serves as an lecturer on Teaching and Leadership at PTS. Pastor Barbara joins John today to talk about what it was like returning to school to complete her doctorate, what she has learned in 30 years of ministry, and her hopes for our nation and the body of Christ as the pandemic ends.