Derek Curtis
Twin Rivers Church, St. Louis, Missouri
Derek Curtis (Class of 2018), the Campus Pastor at Twin Rivers Church in St. Louis, Missouri, speaks at a Sunday service.
Never in a million years would Derek Curtis (Class of 2018) have thought he would become the Campus Pastor of his family’s home church of twenty years, but Derek knew it was where God was calling him.
Located in his hometown in St. Louis, Missouri, Derek serves as the Campus Pastor of Twin Rivers Church. This unique ministry opportunity has led Derek to witness moments meaningful to the history of his hometown—where his peers from high school gave their lives to Jesus.
“I am passionate about ministry because I love to see people take a step and build spiritual momentum!” Derek shared. “I pastor in an unchurched area and seeing people who didn’t grow up in church become hungry to know more of Jesus fires me up!”
Highlands College equipped Derek with one of the greatest gifts a young leader could get… experience. “A kid from Hillsboro, Missouri, was given a chance to lead, fail, grow, and get better,” he shared. “Highlands College created a great environment for me to keep learning in every situation. The most defining moments were the challenging ones. I was stretched and pushed to learn and grow.”
Twin Rivers has been in an incredible season of growth and impact. Derek is in the process of adding a second Sunday service to his campus, and the church is planning to launch its third location in St. Louis.
“We’ve invited our congregation to participate in Fall 50. Each week, we have asked our campus to Pray, Invite, Serve, and Show Up. We are believing God to bring 50 people to our campus to help us prepare for a second service. It’s been giving our church focus, vision, and unity!” Derek exclaimed.
What means the most to Derek is to see God move powerfully in people’s lives. “There is a mother at our campus who was deeply concerned about the safety of both her daughter and her new granddaughter. The daughter began attending church and the New Beginnings Life Group, an introductory group to understanding faith in Christ. Then, the daughter gave her life to Jesus and got baptized!”
Pastor Derek leads baptism Sunday at Twin Rivers Church.
Celebrating Twin Rivers’ growth this year:
- Student ministry attendance has almost doubled.
- Student ministry launched an annual student retreat.
- The church’s team has nearly doubled.
- They’ve celebrated 61 baptisms and 120 salvations!
As they wrap up the year, Twin Rivers is preparing for two significant outreach events. Their Single Mom Celebration is an event where the church takes single moms and their children shopping for all their back-to-school needs, and their Holiday Blessing event turns the church into a shopping center where both parents and children can shop for each other for Christmas.
“We help provide food and gifts for families around the holidays because we feel it is so important to show the heart of Jesus to our community. What better way to do that than by loving those in need?” Derek said.
Derek attributes his education at Highlands College—America’s Ministry Leadership University—for his understanding of biblical leadership, training, and the relationships he needed to walk out the call of God on his life.
“I understand how to lead people, not just to move people forward personally, but to move them forward in their relationship with Jesus,” Derek said. “You have to make sure your relationship with Jesus comes before everything.”
Derek’s story is a reminder that God can take ordinary people from ordinary places and use them to spark extraordinary transformation. As he continues to lead, equip, and serve the St. Louis community, his heart remains fixed on the same desire that first drew him into ministry: helping people take one step closer to life with Jesus.
Derek, his wife, Liv, and their daughter, Georgia.
The Curtis’ daughter, Georgia Grace.
Derek’s HC small group on their cross-cultural ministry trip to Japan in 2018.