The Reverend Dr. Michael C. R. Nabors
Senior Pastor
Reverend Dr. Michael C. R. Nabors is senior pastor of the historic Second Baptist Church in Evanston, Illinois. The 139 year-old Church is one of the oldest African American congregations on the North Shore. Since arriving at Second Baptist, Dr. Nabors has sought to continue leading the church in its historical role as a trumpeter for Christ and as a social justice advocate in Evanston and Metro Chicago. Recently, Second Baptist Church has become a leading faith center in America in facilitating Race Talk Solidarity Circles in local communities.
Dr. Nabors teaches Homiletics and Qualitative Research and Theological Writing at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. He served as Director of the Master of Divinity and Student Life Programs at Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit where he was professor of Homiletics and African American Religious History. He has taught at Ashland Theological Seminary, Calvin Theological Seminary, and Marygrove College.
Dr. Nabors earned an undergraduate degree in English and Creative Writing at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the Master of Divinity with an emphasis in Systematic Theology and the Master of Theology with an emphasis in Ethics at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey and the Doctor of Ministry focusing on African American Preaching at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He has been both a Samuel DeWitt Proctor and Benjamin E. Mays Fellow. He was also a Fellow in the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence- Lilly Endowment Program as well as a Fellow in the Pastor-Theologian Lilly Endowment Program.
Since 2019, Dr. Nabors has been part of the Steering Committee for Evanston Reparations, the first municipal reparations program in the United States, allocating 10 million dollars to Black Evanstonians to repair historical damages due to racism. He has received over 100 community, church and ministry awards for leadership and service in New Jersey, Michigan and Illinois. Before leaving Princeton, New Jersey, the Mayor and City Council commemorated his leadership by naming October 12th, “Dr. Michael Nabors Day.” He also served as president of the Princeton and Trenton, New Jersey branches of the NAACP and is currently in his third term as president of the Evanston-North Shore Branch of the NAACP. A regarded speaker, preacher and lecturer, he has been invited to address universities, seminaries, high schools, community organizations, churches, religious conventions and symposiums throughout the United States.