Finding My Voice: Courtney Dunn’s Journey Toward Global Ministry

By Jerah Winn

Early Perceptions

Rev. Courtney Dunn is the Eastern Europe Mission Director of Global Partners, the missions branch of the Wesleyan Church. She grew up in a Wesleyan church in Greenfield, IN. Though her church affirmed women in ministry, she always assumed that being a pastor was, in practice, only for men. This was reflected in the conversations she had compared to her brother, who is also an ordained minister. She stated that many would ask her brother if he would continue in the “family business,” and they would ask him and her father about theological issues, but not her. She felt that the pastoral role wasn’t in the cards for her.

A Shift in Calling

It wasn’t until her sophomore year at Indiana Wesleyan University, where she felt God leading her to change her major from exercise science to global ministry. This was then affirmed by her father who said that he and her mother sensed her calling since she was in the eighth grade and were waiting for when she would come to that same realization.

Soon after this epiphany, Courtney was asked by Jackie Fussner to intern at the Croatian English Camp, where she met her mentors, Trent and Nikki Nettleton. There she fell in love with the culture and returned the next summer to intern in both Croatia and Bosnia. She then felt God saying, “I’m making a place for you here in Bosnia.”

Women in Ministry and Role Models

While studying at Indiana Wesleyan she began her journey to understand her calling as a woman in ministry. She noticed the gaps in the Wesleyan church’s practical understanding on the subject and wrote a paper, in which she interviewed multiple female pastors about their experiences and callings.

It was also during this time that she met some of her biggest role models: Jo Anne Lyon and Nikki Nettleton. They both encouraged her not to let the gender gap stop her from following Christ’s calling on her life. The seemingly impossible was now presented to her as a possibility.

Challenges and Breakthroughs

With this newly found possibility came challenges that needed to be faced. Courtney mentioned that there were people who would get up and leave when they saw her get up to preach. This brought many insecurities, and she even told God, “I’ll go anywhere, just don’t make me preach.”

Thankfully, God surrounded her with strong female leaders who have shown her the joys of preaching the gospel. She has seen the ways God has used her words to open the minds of those initially opposed and show them how God’s Kingdom can include leaders they previously would have overlooked.

Longevity in Missions

When asked about what tips she had for longevity in the missions field, she shared that finding her voice as she adapted to the culture and language was difficult at first, but it taught her to focus on all conversations, even when they weren’t big or spiritual. In fact, she suggests “just learn to be,” meaning to be alright with God stretching you faster than the culture around you.

This included God changing her measure of success from numerical to celebrating the small spiritual steps the people around her took.

“We celebrate when someone asks a spiritual question, or we have a spiritual conversation. We celebrate when we can pray over someone, or they ask us for prayer. We celebrate when we read the Bible with someone. We celebrate every step someone takes toward Jesus and every seed planted that will one day reap a harvest.”

Sustainable Practices and Community

Courtney also shared the importance of having safe spaces and people who not only are life-giving, but also understand the challenges of ministry and leadership. This involves finding people who pray for you regularly and intercede daily on your behalf.

Finally, she emphasized having hobbies outside of ministry and having a life that isn’t constant work. Her hobby is baking, where she loves to connect with friends and neighbors over good stories and baked goods.

Legacy and Encouragement

Courtney is the first woman to be ordained in her family, as well as its first missionary. Through her role as the Eastern Europe Mission Director, she and her team are pioneering the way for God’s word to reach an area where only 0.01% are believers. They hope that:

“By proclaiming the Gospel through evangelism, relationships, conversations, and discipleship over coffee, community outreach, youth camps, and Bible studies,” they might one day be able to plant churches in her area.

She gives this final encouragement to all those feeling led into global ministry:

“Keep trusting and allowing Christ to minister to you as you depend on Him. God is always faithful and will give you everything you need to proclaim the Gospel. He’s working and moving even when you can’t see it.”