Reverend Dr. Christopher Leon Nichols has been dedicated to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ for more than thirty years. A proud native of Washington, DC, Reverend Dr. Nichols grew up east of the river where he developed a love and sense of compassion for others. As a boy, he exemplified great respect for seniors in the community and cared for the needs of others more than his own. These early years laid the foundation for the life and ministry of a humble servant of God.Educated in the D.C. Public Schools, he graduated from the renowned Duke Ellington School of the Arts and went on to attend Howard University and George Washington University with a major in music. Music was his beginning of his ministry. He started playing the saxophone at the age of 14 and quickly acquired an interest playing various instruments. Today he is a very accomplished musician who is proficient on the piano, organ, saxophone, flute, clarinet, oboe, percussion and bass. To his credit, Rev. Nichols has released eight albums, the latest is entitled, “No Greater Love.”
As early as the age of 6, the call on his life to preach was very evident. He accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior at the age of 10. He spiritual growth and development developed at Resurrection Baptist Church and Christopher Nichols soon discovered that the music ministry was not a substitute for the calling upon his life. He acknowledged the call to preach the Gospel and on Wednesday night, May 27, 1992 he delivered his initial sermon and was licensed to preach at the Resurrection Baptist Church. Under the watchful eye of his pastor, the Reverend Dr. James Edward Lewis, he continued to grow spiritually. In 1995, Reverend Nichols was ordained into the ministry, catechized by the late Reverend Dr. Andrew Fowler, the Dean of Preachers in the Metropolitan Washington area.
Reverend Dr. Nichols is an educator and has taught music at the Highland Park Christian Academy, the Saint Francis Xavier Catholic School, the Tech World Public Charter School and now serves as musical director for the Charles Herbert Flowers High School Drama Department. He has served as Minister of Music at the Resurrection Baptist Church, Mt. Ephriam Baptist Church, and the Emmanuel Baptist Church. He is currently the musical director for the National Capital Baptist Convention.
Reverend Dr. Nichols has served as interim pastor at Resurrection Baptist Church and at the Emmanuel Baptist Church. In October 2017, Reverend Nichols was called to serve as the fifth pastor of the Emmanuel Baptist Church, Washington, DC. During the first five years at Emmanuel, he led the Emmanuel congregation during the pandemic using technology for continued worship and Christian education. In 2022 he spearheaded the completion of our 72 unit affordable housing project. The church Fellowship Hall has been completely renovated and the restrooms modernized.
Reverend Dr. Nichols’ ministry has taken him all across the country and abroad. In August of 2004 and 2005 he served as a missionary for ABCOTS (American Churches of the South), preaching, teaching, and performing in Zambia, Johannesburg, South Africa, and Kenya. He was very instrumental in assisting pastors in developing Christian education programs and the growth of Youth ministry.
In recognition of Reverend Nichols’ excellent work in the religious community, he was bestowed an honorary doctorate from the Restoration International University in December 2022. He is also being recognized by the DMV Musicians and Singers for outstanding service in the Washington, Maryland, and Virginia area in January 2023.
Reverend Dr. Christopher L. Nichols is married to Lettica D. Nichols. Together, they are a ministry couple who love the Lord and find great joy in serving God’s people.
Pastor Nichols’ ministry is best described in the words of the prophet, Isaiah recorded in Isaiah 61:1-2, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives; and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.