President, Lutheran World Relief, Baltimore, Maryland

John Nunes is president and CEO of Lutheran World Relief, an international relief and development agency working in 35 countries. A prominent Lutheran leader known for his powerful voice applying theological insight to matters from global vocation to urban ministry in the United States, Nunes joined LWR in July 2007.

In his more than 25 years as a speaker, musician, writer, youth director, pastor and professor, Nunes has gained experience and expertise ranging from offering cultural commentary to teaching incarnational spirituality to lecturing on postcolonial poetry. He has given keynote addresses at both scholarly conferences and youth gatherings of 40,000 participants. His book, Voices from the City (Concordia Publishing House, 1999), attempts to capture the complex challenges of poverty, crime, and multicultural ministry.

Nunes holds advanced academic degrees from schools affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).

For eight years (1996-2004), Nunes was a board member of Wheat Ridge Ministries.  He continued as a research associate in urban ministry at Wheat Ridge until joining Lutheran World Relief.

Born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Nunes grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and has lived in the U.S. since 1981.  He lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife, Monique, who is the principal of Baltimore Lutheran Middle School, and his son, John, Jr., the youngest of their five children.

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