Senior Pastor of Mount Ararat Baptist Church
271 Paulson Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412-441-1800
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. William H. Curtis accepted the call to ministry at the age of 17. For seven years, he served as the Senior Pastor at Shiloh Baptist Church in York, PA; however, since 1997, he has served as the Senior Pastor at Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, PA.
Mount Ararat Baptist Church is a large urban ministry and ministers to more than 10,000 members in the community, providing four well-attended weekend services. Mount Ararat believes in ministry to the whole community, and under the leadership of Dr. Curtis, the church implemented a Community Tithe Program, which returns over ten percent of the congregation’s weekly offerings to small churches, para-church ministries and non-profit organizations.
Dr. Curtis has been an instructor at the United Theological Seminary and has graduated several groups of doctoral students at the institution. Aside from pastoral instruction, he is Co-Owner of The Church Online, a successful technology and full-service marketing firm that provides top of the line services to ministries all over the world.
He has served as a Board member of Amachi Pittsburgh; and his Board relationships include: the Pittsburgh Sports and Exhibition Authority, the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, The Ellis School, the Interdenominational Theological Center, and the Baptist School of Theology. In addition, he served as President the Hampton University Minister’s Conference from 2007 – 2011.
His fraternity memberships include: Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi, and Jericho lodge #20. In February 2016, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf assigned him to the Governor’s Advisory Commission on African American Affairs. In January 2018, he was elected to serve on the Allegheny County Airport Authority Board. In July 2020, the Allegheny Health Network elected him to serve on their Cancer Institute Advisory Board. In February 2021, he was elected to the Faithlife Corporation Board.
Dr. Curtis has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards.
In 2009, he was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College. In the spring of 2010, Dr. Curtis moved from the speaking arena into the publishing arena with his first book, “FAITH — Learning to Live Without Fear,” which is currently in its fourth printing. His second book, “Dressed for Victory: Putting on the Full Armor of God” was released in April 2015 and is currently in its second printing. And, his third book “Mentor Shift” was published in May 2019. “One Day Closer” a compilation of his mediations during the Pandemic shut-in from March 2020 thru May 2021 was published in June 2021; and it was followed by “One Day Closer” –Volume 2 which was published in June 2022.
Dr. Curtis holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Morgan State University, a Master of Divinity Degree from Howard University School of Divinity, and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.
Dr. Curtis is married to the former Christine Y. Richardson, and they are the proud parents of one lovely daughter, Houston.