Phil Nettleton (CPC ’66) has deep roots in Oklahoma Wesleyan University.
Nettleton, the son of a pastor, moved around a good deal in his youth. Before his junior year of high school, his family moved again, this time to Dalhart, Texas.
Around this time, two of his sisters began attending Central Pilgrim College in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. During the spring of his junior year in high school, Nettleton and his father visited CPC. Nettleton already felt the call to ministry, and what he experienced at CPC further affirmed this calling. The Christian atmosphere and his sisters’ good experiences made choosing CPC easy. Nettleton spent his senior year of high school there before enrolling as a freshman in the fall of 1962.
Over the next five years, Nettleton earned his degree in Religion/Philosophy, met his wife, Lucille, and developed a love for the college that has only blossomed in the decades since graduation.
Powerful Influences
Prior to attending CPC, Nettleton had lived in 17 different homes due to his parents’ ministry roles. This helped ease the transition, as did having siblings already at the college. Another thing Nettleton credits his parents with is something that carried him through college and beyond – his work ethic.
Even while a pastor, his father, Herman Nettleton, worked other jobs, including carpentry. His mother was a nurse’s aide and worked as well to support their five children. Phil and his sisters also began to work early, contributing to the family in various ways even while they were students.
Nettleton spent most of his summers in college in Bartlesville, working for a construction company owned by Duane Mueller. The hard work helped him pay his way through school and alleviate some financial burden on his parents.
“In the five years I was there, Mueller had a very positive impact on my life,” Nettleton said. “He was just a wonderful, kind, compassionate man.”
Nettleton also highlights one of his professors, Pastor Bruce Chamberlain, as a formational influence during college. Chamberlain was a Bible teacher at the college and was the pastor of First Wesleyan Church. During his senior year, Nettleton interned for Chamberlain at FWC. The influence Chamberlain had on his life was evident – he provided Phil and Lucille with marriage counseling before their wedding – and lasted into the many years of Nettleton’s career in ministry.
“In those early years, whenever I would face a situation that I really didn’t know what to do as a pastor, my default reaction was to say, ‘What would Bruce do in this kind of situation?’” Nettleton said.
A Life of Ministry
Phil and Lucille married in September 1966, just months after Phil graduated from CPC. At the time, Lucille had not finished her studies, so when the couple moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, for a pastor job, she continued her degree in elementary education. The Nettletons were in Lincoln for two years before they accepted a job in Sylmar, California.
They then served in Colorado Springs for two years. In 1975, they moved their family of four to Pasadena, where they would remain for the next seven years.
All along the way, Nettleton felt the draw to international missions. As a child, several of his extended family had served as missionaries worldwide. As pastor, he interacted with many people who had dedicated their lives to spreading the Gospel in foreign lands. Nettleton had his first international experience as a college student when the quartet went to Kingstown, Jamaica, for a fifteen-day trip.
Eventually, the timing was right, and the Nettletons decided to pursue international missions. In 1982, they moved to Papua New Guinea, the first step in what would become 32 years of missions ministry, including ten years spent working stateside at the headquarters of Global Partners.
All told, Phil and Lucille lived and served in five countries – Papua New Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guyana, and the Czech Republic. Their time in the Czech Republic was for a unique role as pastors to missionaries. They served in a pastoral role for missionaries in Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia.
If you tally it all up, Nettleton has visited 70 countries. The couple retired from Global Partners in 2014.
Continuing to Serve
In the years since retirement, Nettleton hasn’t stopped serving others. He got involved in prison ministry while they lived in Colorado, and they are now serving as part of a church plant team in the Indianapolis area.
“Much of our life, we have enjoyed coming alongside people and helping them reach their goals,” Nettleton said. “Our roles now are very much supportive roles.”
After years overseas, Nettleton and his wife enjoy being closer to their grandchildren. The couple lives near two of their three sons in Indiana. They continue to love traveling, spending quite a bit of time visiting with their many friends and family spread across the US.
Nettleton lives in Westfield, Indiana, with his wife, Lucille. He will be honored at Homecoming 2024.
