Decatur West Side Church of the Nazarene

Our Lead Pastor, Jacob Taylor, grew up in a pastor's family and felt God call him to be a pastor when he was just eight years old. He has followed that call ever since. Pastor Jacob attended Olivet Nazarene University and received both his bachelor's and master's degrees in pastoral ministry from ONU.

Pastor Jacob met his wife, Bethanie, at Olivet. "She has been the brightest part of my life, as I couldn't ask for a more encouraging and perfect partner in ministry," he says.

Apart from pastoring at West Side, Pastor Jacob loves to hang out with his family (his father is the pastor of the Nazarene church in Clinton, Ill., just a short distance away), play any kind of game and spend time with Bethanie and their two dogs.

West Side's congregation is excited to serve alongside the Taylors in ministering to our community!

Our Worship Pastor, Russ Burch, has served the congregation of West Side for many years. He attended Olivet Nazarene University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education, followed by a Master of Music Education degree from Indiana University. He was ordained by the Church of the Nazarene in July of 2009. In the spring of 2019, Russ retired from his job as band director with the Taylorville School District, following over three decades of educating the youth of the Midwest. "God has blessed me in so many ways," he says. "I'm super excited about what He has in store for West Side in the coming days!"

Russ' wife, Rachel, also graduated from Olivet Nazarene University. She serves as the president of West Side's local chapter of Nazarene Missions International and is active in many other areas, including children's ministries and the church's praise team. Russ and Rachel have two young adult daughters, three adult sons, two beautiful daughters-in-law and two very doted-upon grandsons.