William H. Willimon ’71 M.Div.

The Rev. Dr. William H. Willimon is Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry at Duke Divinity School. A Bishop in the United Methodist Church, Dr. Willimon served as the Dean of Duke Chapel and Professor of Christian Ministry at Duke University for 20 years prior to being elected to the Episcopacy. He returned to Duke after serving as the Bishop of the North Alabama Conference from 2004 to 2012. He has taught in Germany, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia in various seminaries. 

Willimon is the author of over 100 books. His Worship as Pastoral Care was selected as one of the 10 most useful books for pastors in 1979 by the Academy of Parish Clergy. More than a million copies of his books have been sold. His articles have appeared in many publications including Theology Today, Interpretation, Liturgy, and Christianity Today. He is editor-at-large for The Christian Century. His book Pastor: the Theology and Practice of Ordained Leadership is used in dozens of seminaries in the United States and Asia.

 

In 2021, Willimon delivered the Beecher Lectures at Yale Divinity School, titled “Preachers Dare: Speaking for God.” In 1992, he was the recipient of the Yale Divinity School Distinction in Ordained Ministry Award