Bishop William H. Willimon
United Methodist Church
North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church
The Reverend Dr. Will Willimon is the bishop of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. For 20 years he served at Duke in 2004. Will has written and lectured extensively on the subject of preaching. He currently resides in the Birmingham area.
Willimon was elected in July 2004 as Bishop of The United Methodist Church. He leads the 157,000 Methodists and 792 pastors in North Alabama. For twenty years he was Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Christian Ministry at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Dr. Willimon is a graduate of Wofford College (B.A., 1968), Yale Divinity School (M.Div., 1971) and Emory University (S.T.D., 1973). He has served as pastor of churches in Georgia and South Carolina. For four years, beginning in 1976, he served as Assistant Professor of Liturgy and Worship at Duke Divinity School, teaching courses in liturgics and homiletics and served as Director of the Ministerial Course of Study School at Duke, and Presiding Minister in the Divinity School Chapel. When he returned to the parish ministry in 1980, he was Visiting Associate Professor of Liturgy and Worship at Duke for three years. He has been awarded honorary degrees from Westminster College (DD, 1990), Wofford College (D. Hum.L., 1994), Lehigh University (DD, 2000), Centre College (DD, 2001), LaFayette College (DD, 2002), Colgate University (DD, 2003), Campbell University (DD, 2003), LaGrange College (DD, 2005), Albright College (DD, 2006), and Birmingham-Southern College (DD, 2006). In 1992, he was named as the first Distinguished Alumnus of Yale Divinity School. He also serves on the faculties of Birmingham-Southern College as Visiting Distinguished Professor and as Visiting Research Professor at Duke Univeristy Divinity School.
He is the author of nearly sixty books. His Worship as Pastoral Care was selected as one of the ten most useful books for pastors in 1979 by the Academy of Parish Clergy. Over a million copies of his books have been sold. In 1996, an international survey conducted by Baylor University named him one of the Twelve Most Effective Preachers in the English-speaking world.
His articles have appeared in many publications including The Christian Ministry, Quarterly Review, Liturgy, Worship and Christianity Today. He is Editor-at-Large for The Christian Century. He has served as Editor and Expositor (with his wife, Patricia) for Abingdon's International Lesson Annual. He has written curriculum materials and video for youth, young adults, and adults. His Pulpit Resource is used each week by over eight thousand pastors in the USA, Canada, and Australia. A 2005 study by the Pulpit and Pew Research Center found that Bishop Willimon is the second most widely read author by mainline Protestant pastors.
Bishop Willimon has given lectures and taught courses at many pastors' schools and at colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. These include the Belden Lectures at Harvard as well as lectureships at Princeton, Vanderbilt, Pepperdine, and Oxford. In 1998, he served on the theological faculty of the University of Bonn, Germany and in 1991, he was Distinguished Guest Professor at the University of Muenster, Germany. His books have been translated into eight languages.
He has served as vice chairman of the Board of Trustees, Wofford College; chairperson of the University Council Committee for the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale; and on the Board of Overseers for Memorial Church, Harvard University, and the Boards of Emory, Birmingham-Southern, and Huntingdon Colleges. He serves on the editorial boards of The Christian Century, The Christian Ministry, Preaching, The Wittenburg Door, and Leadership.
Latest Content by Bishop William H. Willimon
Bishop William H. Willimon
(
UMC)
When Jesus rose from the dead the disciples were told, "Don't be afraid." Those who knew Jesus best, and were in turn known best by him, knew that, while friendship with Jesus is sweet, it is also demanding, difficult, and, at times, even fearsome.
As the Bible says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Presumably, it's not fearful to fall into the hands of a dead god, an idol who never shocks or demands anything of you, who is no more than a fake, a godlet, a mere projection of your fondest desires and silliest wishes. Out in Galilee-a dusty, drab, out-of-the-way sort of place, just like where most of us live-the disciples of Jesus were encountered by the living God. That Jesus could not only give death the slip but also be in Galilee suggests that the risen Christ could show up anywhere, anytime. And that's scary.
Read full article...
Bishop William H. Willimon
(
UMC)
On the cross, Jesus gets into it with his mother. "Woman, behold thy son," he says to her. Mary, look at the child you are losing, the son that you are giving over for the sins of the world. Maternal love is that love that loves in order to give away. In Mary's case, it was particularly so. When Jesus was born, old Simeon had predicted, "A sword will also pierce your heart." From the first, it was not easy to be the mother of the Son of God. And now, even from the cross, Jesus is busy ripping apart families and breaking the hearts of mothers. Because he was obedient to the will of God, because Jesus did not waver from his God-ordained mission, he is a great pain to his family. "Woman, behold thy son."
Read full article...
Other Recent Content by Bishop William H. Willimon
May 07, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
One reason that Christians tend to move toward those on the boundaries, tend to feel responsibility for the hungry and the dispossessed is because we worship the sort of God who has moved toward us while we were famished and out on the boundaries.
April 30, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
“Those who take up the sword die by the sword” is one of the truest proverbs of Jesus. Both the victor and the vanquished must finally submit to the power of the sword. The sword we thought we were using to secure ourselves becomes our ultimate defeat.
April 16, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
I am still haunted by a long conversation I had with a man who was a member of one of my early congregations. He told me that one evening, returning from a night of poker with pals, he had a stunning vision of the presence of the risen Christ. Christ appeared to him undeniably, vividly.
April 14, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
A student, asked to summarize the gospel in a few words, responded: in the Bible, it gets dark, then it gets very, very dark, then Jesus shows up. I’d add to this affirmation, Jesus doesn’t just show up; he shows up for us.
March 27, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Don’t you find it curious that the first word, the very first word that Jesus speaks in agony on the cross, is “Father, forgive”?
March 20, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
As we move through Lent, season of the cross, here is another meditation related to the theme of the cross.
March 13, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Despite our earnest efforts, we couldn’t climb all the way up to God. So what did God do? In an amazing act of condescension, on Good Friday, God climbed down to us, became one with us. The story of divine condescension begins on Christmas and ends on Good Friday.
March 06, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
I was having a difficult time in my previous congregation. A stormy board meeting was followed by a poorly received sermon, which was then succeeded by a none-too-pleasant public confrontation with the chair of the church trustees. What had I done to so badly manage the congregation?
March 01, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Really now, Lord Jesus, is our sin so serious as to necessitate the sort of ugly drama we are forced to behold this day? Why should the noon sky turn toward midnight and the earth heave and the heavens be rent for our mere peccadilloes?
February 07, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Though almost all of our fledgling United Methodist Christians were documented, in just two months we saw our congregations decimated and all of our prayerful work destroyed.
January 31, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
John Wesley preached “practical Christianity.” Few United Methodist practices illustrate our practical Christianity more vividly than our Social Principles(which have their roots in the “social creed” of our church which dates from the early Twentieth Century).
January 24, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Any truly Wesleyan vision of the Christian life includes direct, personal, sacrificial encounter with suffering persons – simply collecting money for someone else to work with the poor is not enough.
January 20, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
The Social Principles, along with our General Rules, are testimony to the continuing role of disciplined holiness – personal and social holiness – in the United Methodist way of being Christian.
January 17, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Our Lord Jesus preached peace, but “not as the world gives.” Peaceful Jesus was from the first a disturber of the status quo. Alas, too often Jesus’ followers have been on the side of peace at any cost, peace as the world gives in opposition to Jesus.
January 10, 2012
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Wesley’s orientation toward the practical is evident in his focus upon the “scripture way of salvation.” He considered doctrinal matters primarily in terms of their significance for Christian discipleship.
December 27, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
A Christmas story, can’t remember where I heard it, but I tell it to you as you begin your own celebration of Christmastide.
November 29, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
It’s a story so strange we could not have dreamed it up by ourselves, this story of how God was incarnate in Jesus the Christ.
November 25, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
On this week of Thanksgiving, pray with me this prayer, Wesley’s poetic response to Acts 4:32, “The multitude of them that believed, were of one heart, and one soul; neither said any of them, that aught of the things which he possessed, was his own, but they had all things in common. Neither was there any among them that lacked.”
October 17, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
I appointed Mike Edmondson to our Helena congregation in 2008. Since then, the church has experienced a remarkable turnaround. I have been studying Mike’s leadership and the moves that this congregation has made in the past few years and wanted to share some of what I have learned.
October 14, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
"Christians are made, not born," said Tertullian. No Christian virtues are innate. Nothing about following Jesus comes naturally. Therefore, so much that the church does for us is formational, educational, and transformational.
October 07, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Fred Shuttlesworth, who passed away this week, was not known as widely as some Civil Rights activists, mainly because he never stopped being a pastor who daily cared for an active congregation.
September 16, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Most mainline protestant churches are in decline, the churches of North Alabama are no exception. But not all. I’ve made it my business to visit our growing congregations in order to learn more about why they are thriving.
June 14, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Our state [has] passed the meanest immigrant legislation bill in the nation. The bill is an embarrassment to our state and does not represent the spirit of hospitality of our churches.
June 07, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
This is my sermon for the Service of Ordination at this year's Annual Conference at Asbury UMC in Madison. We had a grand, informative, inspiring Conference. This sermon was my charge to our newest clergy.
May 31, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
One way to tell if a congregation is healthy is that it is on the move, trying to keep up with the machinations of the risen Christ.
May 23, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
All Christian leadership begins in God’s determination to have a people in motion helping God retake God’s world. For those of us in ordained leadership in our church, sometimes the great challenge is to believe in us half as much as God in Christ believes in us...
May 21, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
In the past weeks we in Alabama have had cause to renew our friendship with Job. We have witnessed, and many personally suffered, the havoc and calamity of a series of great and mighty whirlwinds.
May 10, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
In the past two weeks I’ve learned again that terrible, destructive, undeserved tragedies are, on the whole, inexplicable.
May 02, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
In the aftermath of deadly tornadoes: By God's grace, we believe we shall look back on the next few weeks as a time when -- even amid our tragedy -- we experienced the presence and power of the Risen Christ.
April 26, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
The Resurrection is not only an event in the past; it has present implications. Easter is a sign of what God is up to in the world. The same resurrected Jesus who came back to his defeated disciples continues to come to us.
April 18, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
In Gethsemane and on Calvary’s hill, Jesus redefined the sovereignty of God. The one we expected to be the royal Victor became the tortured Victim. The one who looked like the failed Victim became the divine victory.
April 12, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Of Jesus it can be said, “Truly he is the Son of God,” and yet he is no robot unflinchingly plodding toward his death on a cross. He is truly flesh and blood. He does not play-act in Gethsemane; he wrestles with his destiny, crying in anguished dereliction.
April 05, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
When Jesus finally led his disciples into Jerusalem (on the day the church now calls “Palm Sunday”), many of his followers expected him at last to stand up and act like a Messiah, become King, storm the Roman garrison and set up a grand new “House of David” government. To their surprise, he bypassed City Hall and attacked the temple.
March 30, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Everything about Jesus is cruciform. The cross is not just an unfortunate event on a Friday afternoon at the garbage dump outside Jerusalem; it’s the way the world welcomed lover Jesus from day one.
March 07, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Of all Episcopal duties, the making of new clergy is the most sacred -- and the most daunting. Ordination is counter to just about everything that Americans believe.
January 25, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Dr. Hugh Ballou has done some great work in his transformational leadership seminars. Last year Dr. Ballou interviewed me on church leadership issues. Here is Part 3 of that interview.
January 22, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
It didn’t take [Alabama's] new governor long to stumble with his comment that if you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, “You’re not my brother and you’re not my sister, and I want to be your brother.”
January 18, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Dr. Hugh Ballou has done some great work in his transformational leadership seminars. Last year Dr. Ballou interviewed me on church leadership issues. Here is Part 2 of that interview:
January 11, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Dr. Hugh Ballou has done some great work in his transformational leadership seminars. Last year Dr. Ballou interviewed me on church leadership issues. Here is a part of that interview...
January 04, 2011
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Christmastide ends this week as we move into New Year’s. As Christians we are reminded through the mystery of the Incarnation that we cross the threshold into a New Year not alone – God is with us. Thanks be to God!
December 29, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
The work that Jesus calls us to do is more than that which can be done through good technique, savvy leadership skills, or even wise corporate management. As Jesus said to his disciples..., “this sort of thing can’t be done without prayer.” (Mark 29)
December 21, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Do you want to get close to God? Then the story of Ruth, as well as the story of the babe at Bethlehem, suggests that we will meet God in our times of grief, when people leave us in untimely ways, people on whom we are dependent.
December 17, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
In our determination to start more new congregations among those who are under served by our church, we created The Community Church Without Walls on the west side of Birmingham. Read about what's happening.
December 07, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
The Acts of Apostles is addressed to a church in trouble. Reading between the lines of the text, here was a church that was constantly clashing with culture, a church that was holding on by its finger tips, a church with severe money problems. How does Luke, author of Acts, inspire and ignite a troubled church?
November 30, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
I have often noted the importance of Sunday attendance as an indicator of a congregation’s vitality. Each week I correspond with those pastors who... lead churches who show the largest gain in attendance.
November 24, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
"We have more important things to worry about than the purely [political] infatuations that worry the IRD. In a world that worships politics as divine, we have more important things to do than politics."
November 16, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
"It is unsurprising that there is much failure in the Christian church. After all, we are attempting to worship and to serve a crucified savior.... What is surprising, considering the mission of the church, is that we have churches...and pastors who are positive, fulfilled, excited, and fruitful." Read on...
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, William H. Willimon, sits down for an in depth look at his new book "Why Jesus?" and discusses the roles of Jesus and how our society continues to grow in its understanding of Christ.
October 24, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
In the concluding part to his challenging series, Why Jesus? based on his new book, Bishop William H. Willimon explores Jesus' often perplexing teaching on the family--and reveals the larger and more demanding family he calls us into.
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Long time friend of Day1 Bishop William H. Willimon sits down with our host Peter Wallace to discuss the work of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, his love for the art of preaching and the challenges to the modern family. Join us for a delightful conversation!
October 17, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
In part 3 of his challenging series, Why Jesus? Bishop William H. Willimon guides us through the signs and wonders Jesus performed during his earthly ministry as a way to reconcile the world to himself.
October 10, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
In part 2 of his powerful series, Why Jesus? Bishop William H. Willimon explores how Jesus teaches--and often confuses--his followers through the use of parables.
October 03, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
In part 1 of his powerful series, "Why Jesus?" Bishop William H. Willimon introduces us to "Jesus the Vagabond"--God in motion, who calls us to "Go."
June 21, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon shares the ordination sermon he preached earlier this month: "It is theologically impossible for there ever to be a shortage of clergy, a dearth of leaders for the church, not enough people to do the mission Jesus has called us to do." Read on...
June 15, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon writes: "A couple of decades ago, in a sincere attempt to make our churches more accessible and welcoming to children, some of our churches adopted an innovation: the children’s sermon. Today the children’s sermon is, to my mind, a prime example of a noble effort but an unfortunate strategy." Read on...
June 08, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon writes, "On a day last spring I returned home (the afternoon that I put Patsy on a plane to rush to the bedside of her dying mother). I opened the door and immediately realized that we had been robbed..." Read on.
June 01, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Miserable jobs, according to Patrick Lencioni’s book, Three Signs of a Miserable Job, share three things: Anonymity, Irrelevance and Immeasurement. How does this apply to the church? Read on...
May 24, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon writes, "How do we Methodists define effective clergy? We do it with one word: growth. Effective clergy know how to grow the church in its membership, witness, and mission." That requires keeping track of the numbers...read on.
May 19, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
All of the gospels depict Jesus and his disciples as people on the move. They never stay anywhere long. Jesus teaches or performs some wonder, then immediately moves on.
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Hosts Lillian Daniel and Lydia Talbot in conversation with William Willimon, who says "I'm a Wesleyan Christian, a Methodist. John Wesley advised early Methodists: don't worry too much about eternity, worry about here and now, living with Jesus so you'll be ready to live with him for eternity. And I think that is good advice."
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
The Rev. Dr. William Willimon, Bishop of the United Methodist Church for North Alabama, talks about heaven as the place where God will someday be all in all; that time and place when God at last will get what God wants.
May 10, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon writes, "Later this year Westminster John Knox Press will publish a collection of my sermons over the past forty years. Pouring through my old sermons has been a fun, humbling experience. I found the very first sermon that I preached at my very first church, Trinity, North Myrtle Beach, S.C. My father-in-law, Carl Parker had given birth to Trinity the year I was born, but the congregation had never thrived. So I went there in fear and trepidation, as witnessed in this first sermon..."
May 04, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon writes, "Some of our pastors will be saying goodbye to their present congregations as they move to new congregations in the next few weeks. Here is my last sermon in Duke Chapel, a sermon about a student delivered with gratitude before a new group of Duke students on Orientation Sunday, students on their way in as I was on my way out."
April 27, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon writes: "Recently I asked a successful youth minister, 'What is the chief factor in the growth of your ministry with youth?' He replied, 'the spiritual needs of students match up perfectly with Wesleyan Christianity. They want to be transformed and they yearn for connectedness with others in their walk with Christ. Methodists know how to do that!'" Read on...
April 20, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Last fall I met with a group of Lilly Transition into Ministry fellows in Pennsylvania. These are some top recent seminary graduates who are in their first years of ministry. For our discussions I presented some of my hunches about the future of the pastoral ministry. This provoked a lively discussion among these new pastors.
April 13, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon writes, "If one considers the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus – the birth of the church from the once despondent and defeated disciples, the perseverance of the saints even unto today, last Sunday’s sermon that changed a life -- it is difficult to see why anyone would disbelieve it, except for two reasons..."
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Daniel Pawlus and Lydia Talbot in conversation with William Willimon, who says, "It's a great comfort in the Christian faith to realize that, in a sense, my relationship to God is God's self-assignment, God's problem and not mine, earnest efforts and all. I love those moments where God just kind of cuts through and gets to us."
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
William Willimon, United Methodist Bishop for North Alabama, reflects on the love of God through Christ, who is the seeking shepherd that does not wait, but reaches out to embrace and have us.
April 05, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon writes, "The world, the flesh and the devil have a stake in our convincing ourselves that preaching doesn’t work – it’s one of the ways that the world protects itself from the reality of resurrection." Read on...
March 29, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon writes, "One of the things that occurs in the weekly preaching of the gospel is to lay the gospel story over our stories and reread our lives in the light of what is real now that crucified Jesus has been raised from the dead."
March 23, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon explores a "curious passage" in which the Apostle Paul links the resurrection with preaching and preaching with resurrection.
March 16, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon continues his exploration of "cruciform preaching," using "what is foolish in the world to confound the wise."
March 08, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon writes, "Christian theology has always affirmed that the cross is not only a window through which we see the true nature of God as the embodiment of suffering love but also the truthful mirror in which we see ourselves."
March 03, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
A cruciform faith in the God who reigns from a cross requires a peculiar way of preaching that is foolishness to the world. When the speaker points to Jesus hanging helplessly on the cross and says, “Jesus Christ is Lord!” the predictable audience reaction is, “Why? How?”
February 16, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon suggests that when we Christians are asked to say something profound about ourselves, to say something about the nature of God, this is what we say: "cross."
January 25, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
As ethnic congregations continue to grow, Bishop Will Willimon attempts his first sermon in Spanish--about our journey with Jesus.
January 19, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon offers church leaders an interesting insight on how to become more effective--by working the numbers.
January 11, 2010
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon shares the four questions for pastors that Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie asks himself as a way toward stronger accountability.
December 29, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon says the Nativity is just as much about social dislocation, about confused parents, and dark forebodings. What can we learn from that?
December 22, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon reflects on the One for whom we wait during Advent--the One whom we know, the One who knows and loves us.
December 17, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
In this sober season of Advent, surrounded by the pain of the world, Bishop Will Willimon dares us to be truly joyful in Christ.
December 08, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon examines the line of separation between church and state, and offers guidance about how churches can engage in politics.
November 23, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon returns to his home church for its 175th anniversary, offering some lessons in how to be a faithful church.
November 16, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon looks at the single most important sign of a church's spiritual vitality--worship attendance--and shares encouragement from Hebrews 10:24-25 on why it's so important.
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Day1 host Peter Wallace sits down for a third installment of his interview with Bishop Will Willimon and discusses his book "Who will be saved?" and the question of that book, more of his recent writings and his work on a new blog. Peter also asks if something gets lost in this new technology world, or is this a change for the better?
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
In part two of Bishop Will Willimon's interview with Day1 host Peter Wallace we cover topics ranging from the Bishops calling early in life to the inspirations of his life and what should you ask for from your parishioners. An interesting conversation only on Day1.
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon returns to Day1 and sits down with Day1 host Peter Wallace to discuss the future of the church, the work of his career, equipping pastors as a Bishop in a fractured world and much more.
October 19, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon shares insights on stewardship and mission support in the midst of an economic crisis.
October 18, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop William Willimon reveals how Jesus often shatters our expectations about what it means to follow him: "Jesus is not a technique for getting what we want out of God; Jesus is God's way of getting what God wants out of us."
October 12, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon offers some biblical grace to churches that are going through difficult times these days.
October 11, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop William Willimon explores Jesus' encounter with a wealthy would-be disciple, and offers challenging insights on the cost of following Christ.
October 04, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon examines Jesus' teachings about divorce and children, and shares powerful insights about God's limitless love.
September 28, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon reflects on the power of the Word of God in preaching and in building the church.
September 21, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon shares insights from Tony Robinson on the common culture of many Christians today--who tend to act more as consumers than disciples.
September 14, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon shares insights on the theology of church renewal from Tony Robinson.
August 31, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
United Methodist Bishop Will Willimon focuses on the great worship debate: traditional or contemporary?
August 24, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon offers his thoughts about how to handle health care reform from a faith perspective.
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Hosts Daniel Pawlus and Lydia Talbot in conversation with William Willimon, who says the Bible gives the poor the dignity of being special objects of concern, and the rich, Jesus says, have special responsibilities because of the gifts they've enjoyed.
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
United Methodist Bishop, William Willimon, says the Bible's concept of justice is about putting things right in this fallen world. When God's ideas of gracious, generous love clash with our practices of parsimony, we need to recognize that God's ways are not always our ways.
August 17, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon interacts with some provocative thoughts expressed by emergent Christian leader Shane Claiborne.
June 19, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon offers some insight regarding church statistics--and how we should respond to them.
May 27, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon continues with his wise advice for new pastors.
May 18, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
This past year Allan Hugh Cole, professor at Austin Presbyterian Seminary, has edited a book for new pastors, From Midterms to Ministry (Eerdmans). I was asked to write a chapter in the volume, recounting my own journey from seminary to the parish, drawing out any implications that my experience had for new pastors.
May 11, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church continues his practical and thought-provoking series of advice for new pastors.
May 04, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon shares experiences from his personal journey from seminary to the parish, and offers cogent advice for all new pastors.
April 27, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon explores the issue of church giving--and why there never seems to be enough.
April 20, 2009
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop Will Willimon offers insight on what Jesus told his disciples to do after his resurrection -- and what that means for our faith today.
August 07, 2005
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
United Methodist Bishop Willimon of the North Alabama Conference gives a compelling sermon entitled "How Will You Know If It's Jesus?" on Matthew 14:22-33.
July 31, 2005
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop William H. Willimon of the North Alabama Conference preaches a powerful sermon entitled "Extravagance" based on Matt. 14:13-21.
July 24, 2005
Bishop William H. Willimon
(UMC)
Bishop William H. Willimon of the North Alabama Conference preaches a powerful sermon entitled "Go for the Gold" based on Matt. 13:44-46.
