New Life Lutheran Church, Pastor William Sullivan

Meet Pastor Bill Sullivan

Reverend William Sullivan accepted the call to serve New Life Lutheran Church in June of 2010 and began his ministry here on July 1st. He came to New Life after serving for eight years as the Service Coordinator of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, the association of congregations New Life Lutheran Church belongs to.

Pastor Bill is a 1973 graduate of Lutheran Bible Institute in Seattle, Washington. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education from Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, North Carolina in 1977 and a Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1991.

Bill began his ministry as a Youth Director in three Lutheran churches – Trinity Lutheran in San Gabriel, California; Community Church of Joy in Glendale, Arizona and St. Mark Lutheran Church in Rockford, Illinois from 1978 to 1987.

After completing his seminary training in 1991, Bill served as Pastor of St. Michael Lutheran Church in Ottawa Lake, Michigan for 11 years.

In 2002 Bill became the first employee of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, a new association of Lutheran congregations that was founded in March of 2001 with 25 charter member congregations. During the eight years that Bill served as the Service Coordinator of LCMC it grew from its original 25 congregations to an association of more than 450 congregations in 40 states, one US territory and eight countries around the world.

At the end of March 2010, after deciding to return to parish ministry, Bill inquired about the position with a new LCMC mission congregation in Sterling, Illinois. During the ensuing weeks, the Lord led the congregation to issue the call to Bill and, having accepted the call, a new chapter in ministry began on July 1 for Pastor Bill and the members of New Life.

Bill and his wife Marsha have been celebrating life together as husband and wife since June 7th, 1975 and have two grown daughters – Sarah and Naomi.