Richard J. Wills Jr
Encyclopedia
Richard J. Wills Jr is a Bishop
of the United Methodist Church
, elected in 2004.
; Suzanne Wills Hart of West Palm Beach, Florida
; Johanna Wills Clark of Orlando, Florida
; and Rebekah Wills Stephens of Sebring, Florida
.
from Florida Southern College
. He earned an M.Div. degree from Candler School of Theology
, Emory University
in 1967. He has received Honorary Doctorates from Bethune-Cookman College
and from Florida Southern.
Annual Conference
of The Methodist Church in 1965. He was ordained an Elder in 1969. He was appointed Pastor
of the Crystal Lake
Methodist/U.M. Church, Lakeland, Florida, 1967-71. He was Pastor of the Madarin U.M.C., Jacksonville, Florida
, 1971-75. In 1975 Rev. Wills was appointed Associate Council Director on the Conference Council of Ministries, Florida Annual Conference, serving in this capacity until 1978. He became the Pastor of the Englewood
U.M.C. in 1978, and the Senior Pastor of Christ
Church United Methodist, Fort Lauderdale, 1986-2004.
Rev. Wills was also very involved in Annual Conference and General Church responsibilities. He chaired his Conference's Board of Ordained Ministry, 1984-88 (serving as a member 1980-88 and 2002-04). He was on the Terring Committee of the Large Church Initiative of the General Board of Discipleship for twelve years. He was a member of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy, 1996-2004. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Bethune-Cookman College (1995-2000). He held many other local and regional offices, as well.
Episcopal Area (the Tennessee
and Memphis
Annual Conferences). His offices are at 520 Commerce St., Suite 201, Nashville, TN 37203-3714. The websites of the two Annual Conferences he serves as Bishop are http://www.Memphis-UMC.org (Memphis) and http://www.tnumc.org/ (Tennessee).
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
, elected in 2004.
Birth and Family
He married Eileen (Willis) Wills on 12 June 1965. They have four children: Richard J. Wills III of Lakeland, FloridaLakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
; Suzanne Wills Hart of West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
; Johanna Wills Clark of Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
; and Rebekah Wills Stephens of Sebring, Florida
Sebring, Florida
Sebring is a city in Highlands County, Florida, United States, nicknamed "The City on the Circle", in reference to Circle Drive, the center of the Sebring Downtown Historic District...
.
Education
Richard graduated in 1964 with a B.S. degree in PsychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
from Florida Southern College
Florida Southern College
Florida Southern College is a private college located in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It was selected by U.S...
. He earned an M.Div. degree from Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology, Emory University, is one of 13 seminaries of the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1914, the school was named after Warren Akin Candler, a former President and Chancellor of Emory University and a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South...
, Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
in 1967. He has received Honorary Doctorates from Bethune-Cookman College
Bethune-Cookman College
Bethune-Cookman University or B-CU is a private historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida.- History :Mary McLeod Bethune founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School in 1904...
and from Florida Southern.
Ordained Ministry
Rev. Wills was ordained a Deacon in the FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Annual Conference
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
of The Methodist Church in 1965. He was ordained an Elder in 1969. He was appointed Pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of the Crystal Lake
Crystal Lake, Polk County, Florida
Crystal Lake is a census-designated place in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,341 at the 2000 census, which is a slight increase from 5,300 in 1990...
Methodist/U.M. Church, Lakeland, Florida, 1967-71. He was Pastor of the Madarin U.M.C., Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, 1971-75. In 1975 Rev. Wills was appointed Associate Council Director on the Conference Council of Ministries, Florida Annual Conference, serving in this capacity until 1978. He became the Pastor of the Englewood
Englewood, Florida
Englewood is a census-designated place in Charlotte and Sarasota counties in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 16,196.Englewood also was the original name for Vineland, Florida...
U.M.C. in 1978, and the Senior Pastor of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
Church United Methodist, Fort Lauderdale, 1986-2004.
Rev. Wills was also very involved in Annual Conference and General Church responsibilities. He chaired his Conference's Board of Ordained Ministry, 1984-88 (serving as a member 1980-88 and 2002-04). He was on the Terring Committee of the Large Church Initiative of the General Board of Discipleship for twelve years. He was a member of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy, 1996-2004. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Bethune-Cookman College (1995-2000). He held many other local and regional offices, as well.
Episcopal Ministry
Rev. Wills was elected a delegate to the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference and the General Conference of the U.M. Church 1988-2004, leading his delegation in 2000, and 2004. He was elected to the Episcopacy at the 2004 Jurisdictional Conference, having been endorsed by the Florida Conference delegation. He was assigned to the NashvilleNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
Episcopal Area (the Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
Annual Conferences). His offices are at 520 Commerce St., Suite 201, Nashville, TN 37203-3714. The websites of the two Annual Conferences he serves as Bishop are http://www.Memphis-UMC.org (Memphis) and http://www.tnumc.org/ (Tennessee).
Selected Writings
- Waking to God's Dream: Spiritual Leadership and Church Renewal, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1999.
- author of many articles on spiritual leadership