The Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church elected William Willimon, dean of Duke Chapel, as a new bishop July 15. Willimon, who has served more than 20 years at Duke, was consecrated as bishop July 17 and will assume his new role in the Birmingham, Ala., area Sept. 1.
When he assumes his new role as bishop, Willimon will be responsible for appointing about 200 pastors each year, matching each church within his area with the "right" pastor. He will also serve as a "pastor to the pastors," overseeing as many as 600 at one time.
"I was kind of a reform troublemaker kind of candidate--which Duke students would find strange because they think of me as the bastion of the status quo--so I was really amazed that they elected me," Willimon said. "Maybe they want to do some new things."
Among the "new things" Willimon wants to pursue is the reinvigoration of young Methodists. He said what he will miss most about Duke will be the students and his "front row seat on the next generation." He hopes his passion for engaging young people will carry over into his work with the church at the next level.
"We've lost lots of young people, we've lost two generations almost. The average Methodist is 58 years old, and I'm 58 years old--that's about 12 years older than the average American," Willimon said. "I want to get my church back in touch with this generation, it's a great generation God is doing amazing things with."
In a surprisingly progressive move, Willimon and former President Nan Keohane decided to allow same-sex unions in the Chapel in 2000. Although the announcement was unpopular within the Methodist church, which prohibits same-sex unions, Willimon and Keohane were careful to note that the Chapel is nondenominational and that they would never require a clergy member to perform a ceremony his denomination does not permit.
Willimon is best known at Duke for penning the initial study of student intellectual life, "We Work Hard, We Play Hard," in 1992, which concluded that students drank too much and that the campus was lacking an intellectual atmosphere. Those findings, complemented by a follow-up in 2000, provided the impetus for a more restrictive alcohol policy on campus and helped to spark the still-current debate about campus intellectualism.
Willimon was also instrumental in the founding of the Kenan Institute for Ethics in 1995.
"[One] way in which he's shaped our work has been to encourage us to think not only about students' ethical behavior, but also about how the University behaves, how the administration and the faculty behave," said Kenan Institute Director Elizabeth Kiss.
Friends and colleagues have celebrated Willimon's strong leadership skills and passion for teaching. "Being with Will is never boring," said Divinity School Dean Gregory Jones, whose praise expressed the fondness many members of the Duke community feel for Willimon.
"It's a big loss for us in the Divinity School because we lose a wonderful colleague and teacher, but it's a wonderful gift to the church," Jones said. "His election as bishop is a strong affirmation of the respect Duke has in the eyes of the Methodist church and will strengthen the ties Duke has with the Methodist church."
A 1971 graduate of Yale Divinity School, Willimon first came to the Divinity School faculty in 1976. He was appointed as minister to the University in 1984 and dean of Duke Chapel and professor of Christian ministry five years later. He has authored more than 50 books that have collectively sold more than 1 million copies, and a 1996 Baylor University survey named him as one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world.
When The Chronicle went to press, no plans had been announced for a search for Willimon's successor.
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