REV. DR. WILLIAM MYERS TO STAND FOR MODERATOR OF THE 227TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The Rev. Dr. Bill Myers has announced that he will stand for Moderator at the conclusion of the 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), which will be held online and in person in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 22 – July 2. The election is scheduled for the Assembly’s final day.
Myers, who serves as pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Charleston, has most recently served the Presbytery of West Virginia as a member of the Leadership Team and has led Authorized Lay Pastor and Commissioned Pastor retreat workshops. Myers has been endorsed in his call to stand by his presbytery.
With the conviction that God is already at work in often overlooked places, places from which the church needs to hear, Myers feels called to stand for Moderator, to represent the smaller communities shaped by steady, creative and deeply resilient faith.
Pictured: The Rev. Dr. Bill Myers, and his wife, Margie
“In many ways, they are closer to the heart of who we are being called to become – congregations learning to trust God with less, to stay rooted in community, and to keep showing up with quiet, persistent hope. What I’ve witnessed here has changed me. It has reshaped how I understand strength in church and deepened my conviction that the Spirit is at work in ways we don’t always recognize,” Myers explained. “I want to help lift those stories, not to romanticize them, but to let them speak. Because when we begin to see more clearly where God is already at work, it changes how we imagine the future.”
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, while his father was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Myers only lived there a few months before moving to the Quad Cities, Moline and Rock Island, Illinois, which he refers to as “home.” Myers began college at the University of Iowa, but transferred to Monmouth College, a Presbyterian School in Monmouth, Illinois. Studying Religious Studies, Myers played the bagpipes, led intramural programs, and served as president of both ICHTHUS (Christian Fellowship) and Crimson Masque (Theater). Upon graduation, Myers attended Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.), along with Clinical Pastoral Education in Philadelphia, and later Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (D.Min.). At Princeton, he played basketball, participated in theater and liturgical dance, and enjoyed going to flea markets.
At Monmouth, Myers met his wife, Margie, and they were married one week after graduation. Since then, they have been partners in life and ministry. The are parents of two children, their son, The Rev. Will Myers who serves with West Virginia University UKIRK, and their daughter, Elizabeth, lives in Seattle, Washington, where she has built a life and career as a research librarian.
We are grateful for both of them, and for our daughter-in-law, Nimmi, not only for what they do, but who they are, but one of our greatest joys is being grandparents,” said Myers.
Acknowledging the work ahead and the need to rediscover how to be the church together, Myers’ call arises from this moment when the church is invited to something deeper than decision making.
“We are living in a time marked by division, fatigue, and uncertainty. The instinct is to move quickly – to resolve, to decide, to move on. But I don’t believe the church’s deepest need right now is quicker answers. I believe it is deeper faithfulness,” explained Myers, adding that this faithfulness shows up on the Assembly floor, committee rooms and at tables with different perspectives.
“It shows up in how we listen, how we speak, and whether we are willing to remain at the table with one another. If we can recover that way of being – imperfectly, but intentionally – it will shape not only our decisions, but our witness to a world that is longing for something more than division.”
Most of Myers’s ministry has been spent in congregations with seasons of conflict and renewal; rebuilding when people stay engaged and creating space for honest conversations, listening and discernment.
“I’m comfortable in those spaces, not because they’re easy, but because I believe the church belongs together, even when it’s struggling,” Myers said. “Throughout it all, I’ve tried to help the church notice where God is already at work – and to join that work with humility and courage.”
Myers’ greatest hope for the denomination is the quiet determination with which people continue to show up.
“They may not have abundant resources, but they have something deeper: a trust that God is still present and still at work. Again and again, I see evidence that the Spirit is not finished with us. In fact, some of the most faithful and creative ministries in our church are happening in places that are easy to overlook. If we’re paying attention, those communities have something to teach the rest of us. That’s where my hope lives.”
The elected moderator/co-moderators will officiate the 228th General Assembly in 2028.
Media Contact
Kristin Rhodes
Communications Coordinator
Presbytery of West Virginia
Phone: 304.744.7634
Email: communications@wvpresbytery.org