Submitted by the Virgina region’s search committee
The new regional minister in Virginia, Rev. Bill Spangler-Dunning, was named at the Regional Administrative Council meeting in Lynchburg, VA on Saturday, February 9, 2019. Bill Spangler-Dunning is well known to many in the regional and general church as he comes to Virginia having served for the past ten years as Regional Minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Upper Midwest. Spangler-Dunning will not begin his duties with us until August 19, 2019. He will be very busy until then, as he continues preparations for the General Assembly which will be held in Des Moines, Iowa (in the Upper Midwest) in July.
Rev. Spangler-Dunning is married to Rev. Amy Spangler-Dunning and together they have a son, Tristan Spangler-Dunning. Amy grew up in Richmond Virginia and is both an Ordained Minister (Lexington Theological Seminary) as well as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Masters from Drake University). Tristan is a sophomore at Chapman University in Orange California. Rev. Spangler-Dunning graduated from Culver-Stockton College and obtained his MDiv at Lexington Theological Seminary.
Spangler-Dunning served as a student minister in Midway, MO and in Frankford, KY. Following graduation from seminary he served as youth minister at First Christian Church in Glasgow, KY and in a Three-person Team Ministry at First Christian Church in Owensboro, KY. He fell in love with the gathering focus of Regional Ministry when he was allowed to serve as the West Area Youth Coordinator in Western Kentucky. This experience led to a call to become the Associate Regional Minister for Youth, Camp and Conference Center ministry in his home Region, The Christian Church in the Upper Midwest. After 8 ½ years in that role he was called to serve as Regional Minister for the past 10 years.
Spangler-Dunning brings a love of Regional Ministry and a belief that God provides enough in the community to change the world together. His approach and focus in Regional Ministry is to gather and connect the people of the region and build relationships between one another. “I love to encourage churches and individuals to follow their passions in ministry,” says Spangler-Dunning. Bill focuses on a permission giving/blessing in his role as Regional Minister. He further explained, “I believe that if we are able to find our way toward real wholeness, then, as the Body of Christ, new ministries will arise.” He calls this way of being church – Disciples Together. Bill looks forward to being “Disciples Together” with us and hearing the stories of Virginia congregations and their members as he begins ministry with us in August of 2019.