Bill Ury was raised in Taiwan as the son of missionaries. His B.A. from Asbury College in History was completed in 1978. Beginning his M. Div. in Israel, he studied for a year at the Institute of Holy Land Studies on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem. After completing seminary at Asbury Theological Seminary, he received his doctorate in 1991 from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. While there, he and his wife, Diane, served as associate pastors in a Chinese-American United Methodist Church in Chinatown, New York City.
Bill and Diane are pastors at the Elizabeth City Evangelical Methodist Church. Bill has taught Sunday School weekly, preached, and led seminars for nearly forty years. Bill also has had the privilege of being the seminary preacher on a nationwide program under the auspices of American Family Radio, entitled “The Hour of Holiness” for over nineteen years. Beyond various scholarly articles on biblical and theological themes, he has authored three books, Trinitarian Personhood and The Bearer: Forgiving as Christ and In His Image with co-author, Dr. Allan Coppedge. He has written extensively on discipleship as well.
As a complement to the ministry of teaching and preaching Bill disciples men and is a part of a weekly accountability group. The Urys have an intense interest in missions and have served overseas often. Both Bill and Diane are fully committed to ministry the Gospel as it is expressed in consensual Christianity and the Wesleyan/Holiness tradition specifically. Bill’s calling and personal desire is to incorporate sound, rigorous Christian theological thinking with true pastoral care and personal compassion.
Brief Overview and Biographical Sketch
2012 – present Pastor of Elizabeth City EMC Elizabeth City, NC
1989 – 2012 Professor of Systematic and Historical Wesley Biblical Seminary
Theology Jackson, MS
1984-1991 M. Phil and Ph.D Drew University
Theological and Religious Studies Madison, NJ
Major Emphases: Systematic/Historical
Philosophical Theology
1988-1989 Fellow at the Ecumenical Institute St. John’s University
Collegeville, MN
1979 – 1983 M. Div. (May 1983) Asbury Theological Seminary
Major: Theological and Biblical Studies Wilmore, KY
1978 –1979 M. Div. courses taken in Israel I nst. Holy Land Studies
Major Emphasis: Historical and Jerusalem, Israel
Geographical Background to Scripture
1974 – 1978 B.A. Asbury College, Wlmore, K
