Bill Coley began his ministry at New Beginnings in July 1985, when it was First Christian Church of East Moline, just a few weeks after his graduation from Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky.

Raised in Iowa and educated at the University of Iowa, Bill is a Midwesterner by birth and by passion. His time in Kentucky blessed him - he looks back on those years with profound fondness and gratitude - but God's leading him to the Quad Cities, he says, was instrumental in his finding the path God had planned for him

Over the last nearly four decades, Bill has led local and area clergy groups, served at the forefront of movements to bring people of various denominations together for worship and service, and been a passionate voice on issues of race and racial reconciliation. But there's so much more to his story.

His grandfather planted and served the church in which Bill learned the faith. Today Bill idolizes his grandfather and serves New Beginnings with a special pride knowing that he has followed in his forebear's gigantic footsteps.

In addition to a fire for ministry that's deeply ingrained in Bill's spirit, there is his humor. We can't do it justice. You have to experience it: spontaneous, creative, improvisational, often silly, and usually telling and on-point. We're confident that you haven't met many pastors with a wit as sharp as Bill's.

He excels in preaching and teaching. His passion and gift for creating funerals that are deeply personal celebrations of life is unmatched. His love for New Beginnings and the ministry they and he have done over nearly four decades is indescribable.

He's married to Shari. Among their family living in the Quad Cities they have a married son, five grandchildren, two magnificent nieces, and an in-house, often in-flux, animal collection that includes a dog name Dudley, a rabbit named Bugs, a cat named Quincy, and a bunch of fish whose name tags seem always to slip off as they meander about their watery home.

Bill would be blessed by meeting you.