Bill Bates, Senior Pastor
 

     I was born in the St. Louis area in 1947.  I grew up in a military household where moves were frequent, but most of my growing up years were spent in Missouri and Kansas. 

     I moved to North Dakota as a high school junior and graduated from Grand Forks Central High School and the University of North Dakota.  Grand Forks Wesley UMC was my church where I was active in the youth group and taught 6th grade Sunday school while in college. 

     I had known for years that I was called to ministry and did some supply preaching while at UND.  I attended Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill. and after the first year married my high school sweetheart in 1970. 

     After seminary, Linda and I returned to ND to take my first parish (Fairmount, and Bethany in ND and Rosholt, SD) in 1973.  Never having been a farm boy, I learned a lot about the rural economy and the small church and how important faith in God is as you live in harmony with the land.

     My second appointment was to Grand Forks Zion UMC where we spent 10 wonderful years in a church with many young families.  Both of our children were born while we were at Zion.  Zachary and Bethany found their first church home at Zion and were loved into God's family.

     The Eastern District Superintendency was my next appointment.  I learned a lot about vibrant, alive churches and pastors...and I learned about church conflict and pain in ministry.  After five years as a church administrator/trouble shooter, I was glad to return to being a pastor in a local church...Fargo First UMC.  I had nine exciting, growing years of ministry with a loving, committed congregation and an incredibly gifted staff.   

     Beginning in 2000 I served Vincent UMC in Minot, ND for five enjoyable years.  The Bishop appointed me to Sioux Falls First in June of 2005 and it is a privilege to serve this congregation...and I am again fortunate enough to be in ministry with a great staff team.

     I am on the Dakotas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry.  I have represented the North Dakota Conference and the Dakotas Conference at General and Jurisdictional Conferences and served on several General Boards.  I hold an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from Dakota Wesleyan University.

     My son Zac Bates is a musician and sound engineer with Pixel Farm in Minneapolis making commercials and movies.  My daughter Bethany Dixon is a pediatric nurse, but with the arrival of two daughters Kate and Elsie, she became a full-time mother.  Her husband Pat is a lawyer in Fargo.

     I am an avid fisherman and sports and music fan.  I relax playing guitar or with a suspenseful novel or good movie or golf in the summer.