Dr. William R. (Bill) Bouknight was born in Greenville, SC, June 20, 1941, son of the Rev. and Mrs. W.R. Bouknight, Jr. He was reared in Methodist parsonages all over South Carolina. His undergraduate and most of his seminary education were received at Duke University, with the final year of the Masters of Divinity work completed at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland). Afterward, Bill completed the Sacred Theology Masters (STM) degree at Yale Divinity School. In 1988, Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC conferred upon him the honorary D.D. degree.
Bill served five churches in South Carolina from 1966 until 1994. His longest tenure was twelve years as Senior Minister of Trenholm Road UMC in Columbia, SC. In 1994, he was appointed Senior Minister of Christ UMC, Memphis, TN. During Bill’s thirteen years in that position, over 4000 new members joined the church. Over one-third of them joined by profession of faith. In cooperation with a large African-American church in that city, Christ Church sponsored an annual interdenominational service in the Pyramid of Memphis early on Easter mornings that attracted an average of over 15,000 worshippers. Those services were credited by city leaders as making a significant improvement in race relations. In June 2007, Bill retired, having served 41 years in full-time ordained ministry, and moved back home to Columbia, SC.
Bill served twice as a delegate to United Methodism’s General Conference. Currently he serves of the Executive Committee of the United Methodist Congress on Evangelism. He is a recipient of the Harry Denman Evangelism Award, and a former chairman of The Confessing Movement within the United Methodist Church. In January 2008, at the United Methodist Congress on Evangelism, he received the Philip Award for distinguished service in evangelism, given by the National Association of United Methodist Evangelists.
Bill served as a Chaplain in the Army National Guard for 27 years, retiring in 1994 with the rank of Brigadier General.
He has written several books. The three latest ones are The Authoritative Word, Preaching Trust in a Skeptical Age, Should Christians Always Oppose War, and 11 Other Questions Believers Ask, and If Disciples Grew Like Kudzu.
Bill has been married to Gloria Pardee Bouknight for 40 years. They have two sons, Brad and Aaron. They reside at 10 Oakman Lane, Columbia, SC 29209. Bill’s hobbies are golf, turkey and quail hunting, reading, visiting historical sites, and dancing with Gloria.