Bill Dudley
Senior Pastor
The Reverend Dr. William E. (Bill) Dudley is in his 23rd year of ministry as Senior Pastor of Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church in Signal Mountain, Tennessee. A native of Opelika, Alabama, and a covenant child of First Presbyterian Church of Opelika, he is a graduate of Auburn University and received both his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Columbia Theological Seminary.
In his forty-two years of ministry Bill has served as: Associate Pastor of Memorial Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, Alabama; Pastor of Newnan Presbyterian Church in Newnan, Georgia; and, again at Memorial Church in Montgomery as Senior Pastor for fourteen years prior to his call to the Signal Mountain Church.
Dr. Dudley transferred his ordination in 2007 (to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church), after 38 years in the PCUSA; this occurred at the same time the Signal Mountain Church was received into the EPC. He is a faithful presbyter within the Presbytery of the Southeast where he serves on the Ministerial and Candidates Committee. He also is serving his second term on the EPC General Assembly’s Committee on Administration.
Dr. Dudley has served for the past fifteen years as a Trustee of Montreat College in Montreat, North Carolina. Within the PCUSA, he was Presbytery Moderator, Commissioner to General Assembly three times, and on the Committee on Ministry. He served on the board of Presbyterians for Renewal and was active in other renewal groups. For fifteen years, he was Conference Director of The Christian Life Conference at Montreat Conference Center.
Within the Chattanooga community, Dr. Dudley has served on numerous boards and ministries and continues to be actively involved in the communities of Signal Mountain and Chattanooga. His services, over the years in Chattanooga, have included the Chattanooga Resource Foundation, CONTACT Ministry, Bethany Christian Services, and the selection committee for The Dora Maclellan Brown Foundation. He is an active member of the Chattanooga Rotary Club and has served on committees and development for his alma mater, Auburn University.
His wife is the former Julia Lake Vass (Jakie), who is the daughter and granddaughter of Presbyterian missionaries to the Congo. Her grandfather, The Reverend Lachlan Vass, was captain of the steamship, “Lapsley”, which took the first Presbyterian missionaries into the interior of this African nation; Reverend Vass later pastored in the United States, including Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her other grandfather, Dr. Eugene Kellersberger, was a noted physician in ministry to lepers throughout the continent of Africa. Her parents, The Reverend and Mrs. Lachlan Vass, III, served in Congo for over thirty-five years and then on staff at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas.
The Dudley's have three children:
David, their oldest child (adopted), was killed in 1991 after graduation from medical school.
Elizabeth, who was born in Newnan, is a graduate of Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga and graduated from Auburn University. She is married to Reece Alford, attorney, and they live in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. They have a son, Will, and two daughters, Charlotte and Edith. They have been members of the Episcopal Church.
Clay, the Dudley’s youngest son, was born in Montgomery but grew up on Signal Mountain. He is a graduate of The McCallie School and Auburn University. Clay and his wife, Sarah, live in Birmingham where Clay is associated with CRC Insurance Services as a property broker. His wife, Sarah, is Director of Operations and Development for Baptist Hospital – Princeton. They are active members of Cahaba Park Presbyterian Church (PCA).
If you would like to contact Dr. Dudley, email him at bdudley@signalpres.org
| Signal Pres Church Office | T: (423) 886-2190 |
| 612 James Boulevard | F: (423) 886-3977 |
| Signal Mountain, TN 37377 |