Bill Dudley

Senior Pastor

The Reverend Dr. William E. (Bill) Dudley is in his 20th 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 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. 

The Signal Mountain congregation of 1,800 members is a leading congregation in renewal ministry within the Presbyterian Church, USA. The mission-emphasis of this congregation is reflected in the commitment of one-third of giving being addressed to mission causes in the community of Chattanooga, the nation, and the world.   

While a member of the Presbyterian Church, USA, Dr. Dudley was active within his presbytery serving in roles of leadership and within the denomination through renewal group. He has served twice as commissioner to the PCUSAGeneral Assembly.

He joined the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in 2007 at the time of the congregation’s transfer of denominational identity. Dr. Dudley is a faithful presbyter within the Presbytery of the Southeast and the Transitional Presbytery of the EPC. 

Dr. Dudley has served consistently for many years as a Trustee of Montreat College in Montreat, North Carolina.

Within the Chattanooga community, Dr. Dudley has served on the Seminarian Interview Committee for Dora Maclellan Brown Foundation, Chattanooga Resource Foundation, Bethany Christian Services, and CONTACT Ministries. He served as President of The McCallie School Parents Council while his son was a student. Dr. Dudley served as Chairman of the Parents Association of Auburn University for three years and served on the Alumni Board at Auburn. He is an active member of the Chattanooga Rotary Club.

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 Dudleys have three children:

Their oldest child (adopted), David, 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,an attorney, and they live in Jacksonville, Florida.  They have a five year old son, Will, and a two year old daughter, Charlotte. They are members of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Jacksonville.

Clay, the Dudley’s youngest child, is a graduate of The McCallie School in Chattanooga. He graduated from Auburn University and serves in development with HOPE International, Christian ministry in business to third world countries. He is married to the former Sarah Smalley of Auburn, and they live in Birmingham, Alabama.

If you would like to contact Dr. Dudley, email him at bdudley@signalpres.org

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