Rev. Bill Zelazny
Rev. Bill Zelazny is a Unitarian Universalist minister with a broad range of experience in parish ministry and church organizational development. He has been working with UU congregations as a parish minister, interim minister, consultant and UUA staff since his ordination in 1992. He is a graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry, a UU affiliated seminary in Berkeley CA. Prior to entering the ministry, he worked for several years in municipal government management and served for three years in the US Army. He resides in North Kingstown, RI with his partner.
Rev. Zelazny joined Channing Memorial in August 2016. At Channing Memorial, Bill leads Sunday services and preaches, engages in pastoral care, is involved in church operations, and performs weddings and memorial services. He also works actively with congregation leaders to promote congregational outreach and initiatives for growth and social justice.
Bill has this to say about his theology:
I describe my theology as religious-humanism. For me this means that humankind has self-agency, the power, and the responsibility to make decisions about living and connecting to the larger world. Humans are not creatures bound by deterministic processes or controlled by a supernatural power. We use intellect and a level-headed moral compass to determine how to live with integrity and compassion.
The “religious” part of my theology means to me there is also more to human life and living than just the use of intellect. Human life has a “spark” or a “life-force” that is metaphysical, that is something greater and more enigmatic than just the molecules that make up the body and a brain that thinks. I am comfortable describing that as our ineffable nature.