The Rev. William R. Kroeze
Biographical Information
Current Position:
Pastor, Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish, Manhattan
Congregation Membership:
Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish, Manhattan
Date and Year of Birth:
March 14, 1981
Date and Year of Ordination:
June 6, 2008
Previous Positions:
2014 - 2019: Pastor, Calvary Lutheran Church, Hauppauge, NY
2008 - 2014: Associate Pastor, St John’s Lutheran Church, Stamford, CT
Education and Earned Degrees (with institutions and years, most recent first):
2008: M.Div, The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
2004: B.A. in History, California Lutheran University
List up to five (5) current or past community-related activities that would inform your
service as bishop of this synod:
2019 - present: Board member and Treasurer, Trinity’s Services and Food for the Homeless
Creator, East Village Community Cookbook
Founding member, Lower East Side Community Care Coalition
Founding member, East Village Food Justice Alliance
Founder, Loisaida Community Fridge
What do you see as the principal challenge to this synod in the next six (6) years, and how
would you address it? (1,000 characters maximum):
I believe that our greatest challenge is the overcoming of the fear that keeps us from engaging with the strangers among us, and from making bold, prophetic decisions for the sake of our common Lutheran witness. While we may feel that there is never enough to do truly transformational and life-giving work, our Synod is overflowing with treasures to be put in better service to our mission. We must redirect the resources we have to the places of greatest opportunity and need, celebrating the historic witness of our forebears while looking with imagination and wonder at where God might be calling us next. Holding firm to our faith in a God who brings life out of death, we must not fear the resurrection that is possible if we fix our gaze to the future rather than the past. Our witness matters and is a gift to the world. Let us dream together about the new possibilities that await that witness, and say “yes!” to God’s call.
List up to five (5) current or past synod or churchwide activities that would inform your
service as bishop of this synod:
2025: Voting Member, ELCA Churchwide Assembly
2022 - present: Co-Dean, Manhattan Conference
2020 - present: President of the Board, Lutheran Ministries in Higher Education
2019 - 2023: Chair, MNYS Worship Committee
2009 - 2019: Member, New England Synod and MNYS Worship Committees
Describe your leadership style. (1,000 characters maximum):
My leadership style is, first and foremost, rooted in love that honors and hears the many points of view that exist among us, and strives to lift up the unique gifts of each of God’s children. While I may not always understand or agree with you, I will always see you and hear you and promise to do the often-hard work of mutual understanding. I have always been a team player who works hand-in-hand with others, and any privilege or position I have never puts me above those with whom I am working. I work with others, not above them. I approach my leadership with humility and a desire for collaboration, celebrating the gifts of others and doing my best to follow Luther’s interpretation of the Eighth Commandment to speak well of others and put the best possible construction on everything they do. It is one of my greatest joys to help others discern their gifts and bring them to life.
What gifts would you bring to the office of bishop of this synod? (1,000 characters
maximum):
My pastoral ministry has taken me to proclaim God’s extravagant and radical love in three very different contexts: from a large, multi-staff parish in one of the wealthiest regions in America; to the beautiful suburbs of Long Island; and among the punk rockers, artists, and people on the streets of the Lower East Side. In each of these places I have formed deep, loving relationships within both congregation and community and have built diverse coalitions of people to address a variety of critical needs, notably around food justice, immigrants and refugees, housing justice, and the arts. I have built strong relationships with elected officials, ecumenical and interfaith religious leaders, and community groups. My deep love for every child of God, embrace of our Lutheran confessional and liturgical tradition, passion for building bridges across diverse viewpoints and experiences, and zeal for justice and mercy have all informed my leadership and service, resulting in enduring transformations in each community to which I have been called.