Rev. William Critzman

Senior Minister

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Five years, one pandemic, and countless learning opportunities into leading West End Church, Will is constantly reminded of the shared connection we all must maintain if we truly follow the God we profess. Raised in the Lutheran tradition, a student and practitioner of Judaism for many years, and ordained in the United Church of Christ, Will is keenly aware that God is God, that we are not, and that his salvation is entirely bound to yours. In the words of theologian Maria Harris, “One Christian is not a Christian; we go to God together or we don’t go at all.”

“Church is a place where we bring our whole selves in order to be wholly transformed for the work and living of our days.”

West End Church is one of four current ministries of The Collegiate Church in the City of New York, the oldest Protestant church in North America. Will was called as the 58th Senior Minister and now serves as President of Collegiate, a singular church that also includes the congregations at Ft. Washington Collegiate Church, Middle Church, and Marble Collegiate Church. He is the first openly queer person to steward the historic institution and is committed to leading with love by dismantling patriarchal and gender norms, racial hatred, and misogynist agendas. Will is non-binary, identifies as gender non-conforming and answers to a variety of pronouns, provided they’re used with joy.

At West End, you’ll find a mix of liturgy and tradition that your grandmother might recognize coupled with a theology of liberation you and our children need. Our theology holds scripture, sacred tradition, modern day prophets, justice warriors, and the state of our modern world as interrelated matters of faith. We do not have one answer to any one question. In truth, we’re still working on finding the right question. More voices are always welcome.

Will shares this human journey with his husband, Patrick Willingham, and their three rescue pups: Mr. Hazel, Toby, and Rumpus.