Pastor's Welcome » Pastor Bill Teng's Bio
William Caleb Teng, Pastor, Head of Staff
William ÒBillÓ Teng was born and raised in Hong Kong. A fourth generation Presbyterian, he is the son and grandson of Presbyterian ministers. His father received his theological training at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and his mother was a seminary graduate as well. Bill came to the United States for college in 1972, and received a degree in Orchestral Conducting from Nyack (NY) College in 1975.
While doing graduate work in Music History and Conducting at the City College of New York, with an eye toward a music career, he founded and conducted the Nyack Symphony, a semiprofessional orchestra. He felt a definite call to the ministry in the spring of 1978, and after completing his graduate work in 1979, enrolled at the Alliance Theological Seminary. While a seminary student, Bill also served as Minister of Music at Simpson Memorial Church in Nyack, New York.
Following graduation from seminary, Bill enrolled at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in the Doctor of Musical Arts degree program. While there, he also served as Associate Pastor of the Arlington (TX) Alliance Church. In July of 1985, he was ordained as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament.
In 1986, Bill was invited to return to Hong Kong to found and coordinate a Department of Church Music at the Alliance Bible Seminary. In addition to his original duties, he was also Director of Public Relations and Development, and taught classes in Apologetics, Worship, and Christian Ethics. While there, he also served as Interim Pastor at Emmanuel English Church, an international congregation.
In 1990, after returning to the United States, Bill served as Minister of Pastoral Care and Worship at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Satellite Beach, Florida. In 1996, he was called by Union Church Hong Kong, an international congregation and the oldest Protestant church in the former British colony, having been founded in 1844. During that time, he also became Chairman of the founding Board of Directors of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) Hong Kong, an international human rights advocacy group for the persecuted church around the world. He returned to the United States in January of 1999 to become Senior Pastor of the Chinese Community Church, an international and interdenominational congregation in Washington, DC. Bill became Pastor/Head of Staff at Heritage Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Virginia, in September of 2001.
After serving as Moderator of the National Capital Presbytery in 2004, Bill became Chair of the Presbytery Council in 2005 and re-elected onto the Council in 2009. He has also served and chaired various presbytery committees, such as Worship & Theology, Bills & Overtures, Nominating, Planning & Evaluations, and is currently Moderator of the Permanent Judicial Commission. Bill was also elected Commissioner to the 214th and 216th General Assemblies (2002 & 2004) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He was endorsed by the Presbytery to stand for Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008). In 2009, he was appointed to serve on the General Assembly Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage and a signer of its Minority Report.
Bill has served on the Board of Directors of Presbyterians For Renewal (PFR) since 2003 and was President in 2007, while having been Chair of its Nominating Committee and Vice-Chair of its Issues Ministry Team (2005-2006). He also served on the PFR General Assembly Resource Team for 2003 and 2006. Re-elected on to its Board in 2008, he once again serves as Chair of its Nominating Committee.
Bill is active in the Metro Washington community, having served on the MayorÕs Faith Advisory Council of Washington, DC (1999-2001) and the WRC-TV (NBC4) Community Advisory Board since 2001. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Christian Solidarity Worldwide (USA) and was an International Advisor to the Alpha International Team. He is currently on the Fairfax County Interfaith Leadership Council and a volunteer Chaplain with the Civil Air Patrol, the Auxiliary of the United States Air Force, with the rank of Major. While active in the Asian-American community, Bill was also a volunteer instructor in ÒCultural SensitivityÓ training at the Blue Plains Police Academy of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC.
Bill and his wife, Karen, were married in March of 1987. After living in Maryland for four years, they now reside in Alexandria, Fairfax County, VA.
