Brunswick pastor chosen to lead Bangor Theological Seminary

BANGOR – A Brunswick minister has been named the new president of Bangor Theological Seminary. He will be the institution’s ninth president.

The Rev. Dr. William C. Imes, pastor of the First Parish United Church of Christ, will take over the reins of the 187-year-old seminary in mid-August when President Ansley Coe Throckmorton retires. Imes, 58, has been pastor of the Brunswick church, the largest Congregational church in Maine, for 16 years.

“I had planned to stay here another couple of years, then move to a small, quiet congregation until I retired,” Imes said Monday. “Several people nudged me, some gently, and others said quite directly that I should do this. I took the nudging that God wanted me to do something other than what I’d planned.”

Imes said his top priorities for BTS would be to strengthen the enrollment and the financial underpinning of the institution. He added that because of the large number of small congregations in Maine, the BTS Small Church Leadership Program should be continued.

“The sort of thing I’m really intrigued by is creative efforts around theology and art,” he said. “I would like to see the seminary offer a master’s degree in theology and the arts. I think that would serve theology students as well as those artists who are interested in asking the big questions.”

The Rev. Richard E. Ryder Jr., chairman of the board of trustees and the presidential search committee that recommended Imes, said the new president was chosen from about 30 applicants in the nationwide search.

“He has an understanding of Maine,” said Ryder. “He has superb academic qualifications and is very bright intellectually. He was well received by faculty, students and staff. All three groups demonstrated their strong support for his candidacy.”

Throckmorton, who announced her retirement a year ago, also praised her successor.

“I join everybody here in being thrilled that he’ll be the next president,” she said. “He has all the gifts needed by this school now – leadership and a commitment that is very rare, very uncommon.”

Imes is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Latin. He holds a bachelor of divinity degree from Yale Divinity School and a doctor of ministry degree from Eden Theological Seminary.

He has held many positions within his denomination and is vice moderator of the Maine Conference of the UCC. He also has served as a director of the Maine Council of Churches.

In Brunswick, Imes has been active in community projects and organizations including the local hospitals, homeless shelter and a mentoring program. He has served as chairman of the Coastal Quality Improvement Council of the Maine Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. He is president of the Brunswick Rotary Club.

Imes and his wife, Judy, plan to live in the Hannibal Hamlin house owned by BTS. The couple has three grown children and six grandchildren.