#  'See and Seize Opportunities' 

 





**William Mathis, MDiv '02**, the pastor of Springs of Life-Giving Water Church and CEO/Principal Consultant of WLM Ministries, Inc., encourages students to see and seize opportunities and possibilities during their time at HDS.



 

March 24, 2025

 

 

     ![William Mathis](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-03/William%20Mathis%20crop.jpg?itok=XnB9aaNq) 

William Mathis, MDiv '02



 



 

*William Mathis, MDiv '02, Pastor/CEO and Principal Consultant, Springs of Life-Giving Water Church/WLM Ministries (New Haven, CT)*

*View* [*more stories*](/community-life/career-services/alumni-career-snapshots "Alumni Career Snapshots") *on HDS alumni and their career paths.*

## Describe the work you do today:

I serve as Pastor of Springs of Life-Giving Water Church (The Springs), an American Baptist Church in New Haven, CT. As the Pastor of The Springs, I seek to assist individuals in viewing and developing each life experience as empowering and directional for their purposed lives in order for them to become all God intends.

Aligned with my assignment as Pastor, I also am the CEO and Principal Consultant of WLM Ministries, Inc., a non-profit devoted to providing consulting services for the development of community and faith-based initiatives with a specialty in the areas of African and African Diaspora Collaborations, Blackness and Strategies to Combat Anti-Blackness, Casting Vision, Community Building, Criminal Justice/Neighborhood Safety, Faith-Based Initiatives, Leadership Development, Organization Development, Social Justice, and Youth Engagement and Empowerment. In addition, WLM Ministries, Inc. has launched two new projects toward the development of a think tank: "The Pentecostal Experience: Theology Brewed in an African Pot," a forum for African and African Diaspora Academic and Public Theologians, and “Circle of Influence: The Beloved Community” for global multi-generational leaders to create new narratives of the Black experience.

## How has your HDS degree influenced your career journey?

HDS was extremely instrumental in helping me to forge my path. HDS nurtured me by intentionally creating the space, intellectually, theologically, and practically to envision and trailblaze new pathways for career fulfillment and development. Because of this space that also included the wider University such as the Kennedy School, I landed a position as a Consultant to the Aspen Institute Roundtable on Comprehensive Community Initiatives’ Race Project. This project addressed structural racism and how it affects disparate outcomes within communities of color. I specifically focused on the disparate outcomes within the area of Criminal Justice/Neighborhood Safety. All these experiences were instrumental in my overall study plan at Harvard of Pastoral Ministry and Community Building with an emphasis on addressing public policy issues facing urban environments. My work at HDS continues to inform my approach to pastoring and leadership in general.

## What career advice would you offer to current HDS students?

Be open to seeing and seizing opportunities and possibilities that feed your passions and honor the creative, encouraging, and openness that HDS provides to conceive, develop, and sustain the new, while also being committed to global theological and community leadership that seeks to forge new pathways for all creation to live in harmony with one another and thrive.



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Alumni News and Profiles ](/discover-stories-about/alumni-news-and-profiles)