The Board of General Superintendents (BGS) announced that William Sawyer, vice president for Financial Services at TransUnion and senior pastor of Santa Ana, California, First Church of the Nazarene, will serve as chief administrative officer (CAO) of the Global Ministry Center (GMC).

The CAO position was created in response to recommendations from the Nazarene Future Study Group and the Best Christian Workplaces Institute.

“I have a burden for the Church of the Nazarene and I’m honored to be able to serve the church,” Sawyer said. “I would have never dreamed that the Lord would bring me to this spot, but I’m really thrilled for the privilege of serving Christ and the church.”

As CAO, Sawyer will provide on-site leadership, establishing a clear direction for the Global Ministry Center and promoting a collaborative culture with open lines of communication among all levels of employees, in addition to overseeing various non-ecclesiastical, administrative tasks currently assigned to the Board of General Superintendents.

“I am really looking forward to working at the GMC,” Sawyer said. “I have a collaborative and open leadership style that I am trusting will be used by the Lord to help others as they endeavor to use their gifts and fulfill their calling for the church.”

The BGS enlisted the help of Tommy Thomas and Laura Coverstone, executive recruiters from SIMA International, in the search for qualified applicants. 

“From the outset, we were impressed with these individuals, their personal integrity, and their commitment to identifying candidates appropriate to our need,” said Gustavo Crocker, BGS secretary. “Out of 99 people that Tommy and Laura spoke with, there were 40–50 who expressed interest and who approximated the criteria and 28 who actually applied for the position. After much prayer and study, five of these were invited to meet the board and pursue a conversation about the position.”

Sawyer started at TransUnion nearly 18 years ago in an entry-level position, eventually becoming vice president of Financial Services.

“It was probably about three years ago that I really felt like the Lord was saying ‘You’ve been in business now for a number of years and I want you to serve the church,’” Sawyer said. “I wasn’t sure how that was going to work out and what that meant, but the biggest desire for my wife, Nancy, and I is that we would be in the center of God’s will. We have been through a long process with the Board of General Superintendents and with their executive recruiter. After prayerful consideration, it has become very apparent to us that this is the Lord’s will.”

At age 7, Sawyer gave his heart to the Lord and was entirely sanctified in high school, when he told God he would follow His will, but the specifics weren’t always clear.

“I was a very shy kid and so I thought for a long time that maybe the Lord just wanted me to be willing as a servant and minister and that maybe he didn’t really have a specific call on me and my life,” he said. “I majored in business at MidAmerica Nazarene University and went to work for a Fortune 100 company for a few years. I really got the call to ministry settled when I was there and we left all of that and I went back to seminary.”

Sawyer earned a Master of Arts in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary while pastoring New Hope Church of the Nazarene in California. He is currently in his final semester of classes for a Doctor of Philosophy in organizational leadership from Regent University.

Before accepting a position with TransUnion, he pastored Hillcrest Church of the Nazarene in Kansas City, Missouri.

“Nancy and I grew up in the Kansas City area and were married on the campus of MidAmerica,” Sawyer said. “We have family in the area so we’re excited to be near our family.”

The family has deep ties with the denomination.

“My parents and grandparents were all involved in the Nazarene church,” Sawyer said. “My uncle, C. William Ellwanger, was a pastor at Kansas City First Church for a number of years and my dad, Robert Sawyer Sr., taught at MidAmerica. He was at Southern Nazarene University when it was Bethany and taught at Nazarene Theological Seminary prior to that.”

Sawyer is grateful for his parents’ example.

“My parents set a wonderful example for me in prayer and in the ministry of God’s word,” he said.

The Sawyers, who have eight children, strive to be a similar example in prayer and the love for God’s Word at home, in the church, and now the Global Ministry Center.

“We are delighted to welcome Bill to the ministry team at the GMC,” said David A. Busic, BGS chair. “His professional experiences combined with his deep love for the Church of the Nazarene will be a tremendous asset to a flourishing GMC.”

Sawyer begins his new position April 27.