West Virginia Council of Churches

The West Virginia Council of Churches is pleased to announce the appointment of West Virginia Council of Churches’ new Executive Director, the Rev. Doug Dyson, a seasoned pastoral leader with nearly three decades of experience serving congregations and communities across rural, suburban, and urban contexts.

Rev. Dyson brings a deeply relational, ecumenical, and place-rooted approach to Christian leadership, shaped by years of ministry in Appalachia and the broader Mid-Atlantic region. Most recently, he has served as a rostered Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and as Assistant to the Bishop for Congregational Revitalization in the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod, where he focused on strengthening small-town and rural congregations through collaborative leadership and shared ministry models.

Raised as the son of a United Methodist pastor, Rev. Dyson grew up immersed in the life of the church, learning early the importance of ecumenical cooperation, pastoral presence, and faith rooted in community. He studied psychology at Thomas Edison State College and earned his Master of Divinity with a specialization in Church Revitalization and Renewal from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He is currently completing a Doctor of Ministry degree at United Lutheran Seminary, with research centered on new expressions of Christian community and contextual ministry in rural and Appalachian settings.

BIO

Throughout his ministry, Rev. Dyson has served across denominational lines, including leadership roles within the United Methodist Church, the Salvation Army, independent Reformed contexts, and the ELCA. His work has consistently emphasized listening deeply to local communities, honoring cultural identity, and equipping lay leaders for faithful witness where they are planted.

As Executive Director, Rev. Dyson brings a vision for the West Virginia Council of Churches that centers on story-sharing as a foundation for unity, membership as active participation rather than affiliation alone, and public Christian witness grounded in long-term, faithful presence rather than reactionary engagement. He is particularly passionate about cultivating the next generation of ecumenical leaders through relational, place-based formation and strengthening the Council’s role as a trusted convener across theological, racial, and cultural diversity.

“The church’s most faithful work often happens quietly—through relationships, shared stories, and a steady commitment to loving our neighbors,” Rev. Dyson says. “The West Virginia Council of Churches has a long and meaningful history of that kind of presence. I’m honored to step into this role and to walk alongside its member bodies as we discern what faithfulness looks like in this season.”

Rev. Dyson and his wife, Linda, are parents to a large blended family of biological and adopted children and are deeply committed to the values of hospitality, care, and shared life that shape both their home and his ministry.