Bishop William W. Hutchinson is a retired Bishop of The United Methodist Church, having served from 2000-2012.
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He was born in Hobbs, New Mexico, a small oilfield town in the southeastern corner of the state. He attended the University of Oklahoma where he began as an accounting major. Upon accepting the call into ordained ministry, he changed his major and graduated with a BA in Philosophy. Bill received his M.Div. from Duke Divinity School. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity from McMurry University in 1987 and from Centenary College in 2003.

Bill spent his entire ministry in the New Mexico Annual Conference. His first appointment was to found a new church in Hobbs, New Mexico. From there he served a small rural church in Marfa, Texas, a medium size church in Artesia, New Mexico, and a large church in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He was appointed District Superintendent in 1986 and became pastor of Central United Methodist Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1989. Upon completion of eight (8) years at Central, he was appointed Executive Director of the New Mexico Conference Methodist Conference Foundation, Inc.

He was elected to the Episcopacy on July 13, 2000 was assigned to the Louisiana Area.

Bill was elected to the General Conference Delegation in 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000. He was elected on the first ballot and headed the clergy delegates in 1992, 1996, and 2000. He was a member of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry from 1988-1996. In that time he was on the faculty for the training event for new District Superintendents and Conference Council Directors; was on the design team for the National Clergywomen's Consultation in 1991 and was Chair of the Identification, Enlistment and Ethnic Minorities Concerns Committee.

Kay Aitken and Bill Hutchinson were married on August 30, 1964. They have two sons, John and Mark. Mark is married to Laura Fernandez Hutchinson and they have one child, Madison Ann.