In Memoriam: ELCA Vice President Bill Horne

About Mr. William “Bill” Horne II

Mr. William "Bill" Horne II (1949-2021) was elected to serve a six-year term as ELCA vice president at the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in New Orleans. Bill Horne grew up as a member of the National Baptist religious tradition and became a Lutheran while serving in the United States Air Force in 1982. Bill served as congregational president in two ELCA congregations in Florida and, at the time of his death, was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Clearwater, Fla. He served as a member of the Florida-Bahamas Synod Council and later as its synod vice president.

Bill served on the ELCA Church Council from 2009 to 2015 and was a member of the ELCA Theological Education Advisory Council from 2013 to 2015. He served as chair of the Lutheran Services Florida board of directors and as a board member on the Pinellas Community Foundation and BayCare Health System.

His post-military-retirement career centered on public management. He was appointed by the Clearwater City Council to serve as the chief administrative officer (city manager) of the city, with responsibility for all departments except the city attorney's office. He was directly responsible for 1,834 employees and accountable for the annual operating and capital budget of $532 million. Bill was selected as interim city manager in 2000 and appointed city manager in 2001.

Bill served as a colonel in the United States Air Force. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Tulsa, a master’s degree in human resource management from Pepperdine University and a master’s degree in political science from Auburn University in Montgomery.