On the morning William Boylan should have been sentenced to life in prison at Leavenworth God spoke to him. On the steps of battalion headquarters at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas his life irrevocably changed. God’s plan did not include life in prison.
Less than a decade later, winter of 1969, his ministry began as senior pastor at Byfield Parish Church. A good turnout in those early years saw twelve people huddled in the historic meeting room for a sermon. The first independent Congregational Church in America Byfield Parish experienced steady decline as mainline, New England churches retreated from Biblical teaching.
As Vice President of “United Church People for Biblical Witness”, Pastor Boylan articulated a message of renewed orthodoxy in contemporary churches. Holding a hardline of fiscal integrity and responsibility and a return to scripture-based teaching, his ministry began to experience exponential growth. He joined the executive committee for Billy Graham’s Crusade in New England. Co-authored two seminal works on renewal: “Journey of a Growing Church” and “Seven Issues Facing the United Church of Christ.” Biblical Witness Fellowship, a national, renewal organization, elected him president.
He witnessed Byfield Parish exceed the capacity of their historic building, and worked with the church’s governing body to erect a sanctuary to accommodate the influx of new members. In co-operation with the trustees, diaconate, elders and local banks, he designed an unprecedented faith-based business plan that proffered divine ordinance over a collateral-based, secular loan process.
Today WNBP and WEZE in Boston broadcast his sermons. He speaks regularly on Biblical influences on American democracy and formation. He trains pastors in Moscow. Consults leaders of InterServe in Istanbul and other Mid-East regions—offering a message of solidarity and healing to regions under threat since the felling of the Twin Towers in New York City. His insights into Biblical power to repair communities and government relations are sought throughout the world.
His most notable publication is the paper “The Byfield Parish Church and the Forming of the American Mind” delivered at Oxford Round Table to unanimous acclaim.