An Enduring Gift at the Heart of Ministry: How One Church Honored Their Longtime Pastor

Bill Kynes faithfully pastored Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church for 36 years, leaving behind a legacy of deep, enduring ministry…and lives forever changed by the truth of the gospel. When the time came for his retirement, his loving congregation longed to honor him and his wife, Susan, for their faithful service.

“We wanted to give Bill an enduring gift that went to the heart of his ministry,” said Dave Hazelton, a longtime member of Cornerstone who served on the search committee that originally hired Bill nearly four decades ago.

As they considered how to honor Bill, they wanted a gift that aligned with his life mission. “A continuation of the next generation of pastors is close to Bill’s heart. Through the decades, our church has had quite a few members go to seminary,” Dave said. As they explored different options, the decision was soon unanimous. “We knew that a scholarship to Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Bill’s name would be the best gift we could give. This was a way to honor him and recognize his commitment to seminary education and the training of pastors,” Dave continued. “We honor and show love to our pastors by supporting the seminary they love, that has been so important in their lives.”

The William and Susan Kynes Scholarship was soon established! Awarded to students seeking a Master of Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), the scholarship aims to help future pastors prepare for ministry without financial burden.

Bill’s enthusiasm for the scholarship stems from his deep belief in seminary education. “You want to have a pastor who has training in the original languages, who understands how scripture fits together,” Dave explained. “I think seminary education is tremendously important and undervalued by the church—and I think the church is less because of that. It’s important that churches have well-trained pastors.”

Despite being a Rhodes scholar with a Master’s degree from Oxford and a PhD from Cambridge, Bill considered TEDS “above all his other educational experiences,” Dave shared. “It was his highest priority and greatest passion. While Bill is a scholar, he also is a pastor and loved what TEDS trained him to do—preach and minister to the local congregation.” To this day, Bill continues to check on the students who have been selected for the scholarship that bears his name!

As a student at TEDS, Bill raised his young family and created wonderful memories. There, he became deeply committed to the mission of the Evangelical Free Church, and Cornerstone would become the only church he ever pastored. His TEDS education grounded him in ministry-first principles. Dave said, “Bill received so many academic and other awards, yet when you walked into his office, he didn’t have any of the awards or diplomas on his wall. He simply had a verse, Galatians 6:14—May I never boast except in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ—on his wall.”

“He could have gone into academia and been a professor, but his passion and calling were to the local church,” Dave continued. “That’s where he invested his life, not only preaching the gospel and biblical truths but living the gospel and being a model of biblical truth. He had so many opportunities to do various things, yet obediently, faithfully, and humbly stayed at the local church.” After graduating and taking on his pastoral role, Bill remained active at TEDS, teaching courses remotely and serving on the board.

Dave says that he and the entire Cornerstone congregation hope the scholarship “is a small expression of our appreciation and continuing partnership with Bill and Susan.”

At TEDS, we are deeply grateful to Bill and Susan, who, when asked how they might be honored, chose a scholarship to help more students study for the Pastorate. We are also so grateful to Dave Hazelton and the entire Cornerstone congregation, whose faithful giving made the scholarship possible!