Rev. Dr. Virgil M. Woods has been the proud husband of Teresa Woods, RN for 25 years. They have two
beautiful children, Carissa and Virgil, both graduates of Iowa State University and they are his proudest
accomplishment.
Dr. Woods holds a Bachelors Degree in Business from Upper Iowa University. He also earned a Master of
Divinity Degree and a Doctorate of Ministry from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary on the campus
of Northwestern University.
He is the co-founder of PewHub, Inc., an online church growth tool designed to give churches greater
insight into what their visitors are experiencing. He is also the author of three books,
“You’re the Pastor, Now What?”, “Think Like a Fish: Seeing your Church through the Eyes of the
Unchurched” and “The 30 Day God Challenge: 30 Days to Spiritual Fitness”, all of which are
available on Amazon.com.
Dr. Woods enjoys being an AME pastor and has been such for almost twenty years. He currently serves
as the Senior Pastor of First AME Church in Gary, Indiana and the Co-Director of Church Growth and
Evangelism for the Fourth Episcopal District.
He has served his community in a number of capacities including the Boys and Girls Club Board, Golden Apple Board and Chairman of the Alpha Phi Alpha Martin Luther King Scholarship Program designed to serve African-American males going to college. He was recognized by Rockford’s Minority Business Owners as Community Leader of the Year in 2010.
He enjoys reading, graphic design, photography, golf and video games. His personal motto is “No Unemployed Christians”; emphasizing his firm belief that everyone has a role in building God’s Kingdom.
His preaching style is informative, inspiring, entertaining and is often described as “keeping it real”. His greatest joy is knowing that someone’s life has been improved as a result of God’s work through him.