Winn Collier

Winn loves the church and beauty and all the things that make up being human in God’s verdant, sacred world. A pastor for over 25 years, Winn was the founding pastor of All Souls in Charlottesville, Virginia, and also serves as the founding director of The Genesis Project, a community providing circles of friendship and contemplation for pastors and writers. The thread through all of his work is delight in the God who exists as the blazing center of everything that is good, beautiful and true.

His teaching centers in pastoral theology, connecting the ancient streams of Christian wisdom to the grit and wonders of the parish, where our stories and hopes and sorrows are enveloped in God’s mercy. He’s also drawn to the intersections of sacramental theology, incarnation, theology of place and the writing craft. Winn holds a PhD. from the University of Virginia in Religion & Literature, where he explored the sacramental vision of Wendell Berry’s fiction. He’s authored five books (theology, creative non-fiction, fiction and biography): Restless Faith: Hanging on to a God Just Out of Reach; Let God: Spiritual Conversations with François Fénelon; Holy Curiosity: Encountering Jesus’ Provocative Questions; Love Big, Be Well: Letters to a Small Town Church and A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson. He has also written for Christian Century, Christianity Today, Washington Post and numerous other outlets.

Winn and his wife Miska, a spiritual director and yoga teacher, have two sons (Wyatt and Seth) and live in Holland, Michigan. When they aren’t chasing down their dog Gus (a nod to St. Augustine) or planning their next hike in Colorado or walking tour in Scotland, you’ll likely find them with a good book, exploring a new restaurant or watching Chef’s Table.