Clergy
Fr. Bill Carroll
The Rev. Dr. Bill Carroll has served as Rector (Senior Priest and Pastor) of Trinity Episcopal Church since April 2019. Fr. Bill was born and raised in Southern California, but his family roots go back to Oklahoma and Kansas and ultimately to Texas. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2004 by Bishop Dorsey Henderson of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina. A former seminary professor and college chaplain, he received his Master of Divinity and Ph.D. in Christian theology from the University of Chicago Divinity School and a certificate of Anglican Studies from the School of Theology of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, where he later joined the faculty. Fr. Bill has also served as a Rector in the Dioceses of Southern Ohio and Oklahoma. At the time he was called as Trinity’s Rector, he was serving on the Executive Staff of the Bishop of Oklahoma.
His wife, the Rev. Tracey Carroll, is also an Episcopal priest and is serving our sister church St. Michael and All Angels, also in Longview. They have two adult children. Rachel lives in Oklahoma and Danny, who has significant developmental disabilities, lives in a group home nearby in Tyler. Fr. Bill and Mother Tracey love Longview and are dedicated to building up the Body of Christ and following Jesus with some of the world’s best people. The outstanding people of Trinity and the strong missionary tradition of the Diocese of Texas, as well as the presence of the Trinity School of Texas, were among the many factors that convinced him to accept God’s call to serve here.
Fr. Bill’s ministry priorities have always included preaching, teaching, and pastoral care, as well as building a stronger local church and ministries of outreach and advocacy. He enjoys listening to a wide-variety of music (especially jazz, punk, and sacred music) and reading (especially theology, spirituality, and Biblical studies, as well as novels and poetry). He is a fan of stand-up comedy and movies. Caring for Danny’s special needs is a huge part of his life outside church.
Mtr. Vivian Shelby
The Rev. Vivian Shelby is serving as the Associate Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church. She loves teaching, preaching, outreach and pastoral care. Please give her a call/text/email to schedule a time to talk.
Mtr. Vivian received her Master of Divinity from Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, TX in 2014 and was ordained a priest in 2015 in Kansas. She comes to Trinity Longview after being the Rector at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Dickinson, TX. She also served as curate and then Associate Rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in The Woodlands, TX.
She was raised in Cincinnati, OH, graduated from the School for the Creative and Performing Arts High School and received her BFA in Technical Theatre Production and Design from the University of Cincinnati, Conservatory of Music. Her 25-year career in theatre took her to Virginia, Florida, and Kansas before she followed her ultimate call to become a priest in God’s church.
Mtr. Vivian is married to Jim Shelby and has two adult children. Kathryn lives in Delaware and Matthew lives at home. They enjoy spending time together as a family, especially at the beach or anywhere on the water.