Bill Nielsen

A Marine Redeemed, an Elder in Mission: The story of Bill Nielsen

The sound of boots echoed against the polished floor of the barracks. Bill Nielsen paused, feeling the weight of Marine Corps discipline pressing on him—long hours, rigorous drills, and nights that often ended with the clink of a beer can. This isn’t who I want to be forever, he thought, recalling the DUI that had nearly destroyed his career. “If I don’t change,” he whispered one night, “I’ll lose everything.”

Two weeks later, the anger and frustration bubbled over. He couldn’t reach his usual escape, and that fiery irritation became his first real prayer. “God,” he muttered under his breath, “I need help.” And for the first time, it felt like someone was listening.

A Divine Encounter in the Car

It started unexpectedly in the car. Bill had been driven to rehab by an instructor assigned to support him—a man Bill would later describe as “sent by God.” During the drives, the instructor shared the story of Jesus with calm conviction.

“You know,” the instructor said, eyes on the road, “sometimes it takes losing everything to really understand who can restore you. Jesus did that for us. He carries what we cannot.”

Bill listened, skeptical at first. A mythical character? he thought. But the way the instructor spoke—the patience, the clarity, the conviction—it sparked something inside him he hadn’t felt in years. He realized God had placed someone in his life at exactly the right time.

Prayer and Transformation in Rehab

At the rehab center, he learned something new: prayer. It was not a theory or a ritual but a lifeline. He began praying, timidly at first, but soon he saw immediate answers—clear signs that God was hearing him. These early encounters shaped the core of his faith: Jesus rescues, and prayer connects.

He remembered one night kneeling alone: Remove this darkness in me. Heal this wound. That night, the visions that had tormented him—wolves, fire—faded. And he saw it: a hand, radiant, descending from the sky. Jesus’ hand. Not touching, just present. Assurance. Protection. Presence.

This is real, he thought, tears in his eyes. God is real.

An Elder in His Church

Back home, his wife suggested a church nearby. Through a friend, Bill found himself stepping into the doors of Immanuel Lutheran Church, in Oceanside. The sanctuary was quiet but alive, filled with people whose presence seemed to breathe hope. “I need this,” he admitted to himself. Week by week, he returned, joined AA meetings, and slowly became part of the community.

When elders approached him about serving, he hesitated. Politics? Responsibilities? Can I handle it? Yet, he accepted. That yes began a lifetime of service—over thirty years as an elder, providing spiritual leadership and encouragement to pastors and walking alongside his beloved congregation. Sometimes he stepped back for a season, especially when his wife’s service in the church office required balance, but Bill never strayed from the path of supporting the ministry he loved.

Miracles in Health

Life, however, tested him relentlessly. Heart valves failed three times; a stroke threatened his left side. Each time, surgery became a miracle, and Bill felt God’s hand guiding the scalpel and steadying the surgeons. “It’s not just medicine,” he told a friend once, “it’s God working in every heartbeat.”

Even during the COVID pandemic, when hospital appointments were nearly impossible, Bill experienced God’s provision. One valve replacement required minimal incision—a miracle in timing and outcome. God is watching over me, he thought, grateful and humbled.

Energized for Mission: Best Practices for Ministry

Over the years, Bill attended the Best Practices for Ministry conference in Phoenix with Pastor Michael Hansen and members of Immanuel. The experience was transformative—not just once, but over several occasions. Each visit stirred something deeper.

At one session Bill encountered the Barnabas Ministry—a ministry with a special focus on serving the military. It immediately stirred something deep inside him. After all, he was not only a veteran but a man whose entire career had been shaped by the military. Though now retired, he had never lost that heart for service.

During one of the sessions highlighting Barnabas, Bill leaned toward Pastor Hansen and whispered, “This… this is incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Pastor Hansen nodded thoughtfully. “It is impressive, Bill. But remember—it’s primarily geared toward chaplains.”

Bill understood. This particular model wasn’t exactly a fit for his context. Still, he couldn’t shake the conviction rising within him. Something about Barnabas had awakened a longing, a clarity he hadn’t fully grasped before. God was preparing him, planting in him the vision that his service wasn’t finished. The time and the place weren’t yet clear, but Bill walked away knowing that one day he would be called to step beyond the church walls—to serve not only as an elder within the congregation, but as an elder on mission.

The Call to Military Ministry

After returning home, Bill couldn’t shake what God had stirred in him. He decided to take a first small step—hosting a barbecue at his home. It wasn’t elaborate, but it was intentional: a safe space for the military men and families from Immanuel to gather, share stories, and grow together.

Immanuel, being so close to Camp Pendleton, had always counted a few military families among its people. Bill’s idea was simple yet profound—bring the “old guys” and the “new ones” together, connect their experiences, and watch how faith could be strengthened in the process.

The barbecue was meaningful. Bonds were built, friendships formed, and faith shared across generations of military life. And yet, when the evening ended and the chairs were folded away, Bill felt a nudge in his heart. Something was still missing.

The gathering had blessed those already connected to the church, but what about the countless others? The young Marines with no faith community? The families who never stepped inside Immanuel’s doors? God was calling him to something more—a ministry that would reach the ones not yet reached.

That calling soon took shape. One Sunday, Pastor Voss spoke at Immanuel Lutheran Church about the growing military ministry in San Diego through a partnership of the Lutheran Mission Society and Cru Military. Bill’s wife listened carefully and turned to him afterward.

“You need to talk to my husband,” she said.

That introduction changed everything. Before long, Bill was connected with the ministry at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego (MCRD), where thousands of young recruits are shaped into Marines. Here, Bill found a mission field tailor-made for his story.

Ministry Among Marines

Today, Bill spends one Sunday a month not only worshiping but also standing quietly in the back of the auditorium after services at MCRD. There, dozens of young Marines approach him and other volunteers, not for lectures, but for prayer, listening, and encouragement. And in those sacred conversations, God works.

One Mother’s Day, a young Marine lingered after worship, hesitant to speak. When he finally did, tears filled his eyes as he shared the grief of losing his mother just one year earlier. He was far from home, surrounded by uniforms and discipline, but in that moment he was simply a grieving son. Bill prayed with him, reminding him of the God who is near to the brokenhearted, the Savior who gives comfort that even death cannot undo.

Another time, a recruit approached Bill with a trembling voice. He had lost his brother in active service and carried the weight of survivor’s guilt. “Why him and not me?” the young man whispered. Bill didn’t have easy answers, but he had presence, prayer, and the gospel. He prayed for the Marine, asking God to wrap him in peace, to remind him of the hope of the resurrection, and to assure him that his brother’s sacrifice was not unnoticed by the Lord of hosts.

These are just two of many stories that unfold week after week. Recruits come hungry—not just for food or rest, but for prayer, for someone to speak gospel truth into their burdens. And Bill is there, faithful, listening, praying, and pointing to Christ.

Bill Nielsen, once a Marine searching for redemption, is now a Marine redeemed, serving as an elder in mission. His life is a testimony that God’s rescue is never wasted. The prayers first whispered in a rehab center, the gospel first spoken in the car rides of recovery, the encouragement of conferences in Phoenix—all of it was leading him here. To the back of an auditorium filled with Marines. To moments of sacred conversation. To being the presence of Christ in the lives of young men and women standing at the beginning of their service and in need of eternal hope.

This is the story of a Marine redeemed. This is the story of an elder in mission.