William Jourdan is the new Moderator of the Waldensian Board

27/08/2026

 

William Jourdan is the new Moderator of the Waldensian Board

 

August 26, 2026 

 

Pastor William Jourdan, 44, has been elected the new Moderator of the Waldensian Board (Tavola valdese) at the conclusion of the Synod of the Methodist and Waldensian Churches, held in Torre Pellice, near Turin.

The appointment was made on the final day of the Synod, following the vote. Jourdan succeeds Deacon Alessandra Trotta, whose seven-year term at the head of the Board has now come to an end.

The Waldensian Board is made up of seven members, both pastors and laypeople, and officially represents the Methodist and Waldensian Churches in their relations with the Italian State and with ecumenical organizations. Members are elected for one-year terms and may be re-elected for a maximum of seven consecutive years.

 

William Jourdan’s background

 

Born in Pinerolo in 1982, William Jourdan grew up in the Waldensian valleys and attended the Waldensian Church of Luserna San Giovanni. After studying at the Waldensian College in Torre Pellice, he pursued theological studies at the Waldensian Faculty of Theology in Rome, later continuing his education in Heidelberg and Lausanne.

From 2010 to 2017, he served the Methodist churches in Vicenza and Bassano del Grappa. During part of this period, he also served as superintendent of the Seventh Circuit.

Since 2017, Jourdan has been pastor of the Waldensian Church of Genoa Centro, while from 2018 to 2021 he served as superintendent of the Fifth Circuit. Over the years, he has also collaborated with Claudiana Publishing House and the journal Protestantesimo, while gaining significant experience in ecumenical dialogue at both national and international levels.

Jourdan is married to a Methodist pastor, and they have two children, a son and a daughter. He has been a member of the Waldensian Board since 2021.

 

 

Daniele Palermo elected Vice Moderator

 

During the same vote, Daniele Palermo was elected the new Vice Moderator. A Waldensian, Palermo was born in Palermo on June 7, 1971.

He is an associate professor of Modern History at the University of Palermo and a member of the Waldensian Church on Via Spezio. From 2013 to 2023, he served on the church council, serving as its president from 2020 to 2023. From 2007 to 2014, he was also president of the Bonelli Cultural Center.

Palermo succeeds Pastor Dorothea Müller as Vice Moderator.

 

(FOTO: https://riforma.it/2026/08/26/william-jourdan-e-il-nuovo-moderatore-della-tavola-valdese/ )