- The senior pastor of Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church
- Member of Rotary Club of Gwinnett
- Founder of 100 Black Men North Metro
- National Who’s Who
- Mayor’s Advisory Board Member
- United Way Special Committee
- Founder of Ministers Against Crime

Teacher, preacher, and evangelist Dr. William L. Sheals has been the Senior Pastor of Hopewell Baptist Church in Norcross, Georgia, since 1980. Under Sheals' direction since 1980, Hopewell has grown from a two-acre, one-building facility with 200 members to a thirty-acre campus called "The City of Hope," with a membership of nearly 17,000, including over 60 ministries and auxiliaries. The City of Hope includes a senior citizens facility, a 500-member youth church, a child development center, a Christian Academy that teaches preschool through eighth grade, and a Bible College.
The central theme of his messages is to preach salvation, the blood of Jesus Christ, and the brotherhood of all Saints who have been washed in the blood.
Pastor Sheals continues to make a big impact in his community. He organized a monthly food drive that gave away food to the community. Sheals' leadership and civic service have been honored with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major Award for Community Service (1999), the Civic Leader of the Year Award, Gwinnett County (1995), the African American Community Service Award (1994) the Outstanding Humanitarian Award, National Kidney Foundation (1988) and the Presidential "Special Citizen" Award for acting as Director of "Ministries Against Drugs" (1989). He is the founding President of the North Metro 100 Black Men and a member of the United Way Special Committee, the Rotary Club, the Human Relations Commission, and the Mayor's Advisory Council.