William J. Nottingham was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania in November 22, 1927 to Jess and Alice Nottingham. In 1949, he married Patricia Anne Clutts. He received his B.A. from Bethany College (Bethany, W. Va.) in 1949, a B.D. Union Theological Seminary in 1953, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from Columbia University in 1962.

Nottingham served as a pastor prior to entering Union Theological Seminary. He was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study in France, and he was called to National City Christian Church as associate pastor when he returned from his studies. The Nottingham family lived in France from 1958 to 1968 as fraternal workers for CIMADE and the World Council of Churches. Nottingham also pastored a French Lutheran congregation in Glay from 1962 to 1965.

From 1968 to 1994, Nottingham worked for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Division of Overseas Ministries (DOM) at the Indianapolis headquarters. He served as executive secretary for the Department of Latin American and the Caribbean from 1968 to 1976 and the Department of East Asia and the Pacific from 1976 to 1984. From 1984 to 1994, he was president of the DOM and executive secretary for the Department of Europe.

Nottingham authored two books: Christian Faith and Secular Action: An Introduction to the Life and Thought of Jacques Maritain (1968) and The Practice and Preaching of Liberation (1984). With his wife, he also translated a number of theological books from French to English. From 1994 to 2004, Nottingham was an instructor at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana. Nottingham died on July 20, 2022. The Disciples of Christ Historical Society acquired the papers of William J. Nottingham in the summer of 2024.