He is a 1991 graduate of Manhattan Christian Academy in Manhattan, Kansas, with a degree in Christian Education. Willich also received a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Southern Christian University in Montgomery, Alabama in 2005. In July 2016, Willich accepted the Senior Pastorate at New Community Christian Church and relocated to Salina. Before he and his family were even settled, Willich began searching for an opportunity to serve in his new hometown.