Meet the Staff: Brian Gingerich, Senior Pastor
Welcome to our “Meet the Staff” column, where we’ll get to know each of Hillside’s staff members a little better, “Q & A” style!
We’ll kick things off this week with Senior Pastor Brian Gingerich.
Name:
Brian Gingerich
Job Title:
Senior Pastor
What are your job responsibilities?
I cast vision and direction for the church, oversee the staff, and pastor the congregation through teaching, preaching, and pastoral care.
How long have you worked at Hillside?
Since March of 2017—but if you include my time at Mugshots Coffee Company, then March of 2015.
Tell us a little bit about your background
I was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We then moved to North Carolina and we lived there until my junior high days. After that, we moved to Houston, Texas followed by our final move as a family to Prior Lake, Minnesota where I graduated from high school. I played sports throughout jr. high and high school. I played soccer, basketball and ran track. I also got heavily involved in skateboarding and BMX. We would spend countless hours at the skate park or riding the streets. After high school, I attended a small, one-year Bible school called Montana Wilderness School of the Bible, right in the Western Mountain range in Montana . This was an amazing year for me spiritually. I was asked to be an RA for a second year for leadership development and spiritual formation. From there, I went to Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon, where I double-majored in New Testament Greek and Systematic Theology. Heather and I got married after that in 2012, and we moved to Chicago to pursue a College Pastor position and further schooling. I graduated in 2015 with a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. My focus was theological ethics. And in 2020, I started a Doctor of Theological Ministry program at Northern Seminary, looking at the 1st century world of the New Testament—it’s cultural, historical, social, and political context. Hopefully I will graduate in June of 2024.
What are some favorite parts about your job and/or working at Hillside in general?
I love working with the staff. It’s been fun to see them in their own roles, exercising their passions and gifts. They are intentional, generous, creative, and enthusiastic about following Jesus. I also enjoy preaching/teaching and discipleship, both avenues where I get to help people see the beauty and profundity of the gospel. Huge honors!
Name a favorite passage of Scripture or book of the Bible, and why you like it.
Psalm 23 has been on my soul for the past year or so. It’s been a constant source of encouragement. Other than that, I’m always reading one of the gospels.
What are some of your hobbies?
I love reading. My “to read” list is too long. I also enjoy riding my motorcycle, playing sports, and watching movies.
What are a few of your favorite things these days?
Some of my favorite books this year have been Man’s Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl, The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt, and Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. I’m reading Why We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentment by two Princeton scholars, Benjamin and Jenna Story, and To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World by James Davidson Hunter. Both, in different ways, are about making sense of our Modern world and how to engage it.
Household/family info
I have an amazing wife who is passionate about ministry and discipleship. My four beautiful kids are a daily inspiration to be a better man, husband, and father: to love more, serve better, and play harder.
What city (or general area of the Twin Cities) do you live in?
I live in East Bloomington.