First Presbyterian Church Fort Dodge

“…to whom much has been given, much will be expected.” These potent words from Jesus, recorded in Luke 12:48, have been on my mind recently.

            Gabriel recently asked the worship team to consider one person who has contributed to their development over the years. I had difficulty answering this question. My struggle was that I could not narrow the list to one!

            At first, I thought of those who currently are contributing to my development. I thought of the invaluable support of pastors within our Presbytery. We have grown so close to one another through our times or corporate worship and especially our trip to Israel. Additionally, my day-to-day ministry has benefited from the last four years of theological training in my Doctor of Ministry program (I hope to graduate at the end of this next year!). Through the generosity of those who’ve gone before me, our foundation has been able to fund this education. In the last three years as I have transitioned into this role of lead pastor, I have benefited from ongoing coaching calls with seasons pastors and seminary professors. These conversations have been rich experiences of reflection and accountability.

            Within our church, I am continually blessed as well! Just this morning, I was enriched by another of our weekly men’s Bible study discussions. It is a joy to interact with the guys who have such a wealth of knowledge, experience, (and opinions!) Our elders within our session challenge me, offer great insights, and study Scripture with me. Our ministry teams devise creative solutions and share many laughs. Our personnel liaisons reach out to each of us as staff members, and support our ministry. And the staff continues to grow closer together.

            This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many who’ve invested in me throughout the years leading up to now – people who’ve given me opportunities to lead and to grow, those who’ve vouched for me when I’ve applied to college, seminary, and seminary again, those who’ve taught me how to study Scripture and what it means to follow Jesus.

I’ve gone on for half a page without mentioning my family friends. Their influence on my development goes without saying. It is overwhelming and humbling to consider all those who have invested in me. Indeed, I will never truly know or comprehend how much people have given to me over the years.

So I quote again, “…to whom much has been given, much will be expected.” Who has invested in your development? In whom is God calling you to invest?

Blessings,

Austin D. Hill