God’s Quiet Call to Hillcrest
I grew up in a wonderful and Christ-centered Lutheran Brethren home. My faith was formed and nurtured through the Church of the Lutheran Brethren: a summer on Servant Teams, four summers serving at Inspiration Point. During my college years, I had the privilege of serving alongside Pastor Shawn Bowman at Victory Lutheran Brethren Church in Jamestown, North Dakota. For those years, I was immersed in hands-on ministry: preaching, discipling, and walking with families through real-life faith.
After college, our growing family moved to Minnesota to be closer to family. I needed a job, so I took one at a retail store, something I thought would be temporary, but God had other ideas. Over the next 15 years, I worked my way up in the company, eventually serving as a Senior Director overseeing the small business segment for the East Coast. My employees supported over a million customers and drove hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year. As the years went on in the corporate world, I kept sensing that all of this leadership experience wasn’t just intended to maximize profits and improve the bottom line.
When the opportunity came to explore the role of President at Hillcrest, I was intrigued, but unsure. I wasn’t super excited to leave a fifteen-year career or a job that I really loved. Yet, there was a still, small voice that wouldn’t go away; a quiet stirring that said, “This is what I’ve been preparing you for.” I went through the interview process; still unsure, praying, doubting, asking a lot of questions. Over and over, God gently whispered that he was calling me to Hillcrest. In the middle of that discernment, a line from an old Gospel song kept looping in my mind: “Little is much when God is in it. Labor not for wealth or fame.”
That lyric played like a soundtrack through my mind over and over again as I wrestled through the decision. About a week into that wrestling, I woke up one morning and told my wife, Katie, “I’m going to take the job.” Without hesitation, she said, “Good. I knew you would.” God had been working on both of our hearts. It may not have made sense on paper, but it made perfect sense in the Kingdom.
As I lead Hillcrest into this next chapter, my heart is full of hope. I believe this school matters more now than ever. We are unapologetically Christ-centered, committed to Classical Christian Education, and passionate about forming students in faith, intellect, and character. In these times of great uncertainty―where young Christians are pulled in so many directions―we are forming young men and women who can walk into the culture with courage and conviction. Students who know Truth, love the Lord, and are prepared to serve wherever he leads them.
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, as an auxiliary ministry of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, exists to come alongside the mission of your local church. The students you entrust to us are prayed over, challenged, taught, and loved with one clear goal: that they would be better equipped to live as disciples of Jesus and serve the local body of Christ. Whether they go on to college, ministry, business, or missions, we want their years at Hillcrest to give them deep roots and strong faith.
We’re also leaning into greater partnership with our denomination’s ministries. We want to walk even more closely with LBIM, LBS, and NAM as we help raise up the next generation of pastors, missionaries, and gospel-hearted lay leaders. My desire is that Hillcrest continues to be a place where students catch the heartbeat of God; not just for their own salvation, but for the nations, for their neighbors, and for the next generation. We’re not just teaching students; by God’s grace we’re discipling future leaders for the CLB and the world.
Do you know someone who could benefit from what Hillcrest offers? Maybe it’s your son or daughter. Your grandchild. A niece, nephew, or a kid from your church. Maybe it’s a neighbor or a student who’s ready for something more. We meet a lot of families who are looking for a place where Jesus is at the center; where students are grounded in Truth and surrounded by people who care. Where they’re challenged to grow, not just in what they know, but in who they’re becoming. If someone comes to mind, would you point them our way?
Luke Fiskness is the President of Hillcrest Lutheran Academy. Hillcrest Academy is a local school for PreK-12 and a boarding school for grades 9-12.