Coming Full Circle: Lucas Miller, ’01, Builds a Life and Ministry in Hillsdale
Written by Monica VanDerWeide, ’95
In many ways, Lucas Miller, a 2001 graduate, has come full circle to where he was as a Hillsdale student in the late 1990s and early 2000s. His best friends and college roommates live mere blocks from his house. He now pastors the same church he attended as a student. The late John Reist, professor of English at Hillsdale for 25 years, maintains a strong presence in his life, now manifest in the name of Miller’s youngest child. These connections that he formed as a Hillsdale student have yielded abundant blessings for Lucas and his family.
Originally from Rogers City, Michigan, Lucas learned about Hillsdale College from the youth leader at his church, Ron Dugan, ’58, who directed him to a college fair. “I grabbed the Hillsdale College Catalog and loved what I read,” Lucas recalled. “It lined up with what I was looking for in a college.” A visit to campus confirmed his initial perceptions. “I was sold,” he said.
A psychology and religion major, Lucas had always thought about becoming a pastor. As a student, he became close to two of the faculty’s theologians—Dr. Michael Bauman and Dr. John Reist—as well as psychology professor Dr. Fritz Tsao. “Dr. Tsao taught me how to read, write, and think critically. Dr. Bauman sharpened my thinking and shaped me theologically, and Dr. Reist helped me become a more faithful Christian,” Lucas recalled.
Upon graduation, Lucas accepted a job as an Admissions counselor at Hillsdale, still uncertain if the ministry was the right path for him. He attended Somerset Congregational Church, where Reist served as pastor and gave Lucas an opportunity to test the waters of ministry. “Dr. Reist let me serve as the youth minister for four years while I worked in Admissions,” Lucas said. “That experience made me realize that I did want to become a pastor.”
With Reist’s blessing, Lucas and his wife, Kimberly Ryan Miller, ’05, who he met while working in Admissions, set off for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. In yet another interesting Hillsdale twist, two other local pastors were studying at the seminary at the same time as Lucas—Hillsdale College Chaplain Adam Rick and College Baptist Church’s Ben Cuthbert. Lucas graduated from Gordon-Conwell in 2007 and accepted a call to be associate pastor at Westgate Church in Weston, Massachusetts.
In 2010, as John Reist was preparing to retire from full-time ministry and from Hillsdale College, Somerset Congregational Church called Lucas to serve as its pastor. He eagerly accepted the opportunity to return to Hillsdale County and succeed the man who had meant so much to him as a mentor and a friend, and he cherished the short time they had together before Reist’s death in 2012.
“I get paid to study and preach God’s word and to shepherd God’s people,” Lucas said when asked what is most rewarding about his job. “I’ve also continued the legacy of using Hillsdale students to run the youth ministry at my church. I’m grateful for the passion they bring to that.” In reflecting on the role of his Hillsdale education in his ministry, Lucas is quick to respond: “Hillsdale taught me how to read, write, think, and speak well. Those are necessary for any profession but especially in ministry.”
The Miller family has had an eventful year. The family relocated from Somerset to Hillsdale, buying a house right across from Hillsdale Hospital. That proved very convenient this summer when the family simply walked across the street for the birth of their daughter, Reist. She joins older twin siblings Ryan and Allie, eighth-graders at Hillsdale Academy, where Kim works as librarian. The move also proved convenient for Lucas’s role as Hillsdale Hospital chaplain. In this capacity, he does patient visits and connects the hospital with local churches for emergency pastoral calls.
Twenty-five years after stepping foot on campus as a freshman, Lucas is enjoying the same opportunities he had as a student with many of the same people and also sharing those opportunities and relationships with his family. “I never imagined that I would build a life here, but I’m incredibly grateful that things worked out so that I’m here,” he said.
Monica VanDerWeide is Director of Marketing Content for Hillsdale College. She graduated from Hillsdale in 1995 with a degree in English and German.
Published in November 2022