Biographical Sketch

Of

The Rev. Dr. Derrick D. Hills

             The Rev. Dr. Derrick Dwayne Hills was born January 22, 1959 to the late Mr. Marion Hills, and Mrs. Dorothy Dell McCutcheon Hills. Rev. Derrick Hills is the younger of two sons while his brother Rev. Marion Hills is the elder. Derrick is married to his childhood sweetheart, Mrs. Sharron Ann Robinson Hills since May 30, 1981. He is the father of two adult children, Dr. Darrius Dwayne Hills (Whitney Dian Bell) and Miss Brittany Camille Hills. Derrick and his family are natives of North Louisiana, born and were reared in Shreveport.

Rev. Hills has been in the ministry of the church of Jesus Christ for more than forty years. He announced and accepted his call to preach in his local church of origin, the Lane Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, 1007 Norma Street, Shreveport, Louisiana. He received his local license to preach in October 1977 and preached his first sermon on the third Sunday of October 1977 under the pastoral leadership of the late Rev. Elmer D. Hooks, Senior Pastor, Lane Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Rev. Charles H. Washington, Presiding Elder, Shreveport District, and the Episcopal leadership of the late Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Johnson, Jr., Presiding Bishop of the Fourth Episcopal District, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Rev. Hills has been in the ranks of the ordained Clergy since July 28, 1979, as he was an Ordained Traveling Deacon, and later as an Ordained Elder in Full Connection in July 26, 1980. These ordinations were with the Louisiana Annual Conference of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. While with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Rev. Hills served under the Episcopal leadership of Bishops: Joseph A. Johnson, Jr., Henry Bunton, Marshall Gilmore, and Thomas Hoyt, Jr. Since his service began with the Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, Rev. Hills has served under the Episcopal Leadership of Bishops: Thomas Oden, Dan Solomon, William Hutchinson and presently, Cynthia Fierro-Harvey.

Rev. Hills, as an Ordained Elder in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, presented his credentials to the Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church to be, and were, recognized in Shreveport, Louisiana on June 5, 1996 under the Episcopal Leadership of Bishop William B. Oden, President of the Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist church and the Reverend Stone W. Caraway, Secretary. In the Louisiana Annual Conference of June 9, 1999, Rev. Hills was received as an Elder in Full Connection with the United Methodist Church under the Episcopal Leadership of the Rev. Dr. Dan Solomon, Presiding Bishop, Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Currently, Rev. Hills' ministry is just as broad as his years in ministry. In the last appointment, he served for two years as the District Superintendent of the Acadiana District. Prior to his appointment to the Acadiana District, he served as the senior pastor of historic Saint Mark United Methodist Church, 6217 Glen Oaks Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he had been seated as the Senior Pastor from June 2008 to July 2018. Before his pastoral ministry to and with the Saint Mark family, he served as the senior pastor of Alexandria, Louisiana's oldest African American church and oldest African American United Methodist Church, Newman United Methodist Church, 5700 Oran Avenue where he was pastor from 2002-2008. Rev. Hills served as campus minister to Grambling State University as well as Director of United Campus Ministry of Grambling, Inc. from 1995-2002. While concurrently serving the Grambling ministry, Rev. Hills was appointed from 1995 to 1997 as Associate Minister at Pilgrim Rest United Methodist Church, which was on the Minden District. Rev. Hills has also served as pastor of the historic St. James United Methodist Church in Monroe, Louisiana from 1997-1999.

As aforementioned, Rev. Hills was an ordained clergyperson in the Louisiana Annual Conference of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Fourth Episcopal District serving churches in Caddo and Bossier Parishes from July 1978 to December 1994: Mt. Canaan Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Bellevue, Louisiana (1980-1983); St. Paul (North) Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Belcher, Louisiana (1983-1986); and, St. Paul (East) Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Haughton, Louisiana (1986-1995).

Rev. Hills has been a member of the Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church since January 1995 serving in several capacities and on several boards: Ruston District Board of Church and Society (1995-2002); Member of the Louisiana Conference Board of Higher Education and Ministry (1995-2002); Member of Alexandria District, Board of Ordained Ministry, Louisiana Annual Conference, United Methodist Church (2002-2008); Louisiana Conference Worship Committee (2008-2012); Division Director of the Local Pastors and Associate Members, Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church (2008-2012), Board of Ordained Ministry (2008-2016); Baton Rouge District Board of Ordained Ministry (2008-2018); and on several Bishops’ Task Forces and Steering Committees of the LA Conference.

Rev. Hills has been associated with the following organizations over the span of his ministerial career: Spiritual Advisor, Louisiana State Prison, Angola; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (Alpha Sigma Chapter, Wiley College; Epsilon Psi Lambda Chapter, Alexandria, Louisiana, and Epsilon Kappa Lambda, Grambling); Mt. Lebanon Lodge, Prince Hall Mason; Ministerial Alliance, Ruston, Louisiana; City of Alexandria, Human Relations Commission; Volunteers of America Advisory Board; Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance; Central Louisiana Ministerial Alliance; City-Wide Crusade – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade; Former Member – National Campus Ministry Association; Former Member – United Methodist Campus Ministry Association; Together Baton Rouge and Interfaith Federation, Baton Rouge.

Rev. Hills was educated in and attended Elementary and Secondary Schools of the Caddo Parish School System, Louisiana: Hollywood and Caddo Heights Elementary Schools, Linwood Junior High School, and received his diploma from Woodlawn High School, Shreveport. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Wiley College, Marshall, Texas (1979 - 1982); a Master of Divinity in Theology, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas (August 1992 – May 1996); became a Certified Spiritual Director, Louisiana Conference (since 2004), and received his Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary, Dayton Ohio (2013 – 2015).

Rev. Hills’ mission in Christian ministry is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world as he preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ, extends the ministry of Jesus and Jesus’ love, promotes renewal and serves the Lord with gladness, intention, and excellence. Two of his most loved passages of the Scriptures are:

“But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13, NRSV); and,

“I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, NRSV).