Justin Hylden
Justin Hylden grew up on a 5th generation family farm in rural North Dakota. As a boy he was blessed in the pastoral work of laboring the land with his father, grandfather, and two older brothers. Little did they know that they’d each be called from one type of pastoral work to another. Jordan, the oldest, serves an Episcopalian church with his wife, the Rev. Emily Hylden in Dallas, Texas. Two of his awesome nephews Donnie and Charles belong to them. Jarrod, the middle brother, has the Lutheran branch of the Reformation covered pastoring Skrefsrud Lutheran Church in Beresford, SD. His wife Elise Parsley writes the best children’s books—If You Want to Take an Alligator to School…DON’T!—their two children Winnie and August are avid fans! His parents, Mark and Esther Hylden, still live on our family farm and enjoy teaching people about the health benefits of our family’s flax seed (www.goldenvalleyflax.com) and grandparenting.
God placed a call to ministry on his life at a young age, and he’s been blessed to be a part of many church denominations before finding his home in the Presbyterian church at seminary. At Wheaton College he earned his B.A. in Biblical and Theological studies where he learned to love Jesus not only with his heart, but also with his mind. Post-college life found him farming back home in North Dakota, nurturing a love for the land and this good creation. Then for a year, he was the interim program director at Park River Lutheran Bible Camp. The fall of 2016 found him at Princeton Theological Seminary where God placed a confirming hand on his call and he learned that the life of a pastor is where the Holy Spirit has led him to be. In his free time, he loves reading, classic films, running, board games, baking and cooking. Once he combined his love of film and food by re-creating the seven course meal from Babette’s Feast. His friends said it wasn’t half bad!
