By Kristen Thomason

“As I look back over my ministry, I have some regrets,” says Rev. Dr. Drew Hill, senior pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in Arlington, VA. “How did I miss huge themes like justice and righteousness, never preaching on them?”

Hill was born in rural Missouri, the eighth child of a Baptist pastor. Though his parents and grandparents were “inclusive and respectful of all kinds of people,” race was never a topic of conversation in his home or at his father’s church. Rev. Robert Wallace, senior pastor of McLean Baptist Church, says Hill’s willingness to confess his failings and make amends is why he is a good role model for White America when it comes to racial reconciliation. “He publicly comments on his own repentance in regards to ministry choices of his past to audiences that need to pursue their own repentance for that same reason.”

Joining a diverse peer group of pastors for discussions on spiritual formation and race opened Hill’s eyes to the reality of systemic racism and what the Bible has to say about it. “Racial justice is not just a political issue for us just to take up or ignore,” Hill said. “It’s a vital part of our spiritual formation as disciples of Jesus Christ.”

Wanting to dig deeper into the history and legacy of religion and racism in America, Hill devoted his sabbatical in 2019 to learning more about the Civil Rights movement. He read extensively on the subject and spent two weeks traveling the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. His pilgrimage began at the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and ended in Memphis. “I walked over each site and through every museum and institute, listening and learning along the way,” he said. “It was two weeks of my staring in the face of the dark side of humanity. It was ugly and honest, and a tremendous experience.”

During his trip, Hill visited the historic churches connected with the Civil Rights movement, such as Rev. Fred Shuttleworth’s Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL. He was dismayed, but not entirely surprised, to discover that all the churches included on the Trail were African American churches. “White churches across the South pretty much stood silent in support of the status quo, and that’s a disturbing thing for someone who has pastored predominantly white churches.” Drew Hill resolved the future would be different.

“For Drew, the real work is to lead the church to make the same discoveries of injustice, and then to walk with his people through the process of making things right,” Sean Roberds, executive coordinator of Mid-Atlantic CBF said. So in 2022, Hill organized a trip for 13 individuals, a diverse mix of clergy and laity, to join him in exploring the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

Rev. Samuel Feemster, director of the Institute of Justice Formation at the John Leland Center, said, “On our life-changing pilgrimage, we all experienced Pastor Hill’s deep and abiding, fearless commitment to racial justice. He cared for our diverse group with generous portions of hospitality, humility and timely humor.”

Wanting to help open the eyes of other pastors to racial injustice, Hill helped create the Institute of Justice Formation which seeks to “investigate and promote the transformational character of Biblical justice for leaders and communities,” and its sister organization, the Justice Formation Fellowship, comprised of diverse congregations dedicated to supporting the IJF. “Most of our churches are homogenous. One of the ways we can connect is to build partnerships together in the hopes that they will engender greater understanding,” Hill said.    

As part of his work with both groups, Hill has preached sermons, led seminars and mentored students because he believes that “to enact justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God, are not single acts that can be checked off the list and left behind. On an individual and social scale, in ways large and small, this must become a way of life and way of living life together in community.”

For his commitment to the ministry of racial reconciliation and justice, Rev. Drew Hill received the McCall Racial Justice Trailblazer Award at the 2023 General Assembly in Atlanta. “I am humbled and privileged to stand alongside my fellow pastors, Black and white, for the cause of racial justice as an expression of God’s justice and righteousness,” said Hill. “In times like these, standing down is surrender. Standing still is cowardice. Standing up is a beginning. Standing together is a revolution. Come stand with us and see what God can do.”