Hillsboro Baptist
Church

109 N. King Street
Hillsboro, IA 52630
319/253-4295

Church History Pastor Schedule Stained Glass Map Links

Church History

     This church has served the community for 142 years. In 1855 a group of thirteen settlers from Pennsylvania agreed on the establishment of a church to be known as the Free Will Baptist Church of Hillsboro, Iowa. The date was May 19. The original clerk's book had previously been used by a church in Pennsylvania, which had closed as many of its members moved west. The Reverend Joshua Newbold was the first pastor.
     Prayer meetings and preaching services were held in various school houses in the first year. By December 1856, the membership of the church had increased to about thirty. They voted to erect a new building, and a committee was appointed to supervise this venture. Bricks used for the building were made of local clay. Dedication of that building was held in June 1857, with a debt of $1,000 remaining on the $1,542 total price. By June 1866 the debt was retired.
     It was the practice of the church to hold special or protracted meetings at various times, with a number of persons being recieved into the church at such times. No matter what the season, it was the practice to immerse the new converts in a nearby pond or stream, breaking the ice if necessary during the winter months.
     A Sunday School was organized in 1861, and in 1875 the Sunday School and the church together purchased an organ. A new church was planned and built on the present location in 1884. This was remodeled in 1904, with the addition of a basement. It was remodeled again in 1961, adding Sunday School rooms, a kitchen, office, and bathroom. This structure is still in use. In 1994 the church replaced the parsonage and bought the house next door to serve this purpose.
     Hillsboro Baptist Church is known throughout this area for its beautiful stained glass windows.

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Pastor: Rev. David Doerr

     David was born to Priscilla and Robert Doerr in Bowdle, SD on January 9, 1960. His father ran the family farmuntil 1971, at which time they moved from the country into Aberdeen, SD. David was confirmed a Luthern at Bethlehem Luthern Church.
     After high school graduation in 1978, David joined the Army and took his basic and advanced training at Fort Dix, NJ. An injury caused him to accept an Honorable Discharge and he started college at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD. While working in construction the summer after his freshman year, David was involved in a serious accident and suffered multiple injuries. When he was able to return to school, he attended Northern State College in his hometown of Aberdeen. In 1984 he graduated from NSC with a Bachelor's in Music Education. He taught the next year in Fairmount, ND.
     From the time of his construction accident onward, David did some serious thinking and evaluating. He questioned his life and his religion, and in the fall of 1985 decided to enter seminary. He recieved his Master of Divinity from North American Baptist Seminary in May of 1988 and married his wife, Dawn, later that summer.
     David and Dawn both grew up in small towns, and have served small towns with understanding. They first served the yoke of Cambria Baptist and First Baptist of Humeston in Iowa for 2 and 1/2 years before moving further east in Iowa. They are now at the yoked churches of Hillsboro Baptist and Harrisburg Baptist. David has a special ministry of community presence. He is involved in ecumenical ministers' fellowship groups, and is very involved with their school district, where he is a substitute teacher, scorekeeper for sports teams, and has served on various school committees. It was his concern for the community that led him to become involved in emergency medicine.
     Because the community did not have any trained medical personnel closer than the county seat during the day, David took the training necessary to become a First Responder. Recently he has upgraded his certification to Emergency Medical Technician by completing 130 hours of classroom work, 30 hours of training in the Emergency Room, and 30 hours of training on the ambulance crew.
     Critical Incident Stress Management is the natural intersection of these two threads in his life. He is president of the Southeast Iowa Critical Incident Stress Management Team and serves on the state board for CISM. This organization is devoted to helping emergency professionals deal with the stress that results from the incidents they are involved in as part of their job.

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