The Reverend James P. Hopkins has served as Pastor of the First Lutheran Church of Boston since Pentecost 2019. Previously he served at Lutheran Church of The Way in Raynham, MA. Rev. Hopkins was called to New England directly upon the completion of his resident MDiv studies at Concordia Theological Seminary — Fort Wayne, IN. During his time at seminary Rev. Hopkins played on the basketball team, wrote for the Jerome Exegetical Seminar, and tutored in Greek.
Rev. Hopkins holds a B.A. in Sociology and Spanish from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL (2008), and performed postgraduate studies in International Relations at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Before being called into the Office of the Holy Ministry, Rev. Hopkins worked in the Department of Defense and served in the Marine Corps, both on active duty and in the reserves. In addition to deployments to Afghanistan and the Middle East, his fluency in Spanish and Portuguese caused him to be posted in Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, Panama, and Nicaragua. He now continues his military service in the reserves as a Navy Chaplain.
Upon completion of his vicarage in Detroit, MI, Rev. Hopkins and his wife, Caroline, were married in 2014 at their home congregation, St. John Lutheran Church in Wheaton, IL. Together they have four children: Lucia Noelle, Christoph Joseph, Ambrose James, and Penelope Anne. In his spare time, Rev. Hopkins enjoys listening to Chicago Cubs games and training for adventure races. He and his family relish exploring New England, especially the Aquarium, and spending time with family and friends who frequently come to visit.