As of the 2017-2018 school year, economics teacher David Hoffner has assumed a new role in the Minnehaha community as Executive Director of Faith Formation. For Hoffner, the change was one he felt God was calling him to through friends, loved ones and colleagues who repeatedly said, “I think you should apply for this job.”
“One day I was down in the teachers’ lounge, heating up my lunch and there was chatter about this job,” said Hoffner. “Then, one of the teachers pointed and said, ‘Isn’t that what Hoffner already does?’ I felt that God was, through his people, calling me out. Because that was so consistent, I had to apply.”
As Executive Director of Faith Formation, Hoffner’s position requires a variety of different responsibilities, including making sure that the community is healthy spiritually. This will include a more active involvement in chapels for Upper, Lower and Middle school students, as well as helping the Minnehaha community explore what it means to be “distinctively Christian.”
“Faith formation is going to happen by the power of the Holy Spirit,” said Hoffner. “How can I be obedient to create spaces…in my own class, in chapel, in advisory, to encourage those conversations?”
After teaching philosophy and economics at Minnehaha for many years, Hoffner is adjusting to teaching fewer classes, as this school year he is only teaching one class of AP Economics students.
While there are a lot of new things to get used to, Hoffner is excited for the challenges and joys that will come along with his new role and hopes to impact the community in fresh ways moving forward.
“My prayer is that somehow God would raise us up through this for the next 100, 200 years of ministry to say, ‘This is the rebirth of our school,’ he said. “That’s always been on my heart, praying for revival for our school. It’s such a pivotal time for the identity of [Minnehaha] and the history of our school, to see what the Lord is gonna do.”