Gordon Hugenberger is one of the most influential pastors and Old Testament scholars of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Born in 1948, he grew up as one of seven children.

15-year-old Gordon accepted Jesus Christ as Lord while working at Camp Wonderland, a Salvation Army summer camp in Sharon, MA. Mr. Doug Sands, a high school science teacher and longtime nature director at camp, annually invited one of his students to serve as his assistant each summer. Gordon became one of Mr. Sands’s “Bug Boys” at Camp Wonderland in the summer of 1964. This early encounter with faith set the trajectory for a lifetime of ministry, scholarship, and pastoral leadership. 

Prior to his life-changing summer at camp, Gordon was a teenager in crisis and on course to being expelled from school. “Doug Sands hired me because he knew that I was a very troubled young student,” he said. “I was surprised that I did not flunk every grade from 5th to 9th grade. God used Camp Wonderland to rescue me and change my life.”

Remarkably, Gordon developed into one of the most distinguished church leaders and biblical teachers of his day. In 1974, he graduated at the top of his class from Harvard University, where he studied engineering and applied physics. 

He was influenced and supported in his life and ministry by his wife, Jane. Their marriage in June 1971 was the beginning of a partnership that would shape their pastoral ministry.

Though starting in the field of science, Gordon felt called to study the Bible. He went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and later completed a Ph.D. at the College of St. Paul and St. Mary.

He spent 43 years as a pastor. From 1974 to 1997, he led a large church in Gloucester, MA. From 1997 to 2017, he served as the senior pastor of the historic Park Street Church in Boston. Under his leadership, the church continued its legacy as a center of evangelical thought, global missions, and urban ministry. 

Since 1974, he has served on the faculty at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He teaches subjects such as the Old Testament, Hebrew, biblical theology and exegesis. In retirement, he stays active with writing projects, including a forthcoming commentary on the Old Testament book of Judges and continued work in ancient Near Eastern studies. 

So What?

Gordon Hugenberger is known for his ability to take complicated biblical subjects and explain them in ways people can understand. His influence continues through the churches he has served, the students he has taught, and his writings. You never know what God will do in your life when you surrender to His will. How has the trajectory of your life changed since giving your heart to Him?

Illustration by Paul Ryding. This article was originally titled “Gordon Hugenberger” in the Summer 2026 issue of Peer Magazine.