About Pastor Scott…

Scott Paczkowski was born in St. Cloud, MN. Scott was baptized and confirmed at the First Presbyterian Church in St. Cloud. Scott went to High School in Hibbing, MN and he and his family attended the First Presbyterian Church in Hibbing. Scott attended Concordia College in Moorhead, MN with a B.A. in Religion; Speech Communication Theater Arts.

Scott was blessed with a supportive home church and Presbytery who spiritually supported his call to ministry. Scott attended McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois for his Master of Divinity degree, and two years after graduation, Scott returned for his Doctor of Ministry degree. While in seminary, Scott served as a Student Pastor in Chicago, IL, Schererville, IN, Palm Bay, FL, and Merrillville, IN.

After his ordination in 1988, Scott accepted a call to the Community Church (PCUSA) in Manitowish Waters, WI.  They were a wonderful congregation that helped teach him how to be a pastor. He served in Wisconsin for five years. Then, Scott received a call to serve the First Presbyterian Church in Merrillville, IN. It was the same church he served as a student pastor. Scott was their pastor for six years. In 1999 he accepted a call as the Sr. Pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Waterloo, Iowa. He served that church for over eleven years. Finally, in 2010, Scott accepted a call to Westminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines, IA. Scott feels blessed to serve as the Sr. Pastor at Westminster.

Scott met and married Jill, while he was in Palm Bay, Florida. Jill was an elder in that congregation. They married just before the denomination decided to create rules against dating church members. He jokes, “We didn’t even know we were getting in just under the wire.” While in Manitowish Waters, WI, their daughter Hannah was born. She and her husband Justin, and their two children, Gordie and Brooks live in Omaha, NE.

Scott’s call to ministry has always been focused on serving the local congregation. He feels blessed to have been part of such loving and mission minded congregations. He looks forward to continuing to reach out in God’s name to serve Westminster, but also the larger Des Moines community, and the denomination that has always been the center of his life.