Jill Nelson joined the Campus Ministries team in August 2018. As a chaplain of discipleship, Jill is dedicated to nurturing students in the life of Christ through personal relationships and ministry programs within Hope College Campus Ministries. She oversees the small groups — providing training and leadership for adult mentors and student leaders. She also has the joy of shepherding students in their personal walk with Jesus Christ. 

Education

• M.A., Marygrove College
• B.A., Hope College

Personal Experience

Before coming to Hope, Jill taught high school English for 11 years. Later she led and taught at Bible Study Fellowship in Holland for many years, eventually serving as the head teaching leader for 8 years before joining the staff at Hope. 

Why I Love Hope

As a Hope graduate, Jill feels it is a great privilege to be back on campus and helping point students to Jesus. Jill is passionate about Scripture. She believes that God’s Word changes hearts, so she's excited to be a part of providing a way for students to dive deep, learn together and grow as leaders. Jill loves spending time with college students, getting to know their joys and challenges and helping them to know God more deeply through studying the Bible.

Outside the College

Jill is married to Hope College alumnus Scott Nelson ’94. They have a not-so-quiet household of four children — Kate, Andrew, Emily and Ben, two dogs, and 22 chickens. As a family, they enjoy exploring new places on long road trips, hiking and eating great food. They love an adventure but they also really enjoy a family movie night cuddled up on the couch (after the argument of what movie to watch is settled).