A Prairie Farm Boy Looks Over his Shoulder

As a child, Orville G. Hiepler remembers his father’s laconic but eloquent response when asked, “How’s it going?” The answer never varied—he always replied, “It must go!” an affirmation that work, life, and the world must continue, no matter what.

Hiepler carried his father’s words and work ethic with him all his life, from his home on the windswept plains of North Dakota to seminary school and into his seventy-year ministry. His passion for saving souls, establishing new churches, and following through on project after project all came down to this simple expression: “It must go!”

A Prairie Farm Boy Looks over His Shoulder tells the story of Hiepler and how he progressed from a young boy in a one-room prairie schoolhouse to a dedicated Lutheran minister. His willingness to share his life with people no matter where he traveled, lived, or worked is a testament to the saving love of Christ that continues to guide Hiepler’s life.

Though a loving father and husband, Hiepler’s true identity is as a minister—and always will be. And while his story may be a look back, Hiepler continues to look forward, because “It must go!”

Orville G. Hiepler, PhD, was born into a godly family on the plains of North Dakota. He attended a one-room country school and then Epping High School in a town seven miles from home.

Hiepler studied at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and completed his graduate work at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his PhD at the California School of Theology.

A parish pastor in the Lutheran Church for sixty years, Hiepler devoted his life to "church planting," establishing places of worship wherever a need arose. He is the author of The Pastor-Administrator: The Key to Growth and Vitality and served on many church committees and boards.

The former president of the golf club in Fallbrook, California, Hiepler is also a member of Rotary International and an avid traveler who has led tours around the world. He lives in Camarillo, California, with his wife Florence. They have four children, ten grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.