Leadership

Allen Hilton is Covenant’s Theologian in Residence. This two-year position will enable Allen, known for his work uniting people from across the aisle, to walk with the Covenant family during the 2024 presidential election.

Allen earned his MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary and his PhD from Yale University. He taught New Testament at St. Mary’s College of California and at Yale Divinity School before answering the call to be a pastor. He served as a pastor for over 15 years, working at churches in Connecticut, Washington, Minnesota and Arizona.

Allen realized sometime around 2015 from his work in both the academic world and in churches the nation was coming apart at the seams. He launched a consulting business to help groups embrace and learn from their differences, and is the Executive Director of House United, a non-profit initiative he founded in 2016. He travels around the nation to help people in churches, schools, corporate teams and other groups learn to collaborate and build community, even though they vote differently in elections. Allen’s book, “A House United: How the Church Can Save the World,” suggests that faith communities should be an active part of the solution to political polarization.

Allen was introduced to Covenant through his Courageous Conversations, which he led on campus in the fall of 2022, and continues that work as a staff member. He is also part of the preaching team, leads Sunday School classes, and works with leaders of small groups and Bible studies. Finally, he works with staff members to help them develop their departments.

An Austinite since 2017, Allen likes to plan creative dates with his wife, Liz. They have two sons, Isaac and Sam, and a labradoodle named Winston. Allen is a golfer, which he considers to be both fun and part of his spiritual growth plan. He is a fan of good detective fiction and the West Wing.