Barry Whipkey

Throughout his life, Rev. Barry Whipkey has grown in his love of Christ, people, and agriculture. He spent several years working in various agricultural jobs. But God had a different plan.

“I had been in agriculture all my life, but I knew God had called me to pastoral ministry in high school. I went to college for a short time and just was drawn back to the farm. And so I married, farmed, and went into the ag business with Dekalb/Monsanto for many years,” said Whipkey.

Pastor Barry grew up on a farm outside Flandreau, South Dakota, and married his high school sweetheart. Barry attended college for a bit. Then, the couple returned to Flandreau and farmed for 13 years.

Debbie and Barry moved to Parker, South Dakota, where Barry worked for Dekalb/Monsanto in the southeast district of South Dakota. Two of their three children graduated from high school in Parker.

“We lived in Parker for ten years; two of our kids graduated from high school there. Then, the company moved me to Milbank,” said Barry. “In hindsight, it was a real God thing that we ended up there.”

Raised in a little Baptist church in Trent, South Dakota, Barry and Debbie continued attending the American Baptist Church until they moved to Milbank, South Dakota, in 1999. A friend invited them to attend Central United Methodist Church, and the congregation became their new church home.

“They put me into just about any and every position you could possibly imagine. I was on the leadership council. I taught some Sunday school. I did all the things that one would normally do as a layperson,” said Pastor Barry. “Debbie was very involved also.”

Then in 2003, his dad passed away. Rev. Mark Holland, who was serving as the pastor at Milbank Central United Methodist Church, and Rev. Deborah Ball-Kilbourne, district superintendent, invited Barry into ministry.

But, in the middle of Barry’s discernment, Holland left his appointment at Milbank Central UMC to serve a congregation in Iowa, and Rev. Dwight Meier stepped in, assisting Barry in becoming a licensed local pastor.

“Dwight led me into all of this. When I was finalizing all my stuff, Bishop Coyner asked me to get licensed before the annual conference in 2004. He said, ‘Go anywhere you can. Get that done before the annual conference.’ So I did some searching and ended up in licensing school at Duke in North Carolina,” said Barry. “I went off for three weeks to Duke, so, I can claim that I am a Duke graduate.”

Pastor Barry began serving as a licensed local pastor in 2004 at a three-point charge in Larimore, North Dakota, serving the United Methodist Church, Arvilla Presbyterian Church, and Emerado Presbyterian Church.

“It was the most wonderful appointment we could ever have imagined coming into ministry—three little churches that loved us and taught us. We loved them. It was just a phenomenal first appointment for us!” said Pastor Barry.

In 2007, Pastor Barry was appointed to Riverview UMC and Virgil UMC in Huron South Dakota, a two-point parish where he served for six years.

During the summers, Pastor Barry attended Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City to complete the classes for the licensed local pastor course of study.

“I completed that in 2010. I graduated with two great colleagues–Laurie Kidd and Sharla McCaskell,” said Barry. “It was an expensive process. Randy Cross served as a mentor and helped us with financial support, so we came out of that without any debt. That was a blessing.”

In 2013, he was appointed to serve at Madison United Methodist Church in South Dakota. Then in 2019, Barry and Debbie moved to Rapid City, South Dakota, to serve First United Methodist Church.

In retirement, the Whipkeys will move to a home in Avon, South Dakota, to live close to their daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren.