Dan values getting back to what matters most when it comes to starting a new church. That means helping people make three life connections: connect with Jesus Christ more deeply, connect with others in meaningful relationships and care for people with the love of Christ. He also has a passion to cultivate genuine community with others and help them live out God's purpose for their lives.
He is the founding pastor of Upcounty Church which was born out of much prayer and over twenty years of ministry experience in the Washington, D.C. area.
Dan also believes in networking with other like-minded churches to engage our changing culture together. He is part of a Local Pastors Network and serves on a local multi-church outreach team. He enjoys helping other churches in the areas of team ministry, leadership development, community connecting and small group ministry.
He was born and raised in Montgomery County, MD. After finishing an undergraduate program at the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Accounting, he spent a number of years in the D.C. area practicing public and private accounting.
Although he has served in other pastoral roles, most of his ministry experience was with the staff team at McLean Bible Church in McLean, VA. At McLean, he served in a number of pastoral roles such as the Associate Pastor of Frontline ~ the Young Adult Ministry, the College Pastor and other associate pastoral roles. He also has an M.A. in Theology from Capital Seminary with additional graduate work in Pastoral Counseling and philosophy.
His wife, Laura, was born and raised in Mexico City. She taught computer technology and visual arts at the University of Mexico for over eight years. Laura was involved in starting a new church in Mexico City, and she also taught at a seminary and graduate school in the city. At present, Laura is a full-time teacher at the Norwood School, a private school in Potomac, MD. She has also completed her Masters of Arts in Cultural Spanish from the University of Alcala in Spain. As a volunteer, Laura serves as the Co-coordinator for the Upcounty Kids Ministry, the children's ministry of Upcounty Church.
Dan and Laura take plenty of time to enjoy the upcounty area and its diverse culture. For fun, they enjoy exploring the mountains and the peaceful little towns of Western Maryland. But, most of all, they are here to serve the people who live, work and play in the upcounty area.