Persevering in Pioneer Ministry

When asked about Pastor Dan, Ed Gregory said, “Dan was a pioneer church planting kind of pastor, which was exactly the kind of pastor that Solid Rock needed. And he was always on board with serving in BCI and the Great Rivers association.”

Two characteristics that describe Pastor Dan’s ministry would be patience and perseverance. Being a pastor in a small rural town is hard work; hard spiritual work as you sow gospel seeds in rough soil, hard relational work, physical labor to always have a place to worship and through leading the process to get their current church facility.

As Pastor of Solid Rock (1996–2021)

Solid Rock was started in Wapello in 1994 through the cooperation of several Iowa churches in the area and the support of the Baptist Convention of Iowa and the Missouri Baptist Convention. Then in 1996, they called Pastor Dan as the new church’s first full-time pastor.

Pastor Dan was an ideal pastor for this hard-working, small town community with all of the characteristics you would want in a church planter. He and Lori immersed themselves in that community right away. They both had jobs in the community and Dan worked in construction. Pastor Dan was not just the pastor to Solid Rock, he was the pastor to the entire community and was called on to minister to people in all kinds of situations. Through their investment in the town, they were able to reach a lot of unreached and unchurched people. Ed Gregory said, “They were able to grow the church through evangelism, reaching lost people with the gospel, rather than by simply transferring attenders from other churches.”

As President of BCI (2005–2006)

Pastor Dan was very engaged in both BCI and in the Great Rivers Association. He provided leadership as the President of the BCI Executive Board in 2005-2006 as well as serving in many other capacities through the years. One of Pastor Dan’s most recent roles was participating in the BCI Search Committee which called Tim Lubinus to be the Executive Director. Pastor Dan has been a great ministry partner for our network of churches and was willing to serve however he was needed.

In the Next Stage of Ministry

Although Pastor Dan is retiring from Solid Rock, he is not necessarily retiring from ministry. In this next stage of life, Dan and Lori hope to be closer to family while pursuing whatever pioneering ministry work God has planned for them.

BCI has been blessed with a deep and meaningful partnership with the Doolins over many years and we are grateful for Dan’s service both as a pastor within our network of churches and as President of the BCI Executive Board. Dan’s last Sunday at Solid Rock will be this Sunday, February 14th.