Pastor Dan Serns Returns to Carolina

The speaker for the latter part of this year’s Camp Meeting is Dan Serns, who is accompanied by his wife, Lois. Together, they are helping attendees explore four aspects of this year’s theme: We (Ministering Together), Shall (Spiritual Conviction), Behold (Contemplating God), and Him (The Person of Jesus).

Although a native of California, Serns is no stranger to the Carolinas. He spent much of his childhood here after his father was called from Miami, Florida, to pastor the Wilson–Rocky Mount–Roanoke Rapids district. At age 11, Dan was baptized in Wilson on April Fool’s Day. Later, his family moved to the Hendersonville–Columbus–Pisgah Forest district, and he graduated from Mount Pisgah Academy in 1973.

Since his teenage years, Serns has had a passion for giving Bible studies, although he never planned to become a pastor. That changed after earning degrees in Business and Religion from Pacific Union College and serving as director of a language school on the Texas-Mexico border. While there, the Texas Conference asked him to serve as interim pastor for three churches, including the one he attended. He accepted the challenge and eventually became the full-time pastor of his home church.

One of his most rewarding ministry experiences took place at the Richardson Seventh-day Adventist Church in Texas. There, members committed themselves to evangelistic initiatives requiring little or no financial investment. Together, they worked to find, disciple, and prepare people from all walks of life for baptism.

During nearly seven years of ministry there, Serns trained members to become prayer warriors, GLOW missionaries, baptismal coaches, and neighborhood pastors. As a result, the church experienced baptisms every month for 76 consecutive months, with only eight exceptions. Some months saw as many as 15 baptisms.

Serns expressed appreciation for the Carolina Conference’s longstanding commitment to evangelism, disciple-making, and church planting. He also praised opportunities for young people to become involved in ministry, including the Conference’s summer camp, Nosoca.

Through his messages so far he has challenged every member in the Carolina Conference to move beyond simply attending church and become actively involved in leading others to Christ. He encouraged members to seek training, develop confidence in sharing their faith, and allow God to use them to influence those around them. His prayer is that every believer will experience the joy of partnering with God in His mission and seeing lives transformed by the gospel.

Serns and Lois are the parents of three children and grandparents of three grandchildren. Their son Jacob is a church planter in the Seattle, Washington, area. Dustin serves as the Church Planting Coordinator for the Washington Conference. Their daughter, Danessa, followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a math teacher in the Silicon Valley area of California.

— Mauricio Schiavenin