Welcome to Kenmare

Feature Stories (Vol. 109 No. 45--11/07/2007)

Pastor Dan Nelson begins serving Kenmare's
New Life Church of God

Lignite native returns to ND

By Caroline Downs

Pastor Dan Nelson, newly arrived at the New Life Church of God in Kenmare, planned to be a minister for a long time.

"It’s something I’ve always wanted to do," he said, speaking of his vocation with a quiet intensity. "Some of it comes from experiences I had as a kid at the Church of God in Lignite."

The son of Dale and Naomi Nelson of Lignite, Pastor Dan grew up on the family’s farm south of town and attended Bismarck State College after high school graduation, where he earned an associate’s degree in electronics.

However, while living in Bismarck he worked with children and youth programs at the church he attended there. His interest in ministry pulled him to Cleveland, Tennessee, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in communications at Lee University, a Christian-based liberal arts college.

He also met his wife Amy, who was studying English and education there. After Pastor Dan graduated in 1998, the couple came back to North Dakota and worked in Jamestown, where Pastor Dan volunteered with youth activities at the Assembly of God Church.

After 18 months on the prairie, the Nelsons were called west to Missoula, Montana, where Pastor Dan joined the staff at Path of Life Church of God to facilitate the music and youth ministry programs. He smiled gently as he talked about his interest in music. "I play the guitar and bass, and sing a little bit," he said.

The Nelsons lived five years in Missoula, where the couple’s sons Micah, now 6, and Isaac, 4, were born. Pastor Dan also went back to college for an advanced degree. "I did it because it was always something I wanted to do," he said, "and to get more ministry skills."

He enrolled in online classes through Crown College of the Bible in Powell, Tennessee, and spent four years completing his graduate courses. "I’ve been in school forever," he said as he laughed and shook his head. "I was on the slow track. I’d get a head of steam, take a class, and then recover!"

Two years into his program, the Nelson family moved to Rapid City, South Dakota, and Pastor Dan spent the next 18 months at the Canyon Lake Church of God. Finally, he evaluated the progress he was making in his education and devoted six months to finishing the master’s degree.

Then the position in Kenmare became available. "We wanted to come here partly because it was close to home and partly because we like this size of community," he said, pausing before adding, "and partly because it came open!"

The Nelsons returned to northwestern North Dakota in August, with Amy taking a position as an English teacher at Burke Central School in Lignite and Pastor Dan filling the pulpit at the New Life Church of God beginning August 26th.

"Somebody might describe me as laid back, easy-going," he said as he talked about his ministry style. "I tell everybody I’m just a normal guy."

So far, he’s been settling into the community and church, and making plans to expand the youth programs. "I’ve spent the last 12 or 13 years doing youth ministry," he said. "It’s important."

By January 2008, he intends to launch "Pioneers for Christ" for boys and men in the church. "It functions a lot like scouting," he said. "The men and boys in it do things like camping, fishing and hunting, but this also has more spiritual and biblical content."

Pastor Dan participated in a similar boys club while growing up in the Lignite church, and he’s been trained in the Pioneers for Christ program. "I’ve seen other churches do it," he said. "We’ll get to [programs for] the girls, but right now we have an abundance of boys."

He is also considering potential adult group studies on family and parenting topics. "We’re looking at a few things," he said.

From his perspective, the New Life Church of God needs to play a significant role in Kenmare. "The church is there to help people," he said. "The church ought to be a benefit to the community, and the town should be better off for it."

Pastor Dan can be contacted by calling the church office at 701-385-4731. Worship services at the New Life Church of God are held at 10 am each Sunday, at the church building on 401 Second Avenue NE in Kenmare.