After falling away from attending church, a member comes back—and invites others to join him.

When Dan Horner stepped inside of St. John’s, New Ulm, Minn., as an adult, he remembered being there before. His family had brought him to be baptized as a child, and he had attended worship with them. He also had been a student at St. Paul’s Lutheran School, New Ulm, during his growing years. However, he stopped going to services as he neared adulthood and didn’t regularly attend for the following years.

By the time he returned, “a lot of things had happened,” Dan recalls. “Every one of us has struggles—even the people in church—and we are all sinners.” Recognizing this helped Dan as he went to counseling sessions with the pastors at St. John’s. It also led him to reach out to others in his family to mend relationships and invite them to church.

Learning right and wrong

Dan began his school years in a public school. But by the time he was in second grade, he was enrolled at St. Paul’s Lutheran School. Dan still remembers his first teachers and their approach to teaching. “I could tell a difference between the teachers at the Lutheran school and those at the public school,” Dan says. At St. Paul’s, “the teachers were more interested in trying to help me. It was more hands on.”

Shortly before going to high school, Dan’s parents went through a divorce. Dan wanted to continue in the Lutheran education system and attend Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School, New Ulm, but it was not a possibility. He ended up back in public school for his ninth-grade year, and it was a struggle from day one. “The first week in school, I got in a fistfight and knocked a kid over,” he remembers. Others noticed that he was a Christian, and it didn’t go over well. Soon he was facing ridicule for his beliefs and being called names such as “Bible Thumper.”

Weighed down by not fitting in, Dan started getting involved in groups that were different than the ones he had during grade school. “I started doing things I normally wouldn’t do,” he says. As his high school years came to an end, he continued to hang out with what he refers to as “the wrong crowd.” This led to incidents, including being with a group that was involved with theft. As a result, Dan got into trouble with the police and ended up behind bars, serving time for being associated with the crimes.

Angry at God

“I had plans to be a machinist and go to college—I went to jail instead,” Dan says. He couldn’t apply for education opportunities while he was serving his time. However, he did connect with a pastor from St. John’s who visited him. “He came once every couple of weeks and told me he hadn’t given up on me.” He encouraged Dan to read his Bible while in jail. The visits were helpful for Dan, as he felt lonely at the time. “It seemed like everyone else gave up on me at that point,” he says.

After getting out of jail, Dan wasn’t able to get into college; he eventually found a job through one of his friends. It was hard to settle into a relationship, and Dan drifted through one difficult situation after another. At one point, he and his girlfriend at the time had a son, but the child died before he was baptized. “When my son died, I hated God with a passion for everything that he had done,” he says. Dan found it difficult to carry on, and his relationships with family members grew more strained. He wasn’t getting along with his girlfriend or mother, among others. Spiritually, he identified as an atheist. “I hated every day of my life, and I debated blowing my head off,” he says.

Still, Dan longed for a steady family life—to get married and settle down. He continued to drift in and out of relationships, which led to fathering children but no steady commitment. He stepped into church several times during the next years for funerals but didn’t go regularly.

Returning to church

When one of his children, Aiden, began attending public school, Dan realized he still didn’t agree with the teachings there. He saw lessons on evolution that contradicted what he had learned about God creating the earth. He also was concerned about gay and trangender influences that he saw there.

In response, he decided to send his son to St. Paul’s Lutheran School, the same Lutheran grade school he had attended. As part of enrolling Aiden, he agreed to retake the Bible information class at St. John’s. By then, he had married, and his wife, Kayla, took the class with him. He also received counseling from the pastors. He appreciated that they were interested in him and ready to listen and help with God’s Word. After receiving instruction, Dan rejoined St. John’s, and Kayla joined for the first time.

“Being surrounded with Christians, I felt calmer and better,” Dan recalls.

Inviting others

After Dan started going to services again, he began inviting his extended family to come too. His father had remarried, and he attended every week with Dan’s stepmom. Dan, his father, and Aiden now serve as ushers at St. John’s.

Dan began to repair his relationships that had broken down as well. With pastoral counseling, he reconnected with his mother. They apologized and forgave each other for their errors in the past. Dan’s mom started showing interest in church too.

Dan and Kayla also encouraged Kayla’s sister Ellie to come to church. Ellie had two kids, and after learning about what the Bible teaches, she and her children were baptized. Kayla and Ellie’s mother also took Bible information classes to join the church.

Now, Dan continues to speak about his faith to his family members, and he is eager to talk about Christ at work. He sells car audio systems, and when he goes to shows, he invites others to ask him their questions about God. “I believe Jesus died for these people, and I tell them that,” he says.

A hopeful future

Reflecting on the last two decades, Dan realizes he has turned from a nonchurchgoing atheist to someone who is always ready to encourage others to go to church. He is aware of how different his life is now that he is regularly in church. He also recognizes that time here on earth is temporary. “Someday we will all have to answer to God,” he says.

In his own life, Dan has witnessed the passing of time and how meaningful it is to be connected to God. After reconnecting with Dan and coming back to church, Dan’s mom fell ill with cancer. By then, she had expressed her desire to rejoin as a member. She confessed her faith before she died, and her funeral was held at St. John’s. In addition, Dan’s sister-in-law Ellie died in an accident shortly after joining the church. The congregation supported her children so they could attend St. Paul’s Lutheran School.

Dan wants to continue talking to his family about God’s Word. He and Kayla send Aiden to Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School, where Dan had wanted to go when he was a teenager. He aims to instill the teachings he has learned about following God in his children.

He also feels that it’s never too late to think about church or about going back to God’s Word, even if you’ve fallen away. He’s thankful for pastors who have taken the time to meet him and talk to him about his own questions and struggles.

As far as continuing to tell others about Jesus, Dan says, “I’ll keep doing it until my last breath.”

Author: Rachel Hartman
Volume 111, Number 09
Issue: September 2024

Encouraging one another in evangelism

Besides encouraging its members in personal evangelism, St. John’s promotes trying new and creative ways as a congregation to reach the unchurched.

To get its members involved, St. John’s hosts “Evangelism Shark Tank,” a takeoff of the TV show Shark Tank in which entrepreneurs pitch ideas to investors for funding. “We challenge members to come up with unique ideas on how to share the gospel with our community,” says Rob Guenther, pastor at St. John’s. Groups pitch their ideas to the evangelism board, and the winning initiatives receive funding to help get them started. A Bible study about sharing your faith precedes the contest.

In past years, members have come up with a variety of ideas, including buying snow shovels for volunteers to shovel the sidewalks of elderly neighbors, organizing a clothing drive for single moms, providing English classes for immigrants, and holding a class for strengthening marriages (with free babysitting).

St. John’s has implemented several of these ideas already. “It’s stirred up some excitement and creativity in sharing the gospel in new and unique ways,” says Guenther.

The value of a personal invitation

Dan’s outreach efforts to his family members and friends have served as an inspiration for others at St. John’s. “Dan’s testimony is, ‘Look at what the church and Jesus have done for me! Look at how I was heading in the wrong direction but how God’s working in me now. He can do the same for you,’ ” says Rob Guenther, pastor at St. John’s. “It’s been fun and encouraging to watch.”

Members of the congregation can follow in Dan’s steps as well. They might think of their own family members who have fallen away from church or who have questions about God. They can invite them to a service or to speak to a pastor about their doubts. “He’s been a great role model to others who see him bringing family to church,” Guenther says.