About Dan

Who is Pastor Dan Griswold?

I am the Pastor of North Charleston United Methodist Church as an Elder in The United Methodist Church of South Carolina.  North Charleston, and particularly Park Circle, is a growing and vibrant community with a great church right in the middle of it all (that’s us).  (Check us out: NorthCharlestonUMC.org)

Prior to this charge I spent 6 years at a wonderful three church appointment in rural Ridgeville with Trinity, Mount Tabor, and Cypress UMC and Campground. I will never forget the wonderful times of growth and community our family lived and breathed there.  Prior to ordination, I served several churches in Youth Ministry, earlier at Anastasia Baptist Church (St. Augustine, FL), then Grace Chapel (Lexingon, MA) while studying for ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and lastly at Saint Andrew By-The-Sea United Methodist Church (Hilton Head Island, SC) where I was mentored, encouraged, and sent into itinerant ministry in South Carolina.

I’m proud to have been a Master’s of Divinity Graduate of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA.  When I joined and began the ordination in the UMC, I began Methodist Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, finished Clinical Pastoral Education at Richland Hospital in Columbia, SC; and enjoyed African Studies and Women’s Studies courses at The College of Charleston. More recently I’ve discerned a call to pursue a PhD and the path will start with a ThM from Gordon Conwell in Intercultural Studies and Missiology.

I enjoy writing, and have in the past been a contributing writer for the Pastor’s Column in The Island Packet‘s Bluffton Edition, have written articles on Youth Ministry praxis in UMCSC’s “The Advocate” conference newspaper, and I am part of a creative association known as “Six AM Productions” which has various creative projects including card games, comic strips, and writing projects.  Lastly, I have worked with the Center for Youth Studies based in South Hamilton, MA, under the vision of Dean Borgman; thinking through communication and social media strategies for the Encyclopedia of Youth Studies.

I’ve recently involved myself with the “Order of the Flame” group of Missions Evangelists which is through World Methodism.  First going through the OotF retreat at Saint Simon’s Island, GA in March 2019 and then I joined the Flame 2.0 Mentoring group with Kim Reisman and Rob Haynes with mentoring with Rev. Maxie Dunham of Christ Church in Memphis, TN during Covid lockdowns. The Zoom meetings were incredible. From our discussions I was invited to speak on Virtual Evangelism online at a conference of Moscow Methodist Seminary, and later spoke on Evangelism in Digital Worlds at the Order of the Flame Reunion in October 2021 at Christ Church in Memphis.  This involvement has been life giving and I’ve discerned a desire to grow Evangelists and Revival Preachers through some sort of school through our church (in the ideation stage atm).

My wife and I were married in 2003. Amanda is incredible, and our son Ransom and daughter Harper, have the energy of rhinos and the gentleness of a baby kitten – alternating infinitely.

I love to worship, read, talk, think, write and draw, so this blog is an extension of my scribbles.

Addendum – The Myth: “I grew up, according to popular legend, in the Great Northern Wilderness. Not much is known beyond the evidence of my rearing: By following the apple and pear trees, you may find a clearing in the vast forests of the north, where bears now live, you will now be in the adolescent testing ground of my youth. By surviving the bear challenge you may be worthy to enter the Wilderness. I warn you however, The Wilderness made me what I am today, and if you go in, you may come out as I have–Tough as nails, and yet sensitive to the emotion of creation. It’s all about respect and love. Journey if you must.”