About
Jesus. Period.
Dane’s life calling is to dive deep into the unspeakable heart of Jesus for sinners and sufferers, and to invite others to enjoy that boundless ocean with him.
Dane grew up in a pastor’s home, all over the place — California, Scotland, Oregon, and Illinois — before landing at Wheaton College. After a B.A. in Bible and Theology he married Stacey, the love of his life, and they moved to Connecticut to teach at a Christian high school. What a hoot.
A love for the Bible and a call to ministry brought them to Covenant Theological Seminary, where he saw firsthand what it looks like for the doctrines of grace to create a culture of grace. It marked him for life. He then returned to Wheaton for a Ph.D. in New Testament, studying Paul’s theology under Doug Moo.
That funneled into a decade in Christian publishing at Crossway in Wheaton. He worked mainly on the ESV Bible and related resources, eventually serving as Chief Publishing Officer. On the side he taught, preached, discipled Wheaton students, and traveled the world. What a blast.
In an unexpected series of providences, Dane was summoned to the pastorate by the church he and his family had already belonged to for thirteen years. He was ordained on October 4, 2020, and now serves as Senior Pastor of Naperville Presbyterian Church, building a gospel culture alongside fellow leaders.
At home
The main earthly passion
Not the books. Not the pulpit, even. The household in Naperville: Stacey, his college sweetheart, whom he married the summer after Wheaton, and the five children they are raising under the same roof.
Married 28 July 2001
Stacey
Zach
Edwards
Nate
Luther
Jeremiah
Owen
Chloe
Anne
Ben
Goodwin
And fishing. Can’t forget fishing.
Zachary Edwards, Nathan Luther, Jeremiah Owen, Benjamin Goodwin — a family register of the Puritans and Reformers their father has spent a lifetime reading. Chloe Anne carries her mother’s name.
Formation
The full curriculum vitae- 2001B.A., Bible & TheologyWheaton College
- 2005M.Div.Covenant Theological Seminary
- 2007Th.M.Covenant Theological Seminary
- 2010Ph.D., New Testament (Doug Moo)Wheaton College Graduate School
- 2010–20Chief Publishing Officer (latterly), ESV and booksCrossway
- 2020Senior Pastor, ordained October 4NPC
Formed by Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Goodwin, Jonathan Edwards, Herman Bavinck, C. S. Lewis, Richard Gaffin, Ray Ortlund Sr., Ray Ortlund Jr., Tim Keller, and Greg Beale.
“What an unspeakable joy to be safe in Christ, eternally invincible, loved and forgiven, and walking alongside men and women as we journey toward heaven.”
Connect
- dane@npchurch.org
- Naperville Presbyterian Church
943 Sanctuary Lane
Naperville, IL 60540
The local church first
In recent years his speaking has taken him to the Philippines, India, Ghana, Zambia, Switzerland, South Africa, and throughout the United States. His first priority remains the local church he shepherds.