Draft:Daniel Dominick Meyer

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Dan Meyer

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Daniel Dominick Meyer (born February 3, 1959) is an American preacher, author, television and radio speaker. He served from 1997-2025 as Lead Pastor of Christ Church of Oak Brook[1], a non-denominational megachurch in the western suburbs of Chicago. Through his sermons, books, media and board leadership roles, Meyer is a voice for a thoughtful, gracious evangelicalism[2]. He currently serves as Chaplain-in-Residence of the Chapel and Fellowship Center at the Ocean Reef Club in North Key Largo, Florida.

Early Life and Education

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Dan Meyer was born in New Haven, Connecticut on February 3, 1959, the eldest child of Connecticut State Senator J. Edward Meyer III, Linda Lowry and tennis champion Patty Ann Reese.  His siblings are Lisa M. Vaiciunas, federal district court judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, Tory A. Meyer, Timothy L. Meyer, and Andrew R. Meyer.  U.S. senator and ambassador, Peter H. Dominick, and CIA official, Cord Meyer were great-uncles.

Meyer grew up in Chappaqua, New York and attended Horace Greeley High School (1973-77).  He graduated with an honors degree in political science from Yale University (1977-81).  While in college, Meyer rowed in the Henley Royal Regatta[3], chaired the Yale College Council[4], was mentored by president A. Bartlett Giamatti, and received the John C. Schroeder Award[5] for student leadership.

Seeking expanded life experience during his young adult years, Dan worked in the world corporate headquarters of IBM, on an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, in a maximum-security prison, in numerous political campaigns, and on a farm.

In 1985, Meyer completed a Master of Divinity degree through studies at Union Theological College in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Princeton Theological Seminary.  During his time in Belfast (1981-83), Meyer played basketball on the championship-winning Belfast Star basketball team. While at Princeton (1983-85), he received the Mary Long Greir-Hugh Davies Award[6] for excellence in preaching.

In subsequent years, Meyer was awarded a Thompson Scholarship in Evangelism from Columbia Theological Seminary and the Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary (2008).

Career

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Following a series of personal crises, Meyer underwent a spiritual conversion during the summer of 1977, sparked by participation in the Christian youth ministry, Young Life[7]. His faith grew further during his college years under the influence of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.  

Uncertain whether to pursue a vocation in politics or the church, Meyer spent two years after college, volunteering at a Presbyterian church in Northern Ireland, now the home of the Duncairn Centre for Arts & Culture.  It was there that his sense of call to pastoral ministry was confirmed under the mentorship of the Revs. J. Patton and Marlene Taylor.

While at Princeton Seminary, Meyer also served part time roles in Presbyterian churches in Pleasantville, New York and in Clinton and Woodstown, New Jersey.  Following pastoral ordination in December 1985, Dan was called as an associate pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame on the San Francisco Peninsula (1985-91). Six years later he became senior pastor of the Village Community Presbyterian Church in Rancho Santa Fe (1991-1997).  In March 1997, at age thirty-eight, Meyer succeeded Arthur DeKruyter as only the second senior pastor of Christ Church of Oak Brook, a Chicago area nondenominational megachurch.

After the events of September 11, 2001, Meyer and his church played a national role in processing the tragedy[8], as one of the church’s pastors, Jeff Mladenik, was on the first plane to hit the towers of the World Trade Center. Christ Church became the site of a Dateline special and Oprah Winfrey featured Meyer and Christ Church members on her program[9].

Following allegations of misconduct by the pastor of the Willow Creek Community Church in 2018, Meyer issued a public statement calling for a “purposeful pause” to consider the claims of the affected women. The statement was widely circulated and influential in the decision of hundreds of host churches to withdraw from Willow’s Global Leadership Summit, an expression of the larger MeToo movement[10].

In 2010, Meyer joined the board of Fuller Theological Seminary and served two terms as chair of its Board of Trustees (2018-24)[11].

Media ministry

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From 1997-2016, Meyer’s messages were broadcast weekly on mainstream television (WFLD, WPWR) and radio (WGN) through the program, Love Changes Life[12].  Meyer also served as on-air host and board chair of Life Focus (2008-18), a television newsmagazine airing on PBS and religious broadcasting stations in the U.S. and abroad. In this role he received four regional Emmy Awards for programming on forgiveness in the face of murder (2008-09), coping with terminal illness (2009), violence affecting school children (2009-10), and sexual abuse on college campuses (2012-13)[13].

Meyer’s sermons have also been featured more than eighty times in Christianity Today’s online resource, Preaching Today, appearing in the Top Ten list of most downloaded messages in 2011[14], 2012[15], 2013[16], and 2015[17].

Personal life

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Dan has been married to Amy Ballard since December 31, 1988. They have three adult children—Rush Dominick Meyer, Cole Christian Meyer, and Reed Garrison Meyer.

Authored books

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  • Leadership Essentials: Shaping Vision, Multiplying Influence, Defining Character (2007) ISBN 9780830810970
  • Witness Essentials: Evangelism that Makes Disciples (2012) ISBN 9780830810895
  • Discovering God: Fresh Vision for Longing Hearts (2014). ASIN B00JJ5G99S
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References

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  1. ^ "About Rev. Dr. Daniel Meyer". Christ Church website.
  2. ^ "Pastor Pens Open Letter on These Troubled Times". Daily Herald. June 2, 2020.
  3. ^ Hildes-Heim, Norman (July 3, 1978). "Rowing: Henley". New York Times.
  4. ^ Kilman, Jim (September 20, 1980). "YCC Aims for More Concrete Programs". Yale Daily News Archives.
  5. ^ "Description of the John C. Schroeder Award". Yale University.
  6. ^ "Description of the Greir-Davies Award". Princeton Theological Seminary.
  7. ^ Adair, James R. (October 31, 2004). The Political Progeny. Power for Living (David C Cook Publishers).
  8. ^ Peppers, Elliott (September 29, 2020). "19 Years Later". Daily Herald.
  9. ^ O’Donnell, Joe (May 11, 2011). "Hinsdale 9/11 Victim Remembered". Patch.
  10. ^ Blair, Leonardo Blair (July 27, 2018). "Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit Loses 111 Sites". Christian Post.
  11. ^ "Trustee Directory". Fuller Seminary. 19 October 2017.
  12. ^ Steele, Jeffrey (May 17, 2000). "Man of the Cloth Wears Many Hats". Chicago Tribune.
  13. ^ "Chicago/Midwest Region Emmy Award Archives". National Association of Television and the Arts.
  14. ^ Woodley, Matt. "Top Ten Sermons of 2011". Preaching Today.
  15. ^ Woodley, Matt. "Top Ten Sermons of 2012". Preaching Today.
  16. ^ Woodley, Matt. "Top Ten Sermon Downloads of 2013". Preaching Today.
  17. ^ Woodley, Matt. "Top Seven Sermons of 2015". Preaching Today.