Rev. Dan Adolphson

Stole Text

Rev. Dan Adolphson

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Minneapolis, Minnesota

The call to ordained ministry.  As I look back, it was a call that has been on my life since I first said “yes” to God as a freshman in high school.  I just kept saying no for a variety of reasons.  One of those reasons was that a gay man couldn’t be a minister, according to my conservative bible college professors and pastors during that period of my life.

In 2004, God got really serious, or maybe I started listening better.  The first time was around the communion table at Lake Harriet Christian Church, where I heard the message of extravagant welcome, that all are welcome around the table, period, end of sentence.  God accepted me as I was, and, in fact, loved me because of it.  In that sacred moment, I heard God’s call to return to ministry, that God wasn’t done with me yet. 

On October 15, 2008, a crisp fall day at West Des Moines Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the people of the Upper Midwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) overwhelmingly voted to allow ordination of all of God’s children, lifted a 20+ year ban on such ordinations.  That day, God tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me of the call, and in 2010, I started my seminary education.

February 28, 2015 marks an important day in our region’s history, and for our wider church.  I will be the first openly GLBTQ person ordained since the ban was lifted.  The beauty of extravagant welcome, of “All Means All” will be on display for the church and all to see, and we will dance in the grace and delight of God.

Rev. Dan Adolphson

Associate Pastor, First Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ), Minneapolis, MN
Vice-Moderator, GLAD Alliance,
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

About the stole
This stole was the first stole I ever purchased, when I entered into the Licensed Ministry Program of the Upper Midwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 2005.  

Contribution Story

Rev. Adolphson's ordination included an exhibit of the Shower of Stoles Project and the donation of his stole.
David Lohman
Faith Work Manager

Click here to read Rev. Daniel Adolphson's biographic profile in the LGBTQ Religious Archives Network's Profiles Gallery. 

Archival Record

Stole Number: 1182
Honoree(s): Rev. Dan Adolphson
Donor(s): Rev. Dan Adolphson
Geography: Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA)
Faith Tradition: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Donation Date: 2015

Citation

“Rev. Dan Adolphson,” LGBTQ Religious Archives Network, accessed March 28, 2024, https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/items/show/1097.