(Dr. Jessen is pictured in the top right in a tan suit jacket and striped tie)

With the grief of loss and hope of heaven, Gordon-Conwell celebrates the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Daniel Christian Jessen (1936–2025). Dr. Daniel “Dan” Jessen received his MDiv from Gordon Divinity School in 1961—just a few years before the school would merge with Conwell School of Theology to form Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

In 1978, Dr. Jessen joined the Gordon-Conwell faculty to teach family and youth ministry where, over the next sixteen years, he trained and mentored countless students.

A few alumni reflect on his influence:

Walt Mueller (MDiv ’86, DMin ’05), Gordon-Conwell DMin co-mentor and founder and president of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding

“[Dan] was a bit of an extrovert who loved engaging people in random conversations about things that matter. . . . In a matter of five minutes he unpacked a theology of spiritual nurture that pushed me from top dog to second fiddle. ‘God has called parents to assume the primary role in the spiritual nurture of their children.’ I walked away from that conversation and back into youth ministry with a resolve to be obedient to God’s order and design. Rather than replacing parents, I was now going to do all that I could to form a youth ministry that would assist parents. . . . One guy. One provocative question. One huge shift in ministry trajectory and focus. And today, I am grateful for God’s goodness and Dan Jessen’s boldness.”[1]

Anne H. (MRE ’83)

“Dan was a significant person in my life and ministry—modeling from the beginning how to conduct relational discipleship in a humble and significant way. He had immeasurable impact on my ministry.”

Homer G. (MATS ’85)

“Dr. Dan Jessen taught me the practicality of applying scriptural principles to family life.”

In 1994, the Jessens answered a call to global missions with Ripe for Harvest World Outreach. With his wife, Nancy (MACO ’95), Dr. Jessen served in over forty countries across six continents and lectured at seminaries in Armenia, the Philippines, Canada, Nigeria, the Netherlands, and Singapore. He commemorated his eightieth birthday in 2016 with the publication of a book on cross-cultural youth ministry: Youth: Growing Up to Change the World. After twenty-four years in mission work, Dr. Jessen retired in 2018 at age eighty-two.

Dr. Jessen is survived by his beloved wife of sixty-six years, Nancy, three children, Karen, Kristen, and Kevin, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at Banks Presbyterian Church in Waxhaw, NC. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Dr. Jessen’s honor to HELP Pregnancy Center in Marvin, NC, which he helped establish.

[1] Walt Mueller, “This Question Changed Youth Ministry For Me. . .”  CPYU, 2017.