Dan Hester is the Senior Pastor at SUMC. Dan is a native North Carolinian, born and raised in Greensboro. After getting a business degree at UNC-Chapel Hill, he attended Duke Divinity School and moved around as a Methodist Minister to Charlotte, Concord, Lexington, Harrisburg, back to Charlotte, and landed here in Asheville in the summer of 2019.

Dan’s wife, Julie, is also an ordained minister, but in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Their son, Hank, lives and works in Seattle. Their daughter, Lucy, will soon graduate from Appalachian State.

“Aside from leading worship one of my favorite things to do is simply talk to people,” says Dan. “Whether it’s talking about family, working on a conundrum, discerning what God is up to, or just learning what people are interested in, I simply enjoy good questions and authentic conversation.”