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February 20, 2024
Dear friends in Christ:
I am writing to you disclose difficult information about now deceased Pastor Vance Daniel, who last served in the Southwestern Texas Synod, but served in other synods and congregations previously.
Note that this contains references to sexual assault, and this may be triggering to some. So please read with care.
Here are the places and timeframes that he served:
NC Synod (predecessor body)
- 1953-1944 –Messiah, Salisbury, NC
- 1944-1951 –Trinity, Sanford, NC
- 1951-1953 –Resurrection, Kings Mountain, NC
Southeastern Synod (predecessor body)
- 1953-1958 – St. Paul, Decatur, GA
- 1958-1958 – Our Savior, Albany, GA
Texas – LCA, Southwestern Texas Synod
- 1958-1964 – Grace, Harlingen, TX
- 1964-1972 – St. Martins, Sugarland, TX
- 1972-1984 – Hutto, Hutto TX
- 1984-2000 – Gethsemane, Austin, TX
On November 30th of this past year, I was contacted by a former member of Gethsemane Lutheran Church alleging Pastor Daniel had sexually assaulted her in 1998, when he was 80 years old. I investigated and found her complaint credible. Pastor Daniel continued to serve at Gethsemane until he died in 2000. The victim and her spouse left the congregation.
She gave me the name of another alleged victim of Pastor Daniel’s from the mid-80s. In tracking that victim down, I learned that there were 5 women who were at the congregation in the mid-80s who had reportedly been sexually groped or otherwise assaulted by Pastor Daniel.
I spoke with several of these women and their spouses and found their testimonies to be credible.
I disclosed this information to Gethsemane and also to Hutto Lutheran Church, where Pastor Daniel had previously served. Subsequently other persons came forward to report inappropriate sexual touch and/or unwanted sexual advances by Pastor Daniel. One of the women who reported was confirmation age at the time. This same victim also reported that her mother shared with her before she died that she and several other woman had had affairs with Pastor Daniel. I was only able to track down one of those women who simply described their relationship as one of “kissing”. In any case, as he was married at the time and these were his parishioners, it was entirely inappropriate.
Why am I sharing this with you all? Because it’s very likely that this inappropriate behavior didn’t just begin at Hutto, when Pastor Daniel was already in his 50’s. It is very likely that this also happened to one or more persons in previous congregations that he served. Pastor Daniel’s wife reportedly mentioned years later to one of the victims, that there had been “trouble” when Pastor Daniel was serving in Houston.
Even though Pastor Daniel is now deceased, it is important to disclose this information for the sake of those who have been victimized, so that they know that they are heard and believed, even if it is years after the traumatic events occurred. It is also important for others to know that we do not tolerate this behavior in the church, and we are committed to naming it and bringing justice in whatever ways are possible.
If you or someone you know was victimized by Pastor Daniel, I would encourage you or them to reach out to me for a conversation. I can be reached at www.swtsynod.org or 830-379-9900.
I am reminded of the good news of God from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 61, fulfilled in Jesus Christ:
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory.
May it be so for each of those who have experienced trauma.
In Christ,
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