Welcome Dan Helstrom!
In God’s kindness, the staff team at Cities Church is excited to welcome Dan Helstrom as our new Director of Operations!
Dan and Jamila have been covenant members at Cities Church since they were married in 2018. I actually first “met" Dan over the phone while he and Jamila were still engaged. Dan was serving as a missionary in Costa Rica at the time, and he wanted to hear more about our church’s mission and vision. Since the start of their marriage, Dan and Jamila (and now Naomi!) have been a sweet blessing to our church in many ways, plugging into Community Group life, Jamila helping out with women’s events, and Dan serving on the finance team, to name a few.
Most recently, Dan has worked at The Gospel Coalition as their Accounting Manager and Executive Administrator. Previously Dan has worked as an accountant, a Campus Pastor with a college ministry at the U of M, and a missionary in San José, Costa Rica, and the Director of Administration for a non-profit ministry in inner-city Minneapolis. Fluent in Spanish, Dan has spent nearly three years doing ministry in Latin America, including Columbia, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. The experience and expertise he brings to our staff are significant, thanks be to God!
Alongside Dan’s new staff role, he will begin a Pastoral Residency with aspirations to serve our church as a pastor. Dan will continue to lead a Community Group, work with the finance team, and serve in the regular rhythms of discipleship within the body.
Dan’s acceptance of this role overlaps with and fulfills the interim work of Joel Button. When Ryan Griffith transitioned to a new assignment at Southwest Baptist University last August, Joel stepped into an interim role to help us stay afloat. Joel’s energy and attention to operation matters, especially with the renovations, have been exactly what we needed. Joel has been a provision from God, and now Dan is an answer to our prayers. Church, God has been so kind to us!
Let us give him thanks! And when you see Dan, welcome him to the staff team!
