Rev. Daniel J. Doty

The Rev. Mr. Daniel J. Doty is an Ohio native. He was born in Columbus Grove, Ohio and was baptized and confirmed in the Columbus Grove United Church of Christ. Dan attended Bowling Green State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music education. He taught in the public schools of Ohio for four years before answering his call to ministry.

While at Bowling Green Dan, met and married Amy Dean in 1987. They attended and joined a United Methodist church in college. They moved their small family to Illinois where Dan attended a United Methodist Seminary (Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL) and Amy began doctoral studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

While earning his Master of Divinity, Dan served as student pastor of the Ashkum United Methodist Church, Ashkum, Illinois. Following ordination and three more years of pastoring the Ashkum Church, Dan and his family returned to Ohio where Dan was appointed as the pastor of Community United Methodist Church, Union City, Ohio. The polity and short tenure of clergy appointments in the United Methodist Church caused Dan to take a leave of absence from active ministry.

He returned to the classroom and was hired to be a vocal music instructor in the Barberton School system. He and his family made the move to Wadsworth so that they could be between Dan’s employer and Amy’s employer, the Buckeye Local School system (Medina, Ohio.) Amy is currently the Assistant Elementary Principal in the Black River Local School System, Sullivan, Ohio.

Dan soon began to miss active ministry and made a connection at Trinity United Church of Christ who at that time was looking for a new Senior Minister. After taking a UCC polity class and securing Privilege of Call in the Eastern Ohio Association (no Living Water Association), Dan was called to be the Senior Minister of Trinity United Church of Christ in June of 2005.

Rev. Doty served Trinity Church until 2016 when he accepted the call to be the Senior Minister of The Bath Church, UCC in Akron, Ohio. Following a three-year stint there, he participated in Interim Training offered by the Heartland Conference. From 2020-21, Daniel served as the Interim Associate Pastor of the Westerville Community United Church of Christ in Westerville, Ohio. Upon completion of his work with the Westerville church, Dan became the Interim Senior Minister of First Congregational Church of Tallmadge in July of 2021. In January of 2022, FCC called Rev. Doty as their 20^th Senior Minister!

Daniel is a classically trained opera singer and has lived in Italy and has sung with various symphonies and community bands in Ohio and throughout the Midwest. In May of 2017, he made his singing debut in Carnegie Hall, NYC.

Dan and Amy live in Wadsworth. They are the proud parents of two daughters Kristian and Kaetlyn, a newlywed son Sean and daughter-in-law Sara!