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For 37 years, he made a big impact at this small SoFla church. And drank a lot of coffee
When Hollywood pastor Terry Danger heard a same-sex couple planned to attend his Sunday service for the first time some 15 years ago, he decided to send a clear message.
Danger went outside and changed the marquee at St. John's Lutheran Church to read, 'Everyone is welcome.'
For long-time congregant and former church council leader Andy Hudson, that small but powerful gesture captured the lead-by-example qualities of Danger, the church's longtime lead pastor who is retiring this month. Hudson credits as him as one of the main reasons he and his wife chose St. John's when they moved to Florida more than 25 years ago.
'I love the fact that they want to participate in life,' Hudson said. 'This is not a come to church on Sunday and then do what you do the rest of the week. It's dude, we're here for all of it.'
Danger (pronounced Dang-ger), 78, is retiring this month after 37 years at St. John's. The small church, located in the shadow of I-95 was founded in 1926, making it one of the oldest churches in Broward County.
After a hurricane leveled the original building, St. John's members relocated to the current location on Van Buren. Around 1988, St. John's needed renovations and a new pastor willing to put in major work. That's when Danger came into the picture, moving from an inner city church in St. Paul, Minnesota to Hollywood. The church was then gutted and rebuilt to what it is today, including the preschool surrounding the sanctuary.
At St. John's, Danger has inspired hundreds over the years to focus on the core tenets of Christianity.
'His message from the pulpit every single week is, what is Christianity about,' said Hudson. 'Jesus said take care of the widows, the orphans, the less fortunate among you. Love each other .. and that's really pretty much the essence of what we believe.'
Danger has performed countless baptisms and helped people celebrate all of life's milestones from marriages to funerals. He is renowned for welcoming everyone, even furry friends, to church on Sundays.
But Danger is perhaps most admired for his works outside of the church — everything from granting scholarships through Rotary Club of Hollywood to coaching softball at South Broward High School to serving on multiple boards, including the ethics board at the University of Miami School of Medicine.
Congregants say he's helped people through their darkest times as a visiting pastor at a drug and alcohol facility. He's sat with people battling serious illness in hospitals and nursing homes, attempting to bring them peace at the end of their lives. He's been known to help friends in the community cut down trees and rebuild parts of their homes after storms.
Church where all are welcome
On a recent Friday a few weeks before his last service, Danger looked back on his long career as a pastor, which started at a 'little country church' in rural Minnesota 51 years ago.
Danger moved to Hollywood in 1987 after the organist from his Minnesota church sold his turkey farm to move to the beach — and invited Danger to become the pastor at St. John's. He and his wife, Jana — a journalist who has worked at various newspapers, including the Miami Herald for over ten years — decided to stay in Hollywood and raise their family.
'He said to them, Well, I actually know a pastor who knows how to work. I'm a country boy. I know how to hammer and nail and do other things,' Danger said.
St. John's is a Lutheran church, a group that was the first to split off from the Catholic Church during the Reformation. Many Lutheran churches, including St. John's, are a part of the 'Reconciling in Christ' designation, which means they welcome all people regardless of 'race, culture, gender identity, sexual orientation, family status, health, faith tradition or economic circumstance,' according to the church's website.
The church has a small group of LGBTQ members including one trans woman. As a minister, Danger has married at least one same-sex couple, which happened to be his own son and his partner.
'All people are welcome into God's community, period. We don't choose and we don't kick them out because they may be different,' Danger said.
'Christ didn't discriminate against the women at the well or the Canaanites or the other people. All people are welcome. And that's been the story of faith forever,' Danger said.
Diminishing membership
Danger isn't afraid to talk about his opinions on the world — outside of the pulpit, of course. But, his opinions on topics like politics (he doesn't care for President Trump) have caused at least one congregant to leave the church.
Though, Danger doesn't see his views as particularly political — he's says worried for the state of the world, especially vulnerable populations like LGBTQ people and the rising cost of housing in Florida. But he said he never lets politics seep into his sermons. In fact, Danger said it's delivering the liturgy that he'll miss the most during retirement.
'I just love it. It's my thing. And maybe the stand up comedian part,' he said. 'I love preaching. That's fine. But my best thing is doing the liturgy and serving Holy Communion. And that just is something special for me, it means something special.'
In recent years, St. John's has been struggling with declining membership, Danger said. The congregation has lost almost two-thirds of its membership since the COVID pandemic, from around 120 attendees in its heyday to 30-40 people currently. It's a trend many legacy churches are struggling with, as more modern megachurches continue to drawn in bigger crowds. Danger said he worries about the future of the church after his departure. 'I think people that are here are wonderful, but I'm worried about the church everywhere. I just don't know,' said Danger.
'Regular human beings'
Long-time congregant Hudson said that it's the small, intimate moments that he'll miss the most — watching his kids throw the tennis ball with the Hudson family dog, Hemingway (who is also a frequent church-goer) in the church courtyard on Sundays, and attending Christmas pageants and Easter egg hunts with friends.
For Hudson, it's his pastor's ability to be himself, flaws and all, that he appreciates as a congregant. 'He and Jana allow themselves to be seen as fallible, vulnerable, regular human beings,' Hudson said.
'He cares about the spiritual community, but he brings that down home Minnesota, salt-of-the-Earth to everything that he does and everything that he is. It's not a facade, it's just who he is.'
After his last service on June 29, Danger plans to spend more time with his children and grandchildren as well as his dog, Lucia. He said he might even pick up old hobbies, like sailing or photography.
One St. John's tradition that will surely be missed after Danger's retirement is the post-service coffee hour that happens each week. It's a time to bond person to person, cup to cup.
'In a world in which more and more people are alone, it's good to have a time to sit down with somebody and to have some coffee and listen to each other.'
It also happens to be one of Danger's favorite ways to spend time with congregants and friends.
'For Lutherans, coffee is the third sacrament,' he said. 'Lutherans have two sacraments, baptism and Holy Communion, but coffee is darn close for a third.'
This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
