Pastor Dave, as he is affectionately known to his congregation, was born in Akron, Ohio, and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. The only child of George and Ruth Gohn, he graduated from Lutheran High School East; from Concordia College, Ann Arbor, and from Concordia College in River Forest, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education with a concentration in sociology.
He became Director of Christian Education at First Trinity Lutheran Church in Washington, D.C., where he served for five years, working with a variety of cultures; from officers of the Pentagon to the very poor. From there he moved to Jackson, Michigan where he was Director of Youth and half-time teacher at Trinity Lutheran Church for seven years. To fulfill his dream of being a local congregation pastor, he moved his family from Trinity to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to complete his studies at Concordia Theological Seminary.
Pastor Dave was in a hurry to begin service as pastor and finished the three year colloquy program in half the time at the top of his class. Almost immediately following ordination, he began the mission in Flat Rock under the auspices of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Trenton. Community Lutheran Church in Flat Rock was established as a mission congregation in 1979 with three members: his wife, Barbara, himself and his nine-year old daughter, Kimberly Faith. Under Pastor Dave’s excellent leadership, C.L.C. has been blessed with substantial growth in members and ministry and has had five major building projects.
