Dan Tuttle
Senior Pastor
Pastor Dan was born in Nebraska on February 14, 1951, and grew up on the Central Coast of California. From the age of nine years old, he sensed a spiritual move in his life. He learned to surf at age 12, and since then, has enjoyed many exotic surf spots throughout the world. Pastor Dan’s education includes: Santa Maria High School; Allan Hancock College; Life Bible College and Calvary Chapel Bible College Extension. Dan got saved at age 20, and not long after, he met Susie by handing her a Gospel tract. After dating her for one week, they were engaged, and a year later, they were married. They have two sons, two daughters-in-law and four grandchildren. In Dan’s early years, working for a big company, he drove various kinds of 18 wheeler trucks. Working his way up in the company, he was promoted to Manager of an entire petroleum distribution bulk plant. After several years, the Lord called Dan and Susie into full time ministry. He was ordained at Calvary Chapel Santa Maria in 1995, and commissioned by them to plant a Calvary Chapel in the western village of Nipomo, which is still going strong today.
After a few years, the Lord then called the family to Georgia, where he planted Calvary Chapel Savannah and pastored it for 16 years. In 2012, he and Susie moved back to California for health reasons. Dan then served as Associate Pastor at Calvary Chapel Santa Maria. While there, he served in various ministries, such as leading the 55 and older Excursion Adventures ministry as well as teaching a Community Group Bible Study. However, his main ministry was their Missions Pastor, which took him to: Israel; Katmandu, Nepal; Tijuana, Mexico; Lima, Pucallpa, and the Amazon Jungle of Peru. In 2020, the Covid-19 Pandemic instantly shut down all his ministries. So in 2021, Dan and Susie moved to Bluffton, to be close to their sons and their families. On January 7, 2024, Pastor Dan became the new Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Lowcountry. Next year, Pastor Dan and Susie will celebrate serving in the ministry for 30 years!