Daniel S. Warner

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Daniel S. Warner

Daniel S. Warner was born on June 25, 1842, at Bristol, Wayne County, Ohio. His Parents were David and Leah Warner. His father was a tavern keeper. Daniel was frail and sickly from his birth. His father was rough and inconsiderate of his offspring. His mother was an excellent woman and her kindness left an impression upon everyone.

In his boyhood, Daniel early displayed a gift of entertainment and of public speaking.

He became strong as he grew up and took a particular delight in the dance and his favorite sport was coon hunting.

Daniel volunteered to take his brother's place in the army during the Civil War, his brother being a family man. Daniel became a private in Company C, 195th Regiment, of the Ohio Infantry. It is said, "he found favor with the Captain and was made his clerk. At the close of his term he was honorably discharged."

Daniel's conversion came in February, 1865, while he was attending a protracted meeting in a school house not far from his home.

On the 5th of September, 1865, he enrolled at Oberlin College. He did not attend college as long as he expected. While he was there he began to feel God's hand upon him far the ministry. Seeing the need of laborers in the Lord's harvest while it was day, he felt impressed that God wanted him to cut short his college course [i] and to prepare at once for the ministry. He arranged for a room in his father's house and spent one season there applying himself to prayer, Bible-study and other things which he believed were necessary to his ministerial preparation.

Mr. Warner preached his first sermon on Easter night, 1867, in a Methodist Episcopal protracted meeting in the Cogswell Schoolhouse, not far from where he lived.

Daniel united with the Church of God that was started by John Winebrenner.{1} [ii]

D. S. Warner was licensed at the 11th Annual Eldership of West Ohio, October 16, 1867. He was assigned with J. W. Aukerman to the Findlay and McComb Circuit. (v. 32, n. 27, p. 214)

At the 12th Eldership of Western Ohio, Warner was elected to the Stationing Committee. He was also appointed to the Committees on Rule and Order, Religion and on Obituaries. There was a letter read at this Eldership Session from the McComb Church commending the labors of Brothers Aukerman and Warner. He was assigned to the St. Mary's Circuit for the coming year. (v. 33, n. 28, p. 211)

Warner was very busy on the St. Mary's Circuit. He reports of numerous revivals and a series of Ordinance Meetings held during the year. (v. 34, n. 13, p. 119)

The 13th West Ohio Eldership report records Warner as a Teaching Elder from the St. Mary's Circuit. He was appointed to the Stationing Committee and also to the State of Religion Committee. His ministerial report was given and received, and his licenses renewed. He was assigned to the St. Mary's Circuit for another year.

In December of 1869, Warner held a revival meeting at Union School House, two miles South East of Delphos, Ohio. At the close of this revival, he organized a church there. (v. 34, n. 51, p. 338)

On March 14, 1870, the Neptune, Ohio, church was organized by Warner at the close of a revival. (v. 34, n. 51, p. 394) [1]

In the summer of 1870, Warner gave a report of a camp meeting on the St. Mary's Circuit, where he had about 5,000 people present for his Sunday morning service. (v. 35, n. 20. p. 2)

Warner was elected First Clerk of the 14th West Ohio Eldership, in October 1870. He was appointed to the Committee on State of Religion and also appointed to a special committee to make a constitution to raise funds for widows and orphans. (v. 35, n. 29, p. 2)

Warner was appointed to the Seneca Circuit for the following year. He reports a revival and organizing a church at New Washington, Ohio, in the spring of 1871. (v. 35, n. 51, p. 2)

Recorded in the West Ohio Standing Committee meeting, in the summer of 1871, a T. James was asked to improve his talents as a preacher under the supervision of Elder D. S. Warner. Also in this meeting an S. M. Gaskill was appointed to labor in connection with Elder Warner on the Seneca Circuit. (v. 36, n. 7, p. 3)

In the 15th West Ohio Eldership, Warner was re-elected First Clerk of the Eldership. He was assigned to the Seneca Circuit again for another year. T. James was appointed to labor with him on this Circuit. Warner was elected to preach the opening sermon at the next Eldership. (v. 36, n. 31, p. 3, 5.)

Warner held a revival at New Haven, Ohio, in the spring of 1872. He reports organizing a church here and moving to New Haven to continue with the Church, (v. 36, n. 51, p. 2) [2]

While attending the West Ohio Sunday School Convention, in the summer of 1872, Warner was elected clerk of the Convention and appointed to several of the committees. (v. 37, n. 18, p. 5)

The report of the 16th Annual Eldership, 1872, states that Warner is a teaching elder from Seneca Circuit. He delivered the Eldership Sermon, was appointed on the Temperance Committee, and asked to return to New Haven for another year. He gave his ministerial report and was commended for his labor. He also gave a report on the death of his wife Tamzen A. Warner. During this Eldership Warner was assigned as General Missionary. (v. 37, n. 39, p. 5)

By January, 1873, Warner reports living at Willersville, Ohio. In this report he tells of a revival meeting he held in Crawford County and also preached at several other places. Within this time he visited Toledo, preached and desired to start a church there.

In the spring of 1873, Warner held a revival in Harding County and started a new church. (v. 37, n. 49, p. 2)

At the General Eldership, in June 1873, D. S. Warner was appointed to the Seward Mission in Nebraska. (v. 38, n. 7, p. 3)

After leaving West Ohio, Warner reported in the Advocate a summary of his work for six years. In six years he preached 1118 sermons, had 501 converts, immersed 280, fellowshipped 500, and organized 9 churches. (v. 38, n. 14, p. 2) [3]

Warner arrived in Nebraska on the 4th of July, 1873, to start his work in this mission field. (v. 38, n. 15, p. 2)

Within two months Warner reports on revivals at Seward and Crete, Nebraska, and the work is moving forward. (v. 38, n. 27, p. 5)

The Church Advocate carries an article, about every two weeks, written by Warner, as the Nebraska work moves forward.

In the spring of 1874, Warner reports that he has organized three churches on the Nebraska mission field.

The first year's labor for Warner in Nebraska consisted of preaching 255 sermons at fourteen different places. He organized three new churches, baptized 38, fellowshipped 75 into the churches and had 61 conversions. (v. 39, n. 5, p. 2)

The General Eldership Board of Missions re-appointed Warner to the Nebraska Mission for another year. (v. 39, n. 7, p. 2)

In the fall of 1874 Warner visited in Ohio and visited many of the churches. He held a revival at Upper Sandusky, Ohio. He was censured for this meeting because he organized a church contrary to the rules of cooperation. (v. 39, n. 23, p. 5)

On May 14-17, 1875, the first Ministerial Association meeting of the Church of God was held at Seward, Nebraska. D. S. Warner preached twice. (v. 39, n. 48, p. 2)

D. S. Warner was elected as delegate from Nebraska to the General Eldership in May, 1875. (v. 39, n. 51, p. 5)

In the summer of 1875, Warner writes to the editor of the Church Advocate asking for workers in Nebraska, He also states [4] that he is starting for Ohio and expects to attend the Ohio Eldership. (v. 40, n. 20, p. 2)

D. S. Warner attended the Ohio Eldership in 1875 and was asked to take the Ashland Circuit. He decided to stay in Ohio and take this circuit since he did not have a house in Nebraska that could be used in the winter time. (v. 40, n. 30, p. 2)

In November 1875, Warner held a revival in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. He reported a "meeting of Glorious work of grace and salvation". (v. 40, n. 32, p. 5)

In the first part of 1876, Warner reported a revival in Shenandoah, Ohio that was a great success and starting a meeting at Vermilion, Ohio. (v. 40, n. 40, p. 5)

In the summer of 1876, Warner organized a church at Upper Sandusky, Ohio. (v. 41, n. 1, p. 3)

Warner answered roll call in the 20th Eldership of the Church of God in West Ohio. He was appointed to the Resolutions Committee, the Education Committee, and two special committees. A report given by the Standing Committee that Warner had organized the church at Upper Sandusky contrary to the rules of cooperation brought a rejection of that Church into the Eldership. (v. 41, n. 28, p. 2)

In the fall of 1876, Warner organized a church near Perrysville, on the Ashland Circuit. (v. 41, n. 33, p. 2)

B. Ober, from Texas, assisted Warner in a meeting at Mansfield in the fall of 1876. Ober later reports that, [5] "D. S. Warner is a model young man, of deep piety and superior courage and means business in the work of the ministry and if he continues he will make his mark in the church." (v. 41, n. 37, p. 5)

A report given by the Nebraska Eldership Standing Committee in 1877 states: "The Churches of God at Wayland and Pleasant Hill have suffered greatly on account of the resignation of D. S. Warner two years ago." (v. 22, n. 6, p. 2)

Warner began writing a number of articles on entire sanctification in the fall of 1877, and they were published in the Advocate. (v. 42, n. 9, p. 243)

The 21st Annual Eldership of the Church of God in West Ohio reports: "D. S. Warner answered roll call. He was appointed to the Obituary and Temperance Committees." A special committee was appointed to investigate some charges brought against Warner's having ministers from the Holiness Alliance Band preach in the Church of God. They had investigated the case and "find the charges have been sustained. Further we recommend that his license be granted with certain restrictions: That he cease to spring this so-called 'Holiness Alliance Band', or any other outside party he may stand connected with, upon the Church of God contrary to their wishes and the rules of co-operation." Warner agreed to comply with the request of the committee and received his licenses. (v. 42, n. 17, p. 2)

In the fall of 1877, Warner resigned his circuit. "He fasted and prayed three days before the Lord told him what to do. [6] He has now placed himself into the hands of Mr. Chambers, President of the 'Holiness Alliance'". (v. 42, n. 26, p. 5)

Warner wrote to the Advocate in January, 1878: "Last winter my wife attended a few holiness meetings and was convicted by the Holy Ghost of the necessity of perfect heart-purity. On her return she spoke favorably of this work, when I begin to denounce the whole thing as fanaticism, etc. I had spoken but a few words when the strong hand of God took hold of me and deeply convicted me that I was opposing his work. I prayed to the Lord to forgive me, instantly I felt his gracious pardon, and my heart warmed by the love God, soon flowed out in good words toward the special holiness work."

On the 6th of July, 1877, "at the altar in Mansfield, Ohio, the very God of peace sanctified me wholly." (v. 42. n. 31, p. 2)

A report given by Warner, January 13, 1878, about a revival in Findlay, Ohio, stated: "The glorious work of salvation is still in progress here. Over eighty souls, mostly of the Church of God, have sought and experienced the blessing of perfect purity. The conversions are more clear and powerful than in ordinary protracted meetings, and yet the converts nearly all proceed at once to seek entire sanctification." (v. 42, n. 33, p. 3)

The West Ohio Standing Committee met January 30, 1878, and took up the charges against Warner that: "he had violated the agreement that was made at the Eldership." Therefore his licenses were suspended. (v. 42, n. 34, p, 2) [7]

After this experience Warner continued to preach, but was not satisfied to be called an "independent."

He received some calls for evangelistic meetings in Indiana. This brought him in contact with a group that called themselves "the Northern Indiana Eldership of the Churches of God." This was a branch from the Churches of God in North America. He attended their Eldership in October, 1878, and was accepted into their fellowship and made associate editor of the Herald of Gospel Freedom. This later became the Gospel Trumpet, which is the publication of the Church of God (Anderson).

Warner worked very hard in writing and in evangelistic work.

On December 12, 1895, Warner succumbed to an attack of pneumonia at the age of fifty-three.{2} [8]

NOTES:

{1} A.L. Byers. Birth of a Reformation. Anderson, IN: Gospel Trumpet Company, 1921. pp. 30-44.
{2} John W. V. Smith, Herald of a Brighter Day. Anderson, IN: Gospel Trumpet Company, 1955. Pp. 36-50.