Spontaneous cheers and applause erupted from the congregation of the Metropolitan Community Church recently when it was announced that Rev. Dan Koeshall has been selected as the candidate to become senior pastor of the church, where he served as associate pastor and music director from 1999 to 2005.

Koeshall will preach at the church on Nov. 11 and Nov. 18 before church members vote Nov. 18 in a congregational meeting at 1 p.m. to confirm him as the senior pastor. The church, which holds its services at The San Diego LGBT Community Center (The Center) on Centre Street in Hillcrest, ministers to everyone and has a strong following of LGBT people in its congregation.

“We’re excited; we’re enthusiastic about Rev. Koeshall’s candidacy for senior pastor,” said Al Smithson, the vice moderator for the board of directors at MCC in San Diego.

“He brings a great energy that goes along with that big smile of his. He has a passion and a joy for ministry.”

Tim Alexander, the chair of the Pastoral Search Committee, made the announcement to the church on Oct. 28 that Koeshall was the candidate the committee selected for senior pastor.

“The congregation erupted into applause and cheers and a lot of excitement when Tim Alexander announced his candidacy for senior pastor,” Smithson said.

Church member Michael Lizzar remembered the moment when Koeshall’s name was announced. When Koeshall worked at MCC for six years, he was referred to as Rev. Dan.

“Rev. Dan is such a wonderful man and a caring person, and I think he is well qualified to become MCC’s new pastor,” Lizzar said. “I’m looking forward to him being elected. He’s so well liked by everyone.”

Koeshall turned down the job as senior pastor in late 2005 after Rev. Tony Freeman announced he was leaving to accept another position.

Koeshall said he was called to become the interim senior pastor at Pikes Peak MCC in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he still pastors.

Rev. John Gill has served as interim senior pastor in San Diego since March 2006 and will continue his leadership at MCC until Dec. 31, he said on Sunday.

Lee Bowman, minister of communications for MCC, said Koeshall must receive 70 percent of the votes of active members who will cast paper ballots on Nov. 18. There are 241 active members, Bowman said.

Proxy voting for absent members is not allowed.

The 40-something reverend received a master’s degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1986 and was ordained as a licensed minister by the Assembly of God denomination.

He served at an Assembly of God church in Escondido, but was fired in 1998 when church members learned of his sexual orientation. Bowman is gay.

Koeshall occasionally spoke about the experience after he became an associate pastor of MCC in 1999 and said he was “outed” by someone who was a friend at the time.

Koeshall will preach Nov. 11 and attend an all-church pizza party at 12:30 p.m. at The Center. He will attend a ministry forum on Nov. 14 from 7-9 p.m. at MCC’s ministry center at 4340 Vandever Avenue.

Koeshall will also attend an all-church ice cream social on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. at 4340 Vandever Avenue.

The pastoral search committee narrowed its choice of candidates to Koeshall following one and a half years of work. The church has also been looking at options for purchasing a permanent church home. It was located on 30th Street in North Park for almost 20 years, but lost its parking lot across the street to a developer, and sold itsbuilding in 2002. It has been holding services at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. at The Center since then.