Gideon Horner was born in Springfield, Missouri, on March 11, 1981. His father, Marcus Horner, owned a sewing machine and vacuum cleaner repair shop, and his mother, Clara Horner, worked at home as a seamstress.
Gideon was conceived out of wedlock. As a result, their families and church community ostracized Marcus and Clara. They were married in a civil ceremony on November 19, 1980.
Marcus and Clara remained steadfast in their faith and found a new church home at Cornerstone Baptist Church, where they were accepted and embraced. When the baby was born, they named him Gideon to represent the strength of their faith, love, and commitment.
While looking for permanent work, Marcus did odd jobs at Cornerstone Baptist Church and found favor with a parishioner, Harold Smart. Harold hired Marcus to repair sewing machines and vacuum cleaners. Marcus and Harold developed a father-son relationship, and when Harold died in 2001, Marcus inherited the repair shop.
Gideon was the eldest of three boys. The Horner family was close-knit and freely showed their affection. Clara was particularly funny and loved to sing, often making up alternative lyrics to popular songs.
When he was 16, Gideon accepted a leadership role in the youth ministry at Cornerstone Baptist Church and decided to pursue a career in ministry by age 17. In 2003, he received a Bachelor of Science degree with a minor in Accounting from Missouri State University. In 2006, he graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, with a Master of Divinity degree.
During his last year in seminary, he began dating fellow student Savannah Chase. Savannah earned her Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Counseling in 2006, and the couple married in October of the same year. They moved to Oxford, Mississippi, where Savannah was born and raised.
Gideon was immediately hired as Associate Pastor at Trinity Church on the fast track to becoming Senior Pastor upon Reverend James' scheduled retirement in 2008.
Gideon continued to build on the success of Reverend James's church, focusing on community outreach and developing a popular missional youth ministry.
While working with other clergy members in Yoknapatawpha County to strengthen the community's interdenominational and interfaith relationships, Gideon became particularly good friends with Pastor Wendell Martinson of the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit church, and the two often socialized together.
Gideon and Savannah have a ten-year-old son named Zach and an eight-year-old daughter named Emma.
