Are there not any good pastors out there?

I know this is a sports blog, so I give a wholehearted apology to all of those who are reading this to see my opinion on NFL labor negotiations or San Francisco Giants repeat chances. This article is in response to an article posted on a the blog at http://nearemmaus.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/are-there-no-good-pastors-out-there/. This blog is an opportunity to show gratitude where it is due.

I have recently left the tutelage of a pastor who has set the bar forever as to what a pastor should be. For me, all pastors will be compared to this man and I know that it’s not fair to the other pastors but that is just the way it is. Unfortunately I have never conveyed to him how much I appreciate him as a pastor and upon seeing this post I was challenged to write an essay about Pastor Jeff in hopes that he will know how much I appreciate him.

Pastor Jeff was a legend in the college I attended. He was a professor there and many tales were told about his spiritual abilities and disciplined pursuit of God, which was nothing short of epic. Some of these stories were far fetched like, if you ever looked him straight in the eyes he would know every moral struggle you had as well as your mother’s maiden name. I even heard he killed a bear with his bare hands to defend a family of helpless squirrels in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Other stories seemed more realistic like his discipline in praying at 4am every morning, fasting 3 days a week and doing a 40 day fast every year was great inspiration for many a bible college student who wanted to do great things for the kingdom of heaven.

I met Pastor Jeff when I was a student at Christian Life College, I had heard about him well before actually meeting him. I decided to go to CLC in response to a call of God on my life. Unfortunately for me, I never felt like I jived well with CLC expectations as to what an aspiring minister should be. I felt like a reject by the faculty because my attitude was bad and my ministerial aspirations were minimal. I feel very fortunate that Pastor Jeff was not swayed where other faculty was.

Pastor Jeff began pastoring a church in San Francisco during my junior year and I joined a group of students who drove to San Francisco every weekend to help out his church, in return Pastor Jeff would take the time to mentor us. I got to know him better than the rumors and epic stories. The amazing thing about him was that he turned out to be a very down to earth guy. As a matter of fact he was very approachable, always saying he wasn’t busy when you knew he was swamped. He was also a regular guy, able to talk about sports and life and you could talk to him about pretty much anything. But what made Pastor Jeff great to me was that he believed in me and trusted me even when most of his peers at the college doubted my sincerity in Christ.  He was different than any pastor that I had ever encountered before; he doesn’t pastor with a set of rules or a list of do’s and don’ts. He mentors by example as he follows Christ the best he can. And the result is a desire to also follow Christ and to be a disciple for your self.

 After graduating Bible College, I decided to move to San Francisco and I attended the church for the next 5 years. Pastor Jeff taught me much about God and what it means to be a disciple. I was able to find a role in his church, he used me in ministry when I don’t believe other pastors would have.

The church he pastors, San Francisco Lighthouse, has become a place where anyone can go and feel that relationship with God is attainable and that they have come to a sanctuary. Jeff preaches with a passion and love for God that is palpable. The time that he invests in studying the Bible allows him to relay messages with honesty and truth. He does the Word of God justice with his sermons, never trying to add to the word of God in hopes of further proving a point. I have often said that if Jeff pastored in Michigan or Texas instead of San Francisco he would have a mega church in his first year it would be that easy. If you know anything of the culture in SF it is a very hard city to try to reach. But today SFL has become so involved in loving and helping people that if it wasn’t there tomorrow, there would be a gaping hole in the heart of that city.

So in response to the question “are there not any good pastors out there?” There is definitely some, I feel very privileged to have sat under one of the great pastors out there today and I would like to say thank you Pastor Jeff for the many years you invested in my life, you have shown me what it means to be a pastor and a disciple of Jesus. I can easily say my life will always be bettered for the time I spent at SFL.

After knowing Jeff and being in his church all these years now, I’ve had some chances to discover how much truth is behind the legend of Jeff Garner and let me just say, I’ve looked him straight in the eyes and I’m confident he has no clue as to my mothers maiden name.