Tom Mercer

President, Executive Director

The Oikos Movement

Tom has been in pastoral ministry for almost 50 years. For 38 of those years, he served as the Senior Pastor and primary teacher at the High Desert Church in Southern California. During that time, the church grew from 125 to multiple campuses and thousands of people.

For the past decade, Tom has also been an ambassador for the oikos principle around the world, frequently speaking at conferences, churches, university classrooms, and denominational gatherings, challenging church leaders to become more efficient through simplification.

Tom received his formal education at Biola University and Talbot Seminary. He is the author of three books, 8 to 15—The World is Smaller Than You Think, Not My Church, and Diary of a World Changer. Tom is married to his wife Sheryl, and they have three married children and eleven grandchildren.

Listen in as Pastor Jeremy McGarity has a great conversation with Pastor Tobin Wilkins.

Listen to and learn more about Coach Downer and his story of integrating his faith into his life story.

Last year, Point Loma's men's basketball team went 29-4 overall, winning the PacWest regular season title after becoming the first team in conference history to finish an unbeaten 20-0 in conference play. The Sea Lions also won the PacWest Tournament before earning the No. 1 seed in the NCAA West Regional.
 
PLNU reached the regional championship game, finishing the season ranked No. 7 in the final D2SIDA Media Poll.

Downer inherits a program that has made six consecutive NCAA West Regional appearances, the longest active streak in the region, having won at least the PacWest regular season or tournament title in the past four full seasons.

Listen to the life story of Tylene Howarter and how she established her relationship with Jesus and NOW how she uses her gifts and talents to pour into others.

Discover Tim's inspiring journey as he shares the incredible transformation God brought into his life and his unwavering love for God. Tim is passionate about guiding those who may have felt lost toward the hope found in a meaningful relationship with Jesus. 

“This is a spiritual war now. This isn’t about Republicans or Democrats.” 🔥
Get ready for an eye-opening conversation as we delve deeper into the heart of the matter with Rodney Scott, the 24th Chief of the United States Border Patrol.

In episode 7, Pastor McGarity interviews Drew Brees, an NFL quarterback legend who led the Saints to nine playoff appearances, earned seven division titles, three NFC Championship game appearances, and the franchise’s first Super Bowl title in 2010. Drew shares his experience in the NFL, what it looks like to become a champion through injuries and perseverance, and his walk with Christ!
Join Lead Pastor Jeremy McGarity in his podcast, Faith & Culture! This platform allows him to explore issues and topics related to our faith in our current culture. Stay tuned as we go further and unpack different topics, invite special guests for interviews, and learn more as followers of Christ. A new episode will be released on the 1st Tuesday of each month.

In episode 6, Pastor McGarity interviews Pastor Chad Bickley, the Executive Pastor at Skyline Church. Chad is passionate about culture and discusses the importance of getting teams of people to buy into the vision, mission, and goals in programs, schools, families, and jobs and how to keep the team focused on the goal. 

Join Lead Pastor Jeremy McGarity in his podcast, Faith & Culture! This podcast allows him to explore issues and topics related to our faith in our current culture. Stay tuned as we go further and unpack different topics, invite special guests for interviews, and learn more as followers of Christ.   A new episode will be released on the 1st Tuesday of each month.

Skyline Church exists to help people find and follow Jesus seven days a week. This is the “why” of what we do. We are convinced that every person needs and desires to know the grace and power of having an authentic, life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

For more information, visit our website skylinechurch.org