Since 1995, Dr. Jim Garlow has served as the Senior Pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in La Mesa, C.A., a suburb of San Diego. But that’s not the beginning of the story. The beginning was on a farm in Kansas. Jim was born in Concordia, K.S. and grew up on a farm approximately 9 miles east of town. At age nine, Jim came to know Christ personally. He has never had a second thought about following Christ from that moment on.
Jim spent his first three years of college at Miltonvale Wesleyan College. In his freshman year, he felt a call to full time Christian Ministry. Jim attended his senior year of college at Southern Nazarene University, located in Bethany, O.K. He completed a B.A. (1969), and an M.A. in Religion (1971). Jim continued his academic training at Asbury Theological Seminary, completing a Masters of Divinity degree in 1972. While at Asbury Seminary, Jim became engaged to Carol, from Enid, O.K. They were married in January 1971. In the fall of 1972, Carol and Jim moved to Princeton, N.J., where Jim graduated with a Masters of Theology (1973) from Princeton Theological. In the fall of 1973, Jim began his work on a Doctorate of Philosophy in historical theology, which he completed in 1979 at Drew University, located in Madison, N.J.
In 1977, Jim and Carol became professors at their alma mater Oklahoma Wesleyan University. In 1979, Jim accepted an associate pastoral role as Minister of Lay Development at First Church of the Nazarene in Bethany, O.K. This was an exciting time of experimenting in ways to equip and train laity for the ministry. The Garlows moved to San Diego, C.A. in 1995, where Jim served as pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church.
He has written five books and is working on his sixth, Why God Is So Excited About You. Also, Jim’s one minute commentary, called The Garlow Perspective, is heard Monday through Friday on over 300 Christian radio outlets across the nation.
Jim’s great hobby is walking on the beach at his condo at Pacific Beach (San Diego). Other loves include: God’s team (the Dallas Cowboys, in case anyone doesn’t know who that might be); popcorn (preferably white corn which is hot and well buttered, but who’s picky?); old tractors and farm equipment (even though he moved to San Diego, he’s not a surfer; deep down, he’s still driving a John Deere) and life itself!
Although I attended five different schools after high school, Oklahoma Wesleyan University is the one from which I have the most long-term, ongoing relationships. That is pure gold to me. I am enormously grateful for OKWU the people who sacrificed to support it, the people who gave of themselves to lead it, and the people who attended it.