A combination of staff and congregational leaders attend to the operations and growth of All Pilgrims Christian Church.
All Pilgrims Christian Church is served by our pastor, the Rev. Greg Turk; our Minister of Music, Stephen Marshall-Ward; and Office Manager, Jeremy Matheis. Administrative ministry is offered by the Coordinating Council, its officers and committees; spiritual care is provided by the Spiritual Care team.
The Rev. Gregory Turk was called to All Pilgrims in April 2010. Greg is a dynamic preacher and ardent community activist with a passion for urban ministry.
His background includes founding a Spanish-language church in Fort Worth, Texas, working to reduce violent gang activity in south-central Los Angeles, and consulting with the Montana state prison system.
Greg accepted the call to All Pilgrims because he wanted to work within an urban congregation that is alive and constantly endeavoring to expand itself. Greg is a driver of our ministries to children, the neighborhood, and the homeless, as well as our ministries of spiritual care, prayer services, and interfaith dialogue. He was instrumental in creating our College of Spirituality.
But Greg doesn’t do it all himself—he challenges all in our congregation to stretch beyond ourselves in ministry.
Central to God’s vision, Greg believes, is love—an all-embracing love expressed in Greg’s watchword, “God loves you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” God challenges us to reflect this love by weaving the tapestry of a just and peaceful world in which all live abundant, full lives in service to God and community with each other. In this spirit, Pastor Greg celebrates the dignity and worth of all people as he combines the quest for spiritual growth with his passion for social justice.
A native of the Pacific Northwest, Greg earned a Bachelor’s degree from Central Washington University and a Master of Divinity degree at Brite Divinity School of Texas Christian University. He has published articles, educational material, and a chapter in a book about faith and politics. His many extracurricular skills range from baseball (he plays shortstop) to soapmaking (he started a soap-making micro-enterprise in Los Angeles, gainfully employing gang members). Greg and his wife Lynn have two children, Hannah and Luke.
Some words Greg’s parishioners have used to describe him are high-energy, gifted preacher and teacher, passionate, socially conscious, peacemaker, and good sense of humor. In Pastor Greg’s view, “The church is about great things. Mediocrity is not part of the program. People want to be connected with deep meaning and participate. We all want to feel that when we’re here, we matter.”
