Staff 

Instead of a single lead pastor guiding the congregation, we choose to have a group of pastors & elders who both share in the teaching of the church as well as share in the day to day leadership and care of the church community. Our desire is to seek to model the ways of Jesus in our leadership. Given this conviction, it is our belief that a plurality of servant-leaders best ensures the spiritual health of both the leaders and members in the local body. We recognize and anticipate that this will not be without struggle, but we are committed to striving to be led by the Spirit as we lead Garden City Church as a Spirit-filled team. For more details please visit our values and commitments page.

Our pastors and staff are bi-vocational. It is both a conviction and commitment that our pastors and staff are financially cared for by our community but we also desire for them to stay connected and engaged with the outside world. Along with the rest of our community, our staff view themselves as sent missionaries to the world. 

Jake Augeri

teaching, gospel communities, worship

Jake serves as one of our pastors and elders. Jake loves theology, reading, eating, and helping others understand the beautiful message of Jesus. He has been in ministry for the past 13 years.

He is married to the girl of his dreams named Lindsey and together, they have a 6 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. Lindsey is a certified teacher in Arizona and currently works as an ESL and elementary school teacher. She also serves on the advisory board of a local preschool geared towards providing affordable and intentional care for pre-school age students. Lindsey brings a passion for community and caring well for others to Garden City.

Jake has a bachelors degree in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University and a Master of Divinity from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. 

As a family, they love the beach and the mountains, taking afternoon (or morning & evening) naps, but most importantly, seeing pictures of Jesus’ kingdom come to West Mesa as it is in heaven!

When Jake is not serving our church, he practices Real Estate, helping others navigate the process of buying and selling their homes.

Questions for Jake? Email him directly at jake@gardencityaz.org

Matthew Gibson

teaching, discipleship, marriage

Matt serves as one of our pastors and elders. Matt loves teaching & learning, engaging in conversations about formation in Jesus, and has been in ministry for the past 25 years serving in several different pastoral roles. 

He likes a girl named Adrienne and has been married to her since 1999. Together, they have 3 children. Adrienne is a licensed professional counselor and is currently a clinical supervisor for the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners and the owner of Valor Counseling. In addition, Adrienne has a Masters degree in New Testament which she earned under the supervision of Dr. Scot McKnight. She brings wisdom and health to Garden City’s team.

Matt is a graduate of The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences where he studied audio production. Matt is an avid reader and has taken several seminary classes in the US, Canada, and United Kingdom. In addition, Matt has received training in Ancient Semitic languages from Hebrew University of Jerusalem as well as background in Koine Greek.

As a family, the Gibson’s, love exploring new restaurants, taking road trips, beach days, but most importantly, seeing pictures of Jesus’ kingdom come to West Mesa as it is in heaven!

When Matt is not serving our church, he is producing, engineering, and mixing records for local, regional, and national artists and bands. 

Questions for Matt? Email him directly at matt@gardencityaz.org

Elders

Elders partner with our pastors in serving and shepherding the local communal church. They lead in prayer, teaching, confession, and sacrifice. This role in our church is a privilege and we seek to install people who are already embodying the life of an elder; what we call elder (ing).

Our elders serve in their role for a term of 3 to 5 years. After a 5 year term, any lay elder takes a minimum of a 1 year sabbatical from their shepherding responsibilities. After a 1 year sabbatical, the lay elder may return to their role for another term if the Spirit is leading in this way. This ensures our servant leaders continue a rhythm of healthy work and rest. This also is a practice against believing an appointment to the office of elder is an identity marker for the elders among us. This practice invites us to remember that the role of elder is a calling and gift to be the first to serve not the first to be served.

Garden City currently have two pastor/elders and one lay elder.