Andrew Farhat serves as Lead Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church and School in Denver, Colorado, where his ministry brings together Gospel proclamation, family discipleship, school leadership, and global outreach. His path to pastoral leadership was not linear. It moved through engineering, personal conversion, theological study, early congregational repair, and ultimately a Divine Call to one of Denver’s long-standing Lutheran institutions.
At St. John’s, Andrew Farhat helps guide a ministry that includes two campuses, a K-8 school founded in 1882, 15 city-wide Life Groups, and active mission partnerships in 10 countries. The church and school reach more than 500,000 people annually with the Gospel through worship, education, small groups, digital teaching, and mission engagement. His leadership reflects both theological conviction and practical organizational discipline.
From the University of Washington to Concordia Seminary
Andrew Farhat earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington in 2002. That academic discipline required precision, systems-level thinking, and methodical problem-solving, qualities that would later carry into his work as a pastor and organizational leader.
Before entering seminary, Andrew Farhat spent three years working on U.S. Navy contracts in Bremerton, Washington. That period gave him professional experience outside the church before he moved fully into pastoral preparation.
In 2005, Andrew Farhat and his wife, Daisy, relocated to St. Louis so he could attend Concordia Seminary. He earned a Master of Divinity in 2009, with particular academic strength in Greek and Historical Theology. This formation gave Andrew Farhat the theological foundation for a ministry centered on Scripture, Lutheran teaching, preaching, and pastoral care.
A Faith Formed Through Study and Conversion
Andrew Farhat’s path into ministry was also shaped by personal transformation. Born in Seattle in 1980 to Lebanese immigrant parents, he grew up in the Lake City neighborhood and later experienced a period of searching during young adulthood.
Around the year 2000, after difficult turning points that included a DUI citation as a minor and a serious car accident, he began attending The Inn at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle. Through mentorship, apologetics, and the study of the Gospel of John, his Christian faith took root. God gave Andrew a new beginning, and faith.
That conversion led him into deeper study of Scripture and church history. He examined Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy before concluding that the Lutheran Reformation represented the clearest recovery of the New Testament teaching on justification by grace through faith. That conviction continues to shape his preaching and pastoral leadership.
Early Ministry and the Lessons of Roseburg
After graduating from Concordia Seminary, Andrew Farhat began his pastoral career at St. Paul Lutheran Church and School in Roseburg, Oregon. The congregation was facing several serious challenges, including a financial deficit, a fractured elder structure, and a legal dispute with a former teacher.
The setting required pastoral care, administrative clarity, and patient leadership. Within a year, the congregation’s finances had been stabilized, the elder structure had been reformed, and the legal dispute had been resolved through direct conversation and mutual reconciliation.
That early call helped shape the leadership approach of Pastor Andrew Farhat. It demonstrated that church health depends not only on preaching and teaching, but also on clear structure, reconciled relationships, and responsible stewardship. Those lessons would later become important in his work at a larger multisite ministry in Denver.
Leading St. John’s Lutheran Church and School in Denver
In 2018, Andrew Farhat received a Divine Call to serve as campus pastor of the Wash Park site at St. John’s Lutheran Church and School in Denver. St. John’s is a multisite congregation with two campuses and a long history of Christian education through its K-8 school, which was founded in 1882.
When the Lead Pastor accepted a call elsewhere in 2021, the congregation called Andrew Farhat into the Lead Pastor role. In that position, he now helps guide the full ministry of the church and school, including worship, teaching, school life, family ministry, Life Groups, and global mission partnerships.
The scope of St. John’s Church Denver reflects a coordinated ministry structure. The congregation reaches more than 500,000 people annually with the Gospel through in-person and digital ministry, school programming, 15 city-wide Life Groups, and mission partnerships in 10 countries.
Certified Leadership Development
Between 2020 and 2021, Andrew Farhat completed the Senior Leader Track certification through the Pastoral Leadership Institute. That training supported his preparation for broader leadership responsibilities in a large and complex ministry setting.
The certification fits the larger pattern of his career. His engineering background trained him to think structurally. His seminary education grounded him theologically. His first call in Roseburg taught him to lead through institutional difficulty. His work at St. John’s now brings those strands together in a ministry that requires preaching, teaching, organizational leadership, and community presence.
Preaching, Podcasting, and Daily Encouragement
Andrew Farhat’s ministry extends beyond Sunday worship. From 2022 to 2024, he co-hosted Transformed with Daisy alongside his wife, Daisy. The podcast produced approximately 90 episodes and addressed themes connected to faith, family, and personal transformation.
That work reflected a broader pastoral priority: making biblical teaching accessible within the ordinary rhythms of life. Pastoral care does not only happen in a sanctuary. It also happens through conversations, teaching resources, family encouragement, and consistent engagement with Scripture.
A new five-minute daily biblical encouragement podcast is planned for 2026. The format reflects Andrew Farhat’s interest in short, consistent teaching that can support people throughout the week.
A Ministry Centered on Family and Outreach
Three commitments consistently shape Andrew Farhat’s work: sharing the Gospel, serving families, and strengthening outreach. Those priorities are visible across the life of St. John’s Lutheran Church and School.
Family ministry is especially connected to St. John’s School Denver, which enrolls more than 300 students and provides Christian education as part of the broader mission of the congregation. Through the school, worship life, Life Groups, and teaching resources, St. John’s supports families across multiple settings.
Outreach is also central to the ministry. Locally, 15 city-wide Life Groups create connection across Denver neighborhoods. Globally, mission partnerships in 10 countries extend the congregation’s Gospel work beyond Colorado. Together, these efforts reflect a ministry built around both local care and wider mission engagement.
Andrew Farhat lives in Denver with his wife, Daisy, and their four children. His family life is closely connected to the community he serves and to the ministry priorities that shape his work at St. John’s.
A Pastoral Career Built on Formation and Service
Andrew Farhat’s leadership at St. John’s Lutheran Church and School reflects a career shaped by several forms of preparation. Engineering trained him in disciplined thinking. Seminary formed him in Lutheran theology. Early pastoral work in Roseburg taught him to lead through complexity. St. John’s has given him the opportunity to apply those experiences in a ministry with deep roots and broad reach.
His work remains centered on the same commitments that have shaped his pastoral path: Gospel proclamation, theological teaching, family formation, and outreach. Through St. John’s Lutheran Church and School, Andrew Farhat continues to serve a Denver congregation whose ministry extends from classrooms and Life Groups to global mission partnerships and digital encouragement.
About Andrew Farhat
Andrew Farhat is the Lead Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church and School in Denver, Colorado. He holds a Master of Divinity from Concordia Seminary and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington. With more than 15 years of pastoral experience across congregations in Oregon and Colorado, his ministry focuses on Gospel proclamation, theological education, family ministry, school ministry, and global outreach. More information is available through Andrew Farhat’s pastoral work at St. John’s Lutheran Church and School.
