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Sheep and Goats: Pacific Life Church
Contact: 1625 Pacific Beach Dr., San Diego 858-945-0777 www.pacificlifechurch.org
Membership: 150
Pastor: Steve Bombaci
Age: 70
Born: San Jose
Formation: Bethany Bible College, Scotts Valley (now closed); Vanguard University, Costa Mesa
Years Ordained: 41
San Diego Reader: What’s your favorite subject on which to preach?
Pastor Bombaci: One of my favorite things to talk to people about is “church-hurt” — people who have been hurt by the church. A lot of times, no matter what I’m talking about, that subject comes through, because so many people have been hurt by the church and they tend to take it out on God. A lot of people have baggage from bad experiences in the church. Often, that means someone in the leadership hurt them, or they were deeply involved and things went sideways with either a person or a department of the church. So, they just walk away from God, and it's sad. In my sermons, I tell people the church is not really a building; its people, and people hurt people. Whether it’s the church or a corporation you work for, people do terrible things sometimes. But the church is God’s program for humanity; it’s his salvation plan. So, you don’t want to walk away from the very plan he has, which will ultimately help us and save us. I try to bring clarity to that subject.
SDR: What’s your main concern as a member of the clergy?
PB: When Covid hit, a lot of people left our church—we had about 500-600 members at that time, and over half the church left and never came back. I am concerned about where those people went. Will they come back? Did they lose their faith? A lot of things have happened since Covid, so I’m trying to help people get back on the right track. We’re trying to make the church as it always was — accessible to everyone. We have a relaxed environment and we try to create what we call an “irresistible space.” We have coffee and goodies and a big smile. We let everyone know they’re welcome. They’re going to get some solid worship and a good message.
SDR: What is the mission of your church?
PB: We inspire people to follow Jesus by loving each other and serving our neighbors. We want to inspire people to follow Jesus by who we are, how we live and by being good neighbors. I’ve been involved in churches all my life and sometimes, those within the church can’t get along. So, we emphasize loving and taking care of one another. But we also care for our neighbors, who are our local community and the global community. We support local and overseas water projects. We financially support Give Clean Water overseas, We See You San Diego, a local homeless outreach, and another local program, CAPS (College Area Pregnancy Services). Those are some of the things we’re involved in and support. The mission of our church is to accomplish the two great commandments—to love God and love our neighbor.
SDR: Where do you go when you die?
PB: I have a biblical view: ultimately, you get what you want. If you want Jesus and the path of Christ, that’s what you get — in heaven. If don’t want Jesus, God’s not going to kidnap you and make you go to a place you don’t want to. So, you get life without God — and life without God would be hell.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Sheep and Goats: Pacific Life Church
Sheep and Goats: Pacific Life Church
Contact: 1625 Pacific Beach Dr., San Diego 858-945-0777 www.pacificlifechurch.org
Membership: 150
Pastor: Steve Bombaci
Age: 70
Born: San Jose
Formation: Bethany Bible College, Scotts Valley (now closed); Vanguard University, Costa Mesa
Years Ordained: 41
San Diego Reader: What’s your favorite subject on which to preach?
Pastor Bombaci: One of my favorite things to talk to people about is “church-hurt” — people who have been hurt by the church. A lot of times, no matter what I’m talking about, that subject comes through, because so many people have been hurt by the church and they tend to take it out on God. A lot of people have baggage from bad experiences in the church. Often, that means someone in the leadership hurt them, or they were deeply involved and things went sideways with either a person or a department of the church. So, they just walk away from God, and it's sad. In my sermons, I tell people the church is not really a building; its people, and people hurt people. Whether it’s the church or a corporation you work for, people do terrible things sometimes. But the church is God’s program for humanity; it’s his salvation plan. So, you don’t want to walk away from the very plan he has, which will ultimately help us and save us. I try to bring clarity to that subject.
SDR: What’s your main concern as a member of the clergy?
PB: When Covid hit, a lot of people left our church—we had about 500-600 members at that time, and over half the church left and never came back. I am concerned about where those people went. Will they come back? Did they lose their faith? A lot of things have happened since Covid, so I’m trying to help people get back on the right track. We’re trying to make the church as it always was — accessible to everyone. We have a relaxed environment and we try to create what we call an “irresistible space.” We have coffee and goodies and a big smile. We let everyone know they’re welcome. They’re going to get some solid worship and a good message.
SDR: What is the mission of your church?
PB: We inspire people to follow Jesus by loving each other and serving our neighbors. We want to inspire people to follow Jesus by who we are, how we live and by being good neighbors. I’ve been involved in churches all my life and sometimes, those within the church can’t get along. So, we emphasize loving and taking care of one another. But we also care for our neighbors, who are our local community and the global community. We support local and overseas water projects. We financially support Give Clean Water overseas, We See You San Diego, a local homeless outreach, and another local program, CAPS (College Area Pregnancy Services). Those are some of the things we’re involved in and support. The mission of our church is to accomplish the two great commandments—to love God and love our neighbor.
SDR: Where do you go when you die?
PB: I have a biblical view: ultimately, you get what you want. If you want Jesus and the path of Christ, that’s what you get — in heaven. If don’t want Jesus, God’s not going to kidnap you and make you go to a place you don’t want to. So, you get life without God — and life without God would be hell.
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