Pastor Job Jimenez

When the Calling Feels Like a Closed Door: The Story of Rev. Job Jimenez

Being told he should leave seminary didn’t just break Job’s heart — it shattered his identity.

“I was convinced at that time that being a pastor wasn’t my calling,” he reflects. Disillusioned and hurting, he returned to Mexico. Faith began to fade. He stepped away from ministry, and for a time, even from church. He questioned God’s love. He doubted his worth.

But someone didn’t forget him.

Rev. Isaac García, president of the Lutheran Synod of Mexico, kept calling. Inviting. Encouraging. “Reconsider,” he said. “God’s not done with you yet.”

Eventually, when the emptiness of life without God became too loud to ignore, Job did what prodigals have done for generations — he returned. Not alone this time, but with his wife by his side, ready to serve again in his local congregation. Slowly, healing came. So did purpose.

He enrolled in a new seminary program through the Dominican Republic — this time as a distance student, holding his books in one hand and ministry tools in the other. And that’s when the call came from Tijuana.

A Church on the Verge, A Pastor Just Beginning

The Lutheran church in Tijuana was barely breathing when Job arrived. Years of struggle had worn it thin — spiritually, emotionally, even financially. Some thought it was too late.

But Job saw something different: possibility.

He preached. He visited homes. He discipled youth. He reached out to neighbors. He helped revitalize not just the congregation, but the very soul of the ministry in Tijuana. And he didn’t stop there. Soon, he was engaging in other parts of the city, seeking out new opportunities for mission, new people hungry for grace, new places to plant the cross.

And then came another divine appointment.

A Macedonian Moment

In February 2023, Job traveled across the border to San Diego to attend the installation of the new Director of Lutheran Mission Society San Diego (LMSSD). He didn’t know anyone there. He came as a representative of the Lutheran Church in Mexico, encouraged by fellow pastors to connect with the missionaries and leaders gathered.

But Job didn’t just show up to shake hands. He came with a plea.

“I’m alone in Tijuana,” he said. “I’m just beginning. There’s so much to learn. I need mentoring. I need leadership. Can you help?”

To the leaders of LMSSD it was unmistakable — the voice of Macedonia echoing from Acts 16: “Come over and help us.” And like Paul’s vision, it became clear: We cannot ignore this call.

Tijuana would now be included in the reach of Lutheran Mission Society San Diego.

Grace Upon Grace

Since then, Job’s life has become a living testimony to the power of God’s faithfulness — and the faithfulness of God’s people.

Support came when his second son, Carlitos, was born with a serious medical condition requiring urgent surgery. The cost was overwhelming. But God’s people, near and far, came through. Job didn’t just witness healing in his child — he saw the church in action, surrounding him in love.

Job is the first to say he doesn’t deserve this.

“I am the greater debtor,” he says, referencing the parable of the unmerciful servant. “I have sinned in many ways. I have been weak. But God took me — like a prodigal — and gave me grace. And now, I get to share that same grace with others.”

The Road Ahead

Today, Pastor Job Jiménez continues to serve in Tijuana — not as a forgotten pastor, but as part of a growing network of missionaries and church planters. His vision is clear:

“To seek unity in Christ. To plant new churches. To restore old ones. To raise up leaders, especially young people, who will one day become pastors and missionaries themselves.”

He asks for prayer — for wisdom, for open doors, for strength in his family and congregation. And above all, he asks that God would send more workers into the harvest field.

Because Job knows now what his father always said:
“If the church is not in mission, it’s dying.”
And this church — in Tijuana, in San Diego, and beyond — is very much alive.