Travis Hearn

Hearn has been a pastor for more than 20 years, spending many of those years as a team pastor for MLB and the Phoenix Suns. Locals are invited to join the several thousand people who catch him every weekend at Scottsdale’s Impact Church.

What is the most rewarding part of your career?

Watching people find hope and experiencing brand new starts in life. Watching marriages being restored and addicts being set free.

What about the biggest challenge?

Our building size, limited parking spaces and bathrooms. We outgrew our building years ago and hold four weekend services to accommodate our family and the continued growth. We had several thousand people attend church each weekend, and we only have 45 parking spots, three women’s bathroom stalls and two men’s urinals.

Impact Church is one of the fastest-growing churches in the U.S. To what do you attribute this success?

I think there are many factors. It's a place where people feel welcomed, loved and accepted. It's a safe place for everybody. We also have an amazing ministry team, and our church family is the most loving group of people I have ever been around. We love people for who they are and where they are in life. We also believe church should be fun and full of life and laughter, so every weekend we throw a God-sized party. 

What would you tell someone who hasn’t been to church in years and is teetering on attending again? 

I think attending church—for the first time or the first time in a while—can be very scary and intimidating. We have a casual atmosphere with a one-hour service. We dress casual, offer yummy custom coffees, tasty Krispy Kreme doughnuts and snacks for the health conscious as well. Our services can be checked out at ImapctChurch.com or by downloading our free app by typing in "Impact Church AZ" into your app store. 

What influence do you hope to have on the Valley?

 That my life and our church is a true reflection of the love of Jesus Christ. That we help people find hope, peace and love.

In what ways do you give back to the community?

Our ministry is international. We serve in domestic and foreign missions through various avenues like feeding the hungry, giving away toys and clothes, building houses and training pastors around the world. We also have a weekly ministry called Celebrate Recovery for people struggling with hurts, habits and hangups.

What are some of your free-time passions?

My family and I love to travel and experience the world. And we are crazy about basketball at any level.