Today we’d like to introduce you to Jared Greer
Hi Jared , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was a Youth Pastor for 12 years and I always loved using sports as a way to connect with teenagers so I could build relationships and share the love, hope and truth of Jesus. I used football, basketball, and baseball as a way to do this for years. In 2010 or so I discovered American Ninja Warrior on Tv. My students encouraged me to apply for the show! I thought this would be a fun way to build some hype and energy around our youth ministry. In 2014 I applied and was selected! I didn’t have much experience on these kinds of obstacles so I fell early. I ended up getting on the show 2 more times and made it a little further each time. While I thought my personal success on the show would open doors to minister to more people I realized that just taking the brave step to even attempt the show resonated with students. This alone got them excited and it created more opportunities for me to share the hope I have found in Jesus with them. I eventually had an idea of bringing a portable obstacle course to churches and camps and schools and sharing a message about overcoming obstacles. We had our first events in December of 2015. People loved it and many people made decisions to overcome obstacles through faith in Jesus. We realized that one event with so much fun and energy and truth could create a spark that could change people’s lives! So people built obstacles and gave them to me! We ended up with a pretty cool course! In 2017 I started a non-profit called “Overcoming Obstacles Ministries.” In 2018 I went full time leading events. I started working with hundreds of volunteers and created a network of other American Ninja Warrior athletes and Christian leaders to help lead events. Now we have done almost 500 events! We have had more than 165,000 people attend our events, and we have helped almost 4,000 people start a faith relationship with Jesus. It has been an amazing journey and I really feel like we are just getting started. I would love to see more people join our network and put more Overcoming Obstacles Regions around the country. The last time I competed on the show was 2019. But a whole new part of my story is being written. I just received a call from the casting department that I will compete on season 17 of American Ninja Warrior. I’m going to keep overcoming obstacles. I’m going to fall, but I will keep getting back up! And I know that many people are going to attend our events, have some fun, hear a message of hope, love and truth and they will leave there knowing they can get back up, and that they can overcome obstacles in life through faith in Jesus.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No! We have faced so many “obstacles” along the way. We started with very little and had to work hard and solve so many problems to figure out how to run this ministry successfully and effectively. We have had more flat tires than I can count! We have had truck issues and trailer issues. I never signed up to be a trucker or a financial expert. But when leading a small organization you have to step up and solve whatever problem comes your way. Why go through all that?! Because the mission matters! It’s worth overcoming whatever we face so we can have the opportunity to share this message of love, hope and truth.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
In highschool my football team won in the final seconds in a playoff game in the Astrodome against a team we were projected to lose to by 38 points.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.obstacleministry.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaredg4christ/ and https://www.instagram.com/overcomingobstaclesministries/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/overcomingobstaclesministries/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JaredGreer
