“I really feel like God led me to Faith—because I didn’t have any connections to the school,” reflects Pastor Stan Lightfoot, his voice still carrying the warmth of conviction about a decision made nearly five decades ago. “I felt like the Lord was pushing me in that direction.”
That divine nudge would set Stan and his wife Jan on a lifelong journey of ministry that spans 47 years and counting—a path that began in the halls of Faith Baptist Bible College in 1974 and continues today at Rustic Hills Baptist Church in Colorado Springs.
The College Years
When young Stan arrived at Faith as a freshman, he also brought with him two passions: soccer and music. Faith was launching its inaugural soccer program that year. “I’d like to be a part of the inaugural soccer program,” Lightfoot recalls, “so that was an added incentive.”
The new team lost its first game to a high school squad but quickly transformed. By their second year, they were invited to a tournament at Manhattan: “I think they invited us because they figured it was our second year we were going to be a patsy.” Instead, Faith won the entire tournament, a memory that still brings a smile to Lightfoot’s face decades later.
But it wasn’t just athletics that shaped the Lightfoots’ college experience. Both Stan and Jan found their place in the chorale, an experience that Pastor Lightfoot describes simply as “wonderful.” Those four years included touring opportunities, summer groups, and musical ministry that took them far beyond Ankeny.
“I traveled with the trumpet trio and also traveled with the men’s quartet,” Lightfoot recounts. Meanwhile, Jan had perhaps the most extraordinary opportunity of all—traveling with Dr. Kober to Europe and crossing back and forth across the Iron Curtain before its fall.
A Heart Surrendered
While Lightfoot arrived at Faith with clear pastoral ambitions, his sophomore year brought an unexpected turning point. During the missions conference, God confronted his heart about his closed attitude toward overseas work.
“I was saying, I’m going to serve the Lord as a pastor, but I’m not going overseas, I don’t want to learn a new language, and I don’t want to be in a new culture,” Stan admits, emotion still evident in his voice years later. “I sat down in the Convocation building [Nettleton Center] after one of the conference messages. I just sat down and wept and told God I would do whatever He wanted me to do.”
As it turns out, God did indeed want him to be a pastor, but he also required a heart fully surrendered to whatever path might come.
Foundations for Ministry
After graduation in 1978—Jan with a degree in elementary education and Stan in pre-seminary—the next chapter took them to Denver Baptist Theological Seminary. There, Stan completed his formal education while serving at Berean Baptist Church in Boulder.
His ministry journey took shape when Pastor Bryce Augsburger invited the young seminarian to become his assistant pastor at Calvary Community Baptist Church. For 12 years, Lightfoot gained invaluable experience in youth ministry, music, and Christian education. During this time, he and Jan were married and all of their children were born.
In 1993, a call came from Rustic Hills Baptist Church in Colorado Springs. The invitation to candidate for senior pastor would lead to what has become the Lightfoots’ life work—a ministry now in its 33rd year.
Mentors Who Shaped a Life
When asked about Faith’s impact, Pastor Lightfoot points not just to doctrinal foundations but to the men who poured into his life. Men like Dr. Domokos, the Houghton brothers, and Dr. Kober spring immediately to mind—each leaving an indelible mark on his approach to ministry.
Perhaps most touching was his experience with Dr. Nettleton. As a campus worker emptying trash cans, Lightfoot would arrive at the president’s office to do a quick in-and-out task. Instead, “Dr. Nettleton would usually invite me in and say, ‘Take a seat, Stan, how are you doing? What’s going on? How are your classes going? Anything I can pray for you about?'”
For a freshman in awe of the school’s president, these moments of genuine interest proved unforgettable. “I just loved it,” Lightfoot says, highlighting how these personal connections reinforced the college’s lessons on balanced ministry and servant leadership.
Ministry Beyond the Pulpit
While pastoring at Rustic Hills has been his primary calling for the last 33 years, the Lightfoots’ ministry has extended well beyond the church walls. Last year, Stan traveled to Nepal to teach pastors—an experience that still lights up his face. “I’d do that again in a heartbeat. That was so much fun,” he shares with characteristic enthusiasm.
He has also found joy in academic settings, teaching multiple courses at Front Range Bible Institute in Colorado Springs. The Lightfoots have also embraced opportunities to serve their community through various civic engagements, creating a ministry footprint that reaches far beyond weekly church services.
New Horizons Ahead
After more than three decades shepherding the flock at Rustic Hills, Stan and Jan are preparing for a new season. They will retire from their current roles at the end of 2025, but, true to form, they’re “not planning on sitting in a rocking chair and waiting to die.”
While they’re unsure exactly what lies ahead, their immediate focus speaks volumes about their character: “Let’s get this church as strong as we can get it, and put it on as good a footing as we can get it, so they’re prepared for the transition process that’s coming.”
From the soccer field in Ankeny to the pulpit in Colorado Springs—with stops for trumpet trios, Iron Curtain crossings, and teaching pastors in Nepal along the way—the Lightfoots’ journey embodies what Faith has always hoped to inspire in its graduates: lives of faithful service, led by God’s gentle pushes in unexpected directions.
