{"id":18134,"date":"2016-12-21T13:59:25","date_gmt":"2016-12-21T13:59:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.impactmania.com\/im\/tim-johnson-from-super-bowl-champ-to-senior-pastor\/"},"modified":"2025-11-17T15:32:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T15:32:24","slug":"tim-johnson-from-super-bowl-champ-to-senior-pastor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.impactmania.com\/im\/tim-johnson-from-super-bowl-champ-to-senior-pastor\/","title":{"rendered":"Tim Johnson: From Super Bowl Champ to Senior Pastor"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Pastor<\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

Tim Johnson: From Super Bowl Champ to Senior Pastor<\/span><\/h1>\n
BY PAKSY PLACKIS-CHENG<\/span><\/h5>\n
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Timothy Johnson went from a professional career as a Defensive Lineman in the National Football League (NFL), winning Super Bowl XXVI<\/a><\/strong>, to serving as the senior pastor at Orlando World Outreach Center, in Florida.<\/span><\/p>\n

In April 2017, the second annual He Got Up will be held at Camping World Stadium<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, in Orlando, Florida. Instead of a football game it is a Palm Sunday service, bringing together 120-plus organizations serving thousands of people. Partnering cross-sector allows Pastor Johnson to streamline services offering people a path back to self-sufficiency.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

impactmania<\/em>\u00a0spoke with Pastor Johnson about his professional football career, the impact makers that made an imprint on his professional DNA, and, in turn, how he is making a difference in people\u2019s lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

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How do you go from being a defensive lineman in the NFL, winning the Super Bowl, to serving as Senior Pastor at a church?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

[Laughs<\/em>.] My life is the first miracle I’ve ever seen. I got involved in sports and it gave me a built-in community. I never knew my father, have never even seen a picture of him. That leaves gaps that are hard to fill in a young man’s soul and life. You can pretend in life a lot of times \u2014 I didn\u2019t want people to feel my hurt, loneliness, and sense of illegitimacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

I ended up going to\u00a0Penn State University<\/u><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on a full scholarship. While it was an amazing experience, I learned more about who I was not. <\/span><\/p>\n

Questions like \u201cWho is God?\u201d came up. I didn’t slow down as a kid to ask questions like \u201cWhat am I here for? What is my purpose? Why are we doing all of this?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What experience spurred that question, \u201cWho is God?\u201d to pop up in your mind?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You know how people say, \u201creligion is a crutch\u201d? I found that all my comforts and conveniences in life, family, and friends were my crutches. When I went to Penn State, they were gone. I had to see real life. The program took care of me, but who I was as a person got exposed to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

What did you see? Who were you?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I didn’t know. I was always framed by what people said about me. At\u00a0Sarasota High<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, I was one of the captains of the football team. I was an\u00a0All-American<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, All-State, Lineman of the Year, and Athlete of the Year. I worked at the Boys Club, was prom king, and was named most likely to succeed. I was tied to so many good things that I thought that’s who I was. Something in me knew that wasn’t all there was to life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes people don’t slow down enough to ask questions or they’ve been diluted by popular culture and traditions that they don’t get honest. What if what I believe is not true? I don’t mind challenging myself. For a lot of people, that’s scary. They cut themselves off from new experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

During my sophomore year at Penn State, I was in the hospital. They thought I had spinal meningitis. It was a bad situation. Where do you look when you’re on your back? And so, I looked up and asked, \u201cGod if you are up there, can you help me out?\u201d [Laughs<\/em>.] I wanted to cut a deal with God.<\/span><\/p>\n

I ended up being\u00a0co-MVP<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>for the Penn State spring game. For weeks, I tried to read my bible. I thought, \u201cI\u2019d better keep my end of the bargain or this is not going to be good for me.\u201d I tried my hardest, but it felt like reading Greek upside down.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, football players and I ended up in a gathering at a church. [Former NFL quarterback]\u00a0Todd Blackledge<\/u><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>was speaking and holding a Bible. I was sitting in my seat with a million questions. I thought, \u201cWhy do I feel like I’m supposed to live like that?\u201d As I sat there, my heart was stirred; I had more questions than answers. But I knew God was calling me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is there anything you’ve learned playing in the NFL that helps you in your role today?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, it takes teamwork to make a dream work. It takes a passion for what you do to persevere. Sacrifice and leadership are huge. Being able to have a clear line on a vision and having a leader who is inviting people to join on a journey of a lifetime are critical.<\/span><\/p>\n

Give me an example of something specific you learned that you apply today.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The coaches I played for are legends in the world of sports.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Paterno<\/u><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>demanded excellence and character. The expectation he had for us to become men, not just athletes, was exceptional. Something I desperately needed. So many athletes and people are defined by their job. He was helping to build us to be productive citizens in our communities and our nation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Graduating from college was a high priority for Joe. He would make us dress up with a coat and tie as college students on all of our away trips. He showed us how to be professional and instituted a pursuit of excellence, but with humility.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chuck Knoll<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, one of the coaches in the NFL, had four Super Bowl wins. He is a passionate man, I learned how to strategize, plan, and be consistent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Gibbs<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, another legend that I played for, has been a champion both in the NFL and\u00a0NASCAR<\/u><\/strong><\/a>. Joe Gibbs is a man of faith and led his team to championships with heart and conviction by being inclusive. He created a wholesome environment, not just for the players, but for their families too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Greene<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, is a Hall of Fame defensive lineman, he taught me mental toughness. He taught me how my faith isn’t a reason to compromise or to be soft. My faith gives me an anchor to be even more intense and more driven in the professional ranks. There’s quite a difference between college and pro.<\/span><\/p>\n

What would be one of the main differences?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The main differences are the size and the speed of everybody. When you’re in college, you have good match-ups athletically and team wise. But not everybody is at the highest level.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our team at Penn State was at the highest level. The last few years I was in college, we lost one game in two years. For my senior year, we went undefeated and won the National Championship. I thought that was the highest level, but when I was at training camp with the\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, it was unreal, how fast, how big, and how strong, especially the line men were.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Green and Jon Cole, our strength coach, helped me catch up. I was an All-American coming out of college, one of the best in the country in my position, but it’s a different game when you go pro.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are many organizations trying to make a difference. Many are stuck in their own lane with little collaboration. You have collaborated across sectors and with so many organizations. How do you make everyone focus when they have their own objectives?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

If we don’t come together as a community, we’re going to keep coming apart.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is most critical to have a clear and compelling vision. People have to see the place and the part they can play in it. The vision has to embody the answer to a question in our culture. It has to provide an answer. The other thing is that it cannot be self-serving.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our vision answers the question for individuals and families who are homeless, in-need, or in transition. We have over 350,000 people in our\u00a0Tri County area<\/u><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0that are living in and below poverty level. Does that mean that everyone’s homeless? No, the homeless population on the street is maybe 1,500 people. But hundreds of thousands of people are living paycheck-to-paycheck, in the woods, in camps, in motels, in their vehicles, and in shelters. That number is massive, it’s massive.<\/span>
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\"He

He Got Up (2016)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

There are many organizations trying to make a difference. Many are stuck in their own lane with little collaboration. You have collaborated across sectors and with so many organizations. How do you make everyone focus when they have their own objectives?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

If we don’t come together as a community, we’re going to keep coming apart.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is most critical to have a clear and compelling vision. People have to see the place and the part they can play in it. The vision has to embody the answer to a question in our culture. It has to provide an answer. The other thing is that it cannot be self-serving.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our vision answers the question for individuals and families who are homeless, in-need, or in transition. We have over 350,000 people in our\u00a0Tri County area<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0that are living in and below poverty level. Does that mean that everyone’s homeless? No, the homeless population on the street is maybe 1,500 people. But hundreds of thousands of people are living paycheck-to-paycheck, in the woods, in camps, in motels, in their vehicles, and in shelters. That number is massive, it’s massive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why He Got Up, and these issues? Why now?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I look at\u00a0Ferguson, Missouri<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Baltimore, Maryland<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Chicago, Illinois<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0In the last two and a half years, the events that have taken place in our cities have defined the temperature of our nation.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you see someone gunned down justifiably, or unjustifiably, it creates a crisis. It creates a crisis that causes people to be divided, because they take sides.<\/span><\/p>\n

In every crisis across this nation where we see riots, picketing, protests; it has been preceded by a need. There is a need in any city where you see that catalytic incident creating a blast of violence. When needs accumulate in a greater way, there’s greater potential for a catastrophe.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are better at being reactive to crises, which divides us, than being proactive to meet the needs, which could unite us.<\/span><\/p>\n

We know what to do in a crisis, but the problem is many things get unearthed. They all point to people tired of not having opportunities, resources, or access. The polarizing effect that is taking place is almost embedded in our society. Sociologists will tell you, we are more divided in America than we have been in decades.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s great that organizations provide this for kids, do this for housing, and do that for mothers. But if operating as individual entities and silos were going to work to make the change we want to see, it would’ve worked by now.
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