Photo by Art Holeman

John McCain’s pastor, Dan Yeary, could become first preacher in November. The folksy Southern Baptist has dodged the media scrutiny that mired Barack Obama’s former pastor, and that’s just fine by him.

Senior Pastor Dan Yeary is clearly in his element, greeting worshippers gathered at the chapel
for a midweek prayer service. Toting a well-worn red Bible, his grandfatherly approach is understated, his demeanor Southern friendly, as he moves from person to person, handshake by handshake.
Once inside the dark brown wooden chapel, the balding preacher with wisps of white hair stands unassumingly in the foreground – not on the stage.
This evening is about prayer, a bedrock topic Yeary tells the faithful in a twangy, folksy style, mixing family stories and biblical verse with a dose of homespun charm. “Folks, this is not rocket science, it’s just not,” says Yeary to an approving crowd.
From his launching pad at North Phoenix Baptist Church, Yeary has turned his own style of preaching into a strong following since arriving on a hot August day in 1993.
But the biggest sizzle these days comes from his special relationship with just one church attendee – Arizona senator and presidential hopeful, Republican John McCain. Yeary, in effect, could become the unofficial first preacher if McCain wins.
“I don’t even think about that,” Yeary tells PHOENIX magazine. “I have enough congregation to pastor without taking on something else. John has introduced me in the past as his family pastor and I’m perfectly delighted to have that trust.”
The 69-year-old pastor says his discussions with the state’s senior senator are about religion and faith, not policy and politics. He offers McCain words of encouragement. There are no fire-and-brimstone damnation speeches from this Southern Baptist preacher.
That’s just not his style, nor his inclination, he says. Yeary’s approach is in direct contrast to Reverend Jeremiah Wright, whose racially-tinged remarks sparked controversy for McCain’s Democratic opponent Senator Barack Obama in March and caused weeks of campaign fodder. Obama eventually distanced himself from his clergyman. Yeary says he suspects the Wright situation is just a matter of a pastor being overly passionate about the issues he feels are important.
Not that Yeary isn’t flat-out passionate about McCain, who was raised Episcopalian and has not been baptized. He calls the former POW a “genuine American patriot” who has the experience and the convictions needed for the job.
Come November, Yeary says he is voting for McCain.