Lennox fireplace switch issue?

My parents just moved into a new house and I was over there helping with some new-home chores. I noticed the fireplace was completely off so I went over and got the pilot going. When I hit the switch, the pilot light would get somewhat bigger and then return to normal. I finally got it to completely ignite and got the firing going after several attempts. Once I turned off the switch, I could no longer get pilot to ignite the fireplace anymore. My guess is that the switch is faulty, but is it possible that it maybe something else?