Liam McCann

Being born into a Christian household and attending church regularly with my family, my faith journey began when I was young. After demonstrating a mature understanding of my faith to my parents and pastor, I was baptized by immersion as a young teenager. Encountering legalistic Christians in high school and being exposed to other worldviews in college led me to question the validity of the Christian instruction given me during my childhood. Continuing after college, this questioning grew into a search for my meaning and purpose in life. After years of searching, the subtle yet powerful prompting of the Holy Spirit helped me realize that only my relationship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ, gives me purpose and meaning. In my first year in seminary, I was in a small church, frustrated with the pastor’s poor preaching and impatiently waiting for the end of the service when some people walked to the front of the sanctuary, accepting the pastor’s invitation to come forward. As I watched the pastor’s smile grow on his face while he welcomed them forward, I felt the world around me fall away so that all that was left was the pastor and I. A sense of clarity came over me and I felt the pastor’s emotions while an indescribable sensation of being in the presence of something holy and powerful came upon me. Suddenly I heard a voice say: “This is what I want you to do.” I knew instantly that God was calling me to be a pastor who brings people into his church. In that moment I was not entirely happy at this revelation, but instead I was reluctant and felt unworthy. However, after a short time of reflection and prayer, I embraced my calling and felt emboldened by it. My vision and goals for the Church include: finding and getting involved in God’s ongoing activity, providing a close community in God’s family, and proclaiming the Gospel both in word and deed. My philosophy of ministry is incarnational: I seek to bring the presence of Christ to others. To ministry I bring a passion for people, an outgoing personality and a sense of humor about life, which gives me a unique ability to relate to many different sorts of people. I also have extensive experience in acting, improvisation and public speaking, which has made my preaching a natural and impactful gift. Additionally I have experience in interfaith dialogue and am interested in connecting the local church to the larger community through service, conversations and artistic events. My leadership style is mostly participative since I aim to involve others in decision-making. Included in this is my ability to motivate others, my desire for action and my hope to help people reach their potential. I have interests in current events, theatre, art, reading, music and sports (especially baseball) and I bring youthful energy mixed with life experience, which results in dynamic ministry. I look for new opportunities and understandings of ministry through an open, yet well-defined, Christian worldview.

Contact information: liamtashmccann@gmail.com or (626) 683-7351

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