This is how one should regard us,
as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2
Pastors and Staff
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Bruce McKanna, Senior Pastor
Lance Mennen, Associate Pastor
Joyce Long, Ministry Assistant & Treasurer (part-time)
Barbara Brooks, Secretary (part-time)
Personal Biographies from our Pastors
From Bruce McKanna, Senior Pastor
God was preparing me for pastoral ministry before I even knew it. In my growing-up years, my father was the pastor for our Baptist church in northeast Ohio, where he continues to serve to this day. He has been a great influence on me, and I am thankful for the support and encouragement that he and my mother have given me through the years.
After high school, I left my parents and two younger brothers for Cedarville University, where I earned a degree in history and social sciences along with certification for secondary education in 1993. I thought I was headed for a career of teaching, but God was changing my direction. Through my participation in various ministries through college and the following years in Columbus, Ohio, my heart was turned toward the possibility of full-time pastoral ministry.
It was in 1997 that I moved to Deerfield, Illinois, to attend Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. It was in the final semester of my Master of Divinity studies in the fall of 2000 that I met the woman who would be my wife. Katie and I were asked to lead a small group Bible study together for singles at the Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church, and we soon found that God had brought us together for much more than that study. She too had been reared in a ministry family, and we found ourselves growing together.
We married in 2001 and remained in Arlington Heights until called by EFCMM to join the staff here in the summer of 2002. In the spring of 2004 we welcomed our son Jack into our family, and in the summer of 2006 added Andrew as well. We are delighted to bring them up in the love and nurture of the larger EFCMM family. It has been a joy to serve this fellowship in pastoral ministry. There is no more satisfying place to be than where God is at work in his people, and it is encouraging to know that he gives us what we need to serve one another for his glory.
From Lance Mennen, Associate Pastor
I was raised in a strong Christian family and trusted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior when I was nine years old. Growing up, I maintained a high involvement in the life of my home church, which led me to attend a Bible college where I studied theology and church music.
Lance, Chloe, Caleb, Jake, Tonja
After finishing college, I was asked to do a nine-month internship in Worship and Youth Ministry at Broadway Baptist Church in Sweetwater, Texas. Those nine months turned into two years of life-shaping ministry. I saw God use me to spur spiritual growth in the lives of students through one-on-one discipleship. I also developed my musical skills by not only leading the music, but by planning and overseeing all the music on the church’s weekly televised program.
Sensing the need to know and understand the Bible better, I decided to attend The Master’s Seminary in California. During my seminary training, I served as Junior High Pastor for Community Bible Church in LaCrescenta, CA. I received my Master of Divinity in 1999. Tonja and I were married while I was at seminary.
After graduating from seminary, our family moved to France to serve with Biblical Ministries Worldwide. Our efforts were concentrated on church planting among the French as well as the immigrant population. We served in France for eight years before returning to the United States and joining the EFCMM pastoral staff.