Phil Cann on What We Can Learn From Rural Churches, Pastoring Not Just Managing & Building the Kingdom Instead of an Empire

Canadian Church Leaders Podcast

In this episode, Jason sits down to talk with Phil Cann, Pastor of Pemberton Community Church and co-creator of the video series “Quest.”

Jason and Phil begin by reflecting on the history of Quest, a resource Phil made alongside other pastors in the 90s and 2000s to help students explore questions of the Christian faith. Jason shares about how he discovered it at a youth group, loved it, and began running it in his high school. Later on, Jason shares how Quest became the inspiration for the Youth Alpha FIlm series that has now reached over 1.2 million students.

Quest came out of Phil’s own journey of faith, where he grew up in the UK and began to follow Christ in his early twenties. A defining moment came at a summer campfire one night, realizing he had to lay down control if he was to follow God’s leading in his life. This led him to preach the Bible and eventually move to Canada where he has aimed to make the Bible accessible and powerful to youth all over the country.

He reflects on the diversity of Canada, as an immigrant himself, and how unique it is to lead in the melting pot that is this nation. From the West Coast to the Maritimes, rural communities to big cities, the culture of Canada and our Church is like no other country. The need to learn from each other and contextualize is critical to be unified and to build God’s Kingdom, not our own empires.
Phil concludes with Jason by sharing his heart that pastors would smell like their sheep. That they would be relationally intertwined with their communities and deeply rooted in the place God has led them to minister. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Phil Cann.

Bio

Phil Cann is the transitional pastor of Pemberton Community Church in British Columbia. He moved to Canada from the UK over 20 years ago and has spent time across the whole country preaching to youth groups and churches about Jesus and the Bible. He loves God, his wife, and his family. Phil’s passionate about trying to make a 4000-year-old Eastern book make sense in our modern-day world.