New pastor coming to Laguna Beach United Methodist

Laguna Beach United Methodist Church will officially have a new leader come July.

Rev. Lynn Munson will begin her new role as senior pastor on July 2, filling the void left by Rev. Mandy Sloan McDow, who will lead the First United Methodist Church of Los Angeles.

In the United Methodist Church, bishops and district superintendents assign pastors to churches. Laguna Beach United Methodist Church is part of the California-Pacific Conference’s south district.

In this case, Bishop Grant Hagiya and south district Supt. John Farley assigned Munson, a Huntington Beach resident, to the Laguna Beach church.

“Laguna United Methodist Church is on the upswing and we identified Rev. Lynn Munson as a great match for the church as she is high energy, inclusive in her leadership, gifted as a preacher, and driven to build the church,” Farley wrote in an email.

Munson, who was born in Chicago and has lived most of her life in Orange County, comes to Laguna Beach after leading Yorba Linda United Methodist Church for seven years as senior pastor.

“Everyone I tell that I’m going to Laguna Beach says, ‘Wow, the beach,’ ” Munson said. “Someone has to be pastor so it might as well be me.

“I’ve met such awesome people so far. They do a lot of mission and ministry for people who are in need. It’s an arts community, so we could do some creative worship.”

Munson earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Vanguard University in Costa Mesa and a master of divinity at the Claremont School of Theology.

Her career has included management positions at two engineering firms and more than 20 years working in the United Methodist Church.

When Munson began at Yorba Linda, the church faced declining membership and budget shortfalls. Munson looked for ways to cut expenses, according to a 2013 Orange County Register story.

One important move was switching the church staff’s healthcare plan to save $15,000, the Register reported. Recently, Munson oversaw a capital campaign and renovation of the Yorba Linda church’s sanctuary.

Munson said another appealing trait of Laguna Beach United Methodist Church is that it’s a reconciling congregation, meaning members welcome all people into the church, especially those of differing gender and sexual orientations.

Laguna Beach United Methodist Church is located at 21632 Wesley Dr. For more information, visit lbumc.org or call (949) 499-3088.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce