Leadership

Leadership

Fr. Justin Read-Smith

Rector

Fr. Justin and Liz Read-Smith moved, with their family, to Missoula, MT from England in 2011 to “parachute drop” a church plant into a community, now the Community of Saint Columba. Their heart was to form, with the Lord’s help, a community of Jesus followers who are passionate about others coming to know Jesus, rooted in the classical Anglican tradition, and living on mission to the world. Liz and Fr. Justin spent several years with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) in a number of nations as they gained their Biblical Studies degrees. Fr. Justin earned his Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Regent College in 2007 and was ordained and served in London, England. Fr. Justin is the rector of the Community of Saint Columba and Dean of the Rocky Mountain deanery (DWA).

Fr. Joshua Mahar

Associate Priest

Pacific Northwest natives, Fr. Joshua and Sarah Mahar followed a call to relocate their family to Missoula, MT to join in the work of building the Community of Saint Columba and support the ongoing formation of the regional minster and future diocese. Fr. Joshua holds two Masters of Arts from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary: Old Testament and Biblical Languages. He was ordained a priest in June of 2018, and began his curacy at the Community of Saint Columba in September of the same year. He and Sarah met doing music ministry at the age of 19. They married in 2003 and have 3 children: Ainsley, Liam, and Ewan. In his spare time, Fr. Joshua loves reading, hiking, brewing cider, and tending his small backyard apple orchard.

Fr. John Bacon

Church Planting Curate

Fr. John Bacon and his wife, Lauren, both come from Arkansas, where they met at Ouachita Baptist University and were married. Together, they have four wonderful children. Lauren and Fr. John are both passionate about healing, direction, and discipleship. Fr. John earned his MDiv at Beeson Divinity School and was ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Church in North America in 2017. They are overjoyed to be on mission as a family with the Community of Saint Columba in Western Montana!

Fr. Robert Burns

Church Planting Curate

Deacon Robert Burns, and his wife Melissa come to us from Annapolis MD where Dcn. Robert finished his 31 year career with the US Navy. Melissa and Dcn. Robert have been called to plant a church in Kalispell, MT and are working through their transition into the Anglican community after 22 years of ministry experience in another denomination. Melissa works as a clinical counselor and Dcn. Robert is a part time gunsmith. They have one grown child, Priscilla who lives in Annapolis.

Dcn. Harman Thomas

Church Planting Curate

Deacon Harman hails from Appalachia, where he was born and went to college in the mountains of East Tennessee. Since the ripe age of four, Dcn. Harman has felt a call to invite those who haven’t known it into the truth, goodness and beauty of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Dcn. Harman obtained his Master of Divinity (MDiv) at Regent College in 2019 and is pursuing ordination to the priesthood with an eye to local church planting. He is passionate about the ministries of enchantment and catechesis, and enjoys reading, fishing, hiking, cooking and writing in his spare time.