The path that led the Rev. Bill McCown to the pulpit at Manning United Methodist Church didn't begin in a seminary classroom.
It began in an engineering lab.
Fresh out of Clemson University with a degree in mechanical engineering, McCown envisioned a career designing systems and solving problems. Ministry wasn't part of the plan — until a two-week mission trip to the Philippines changed everything.
"I went thinking I was overqualified," he said. "By the time I came back, I thought, compared to these Christians, I don't even think I'm a Christian."
That experience reshaped the trajectory of his life.
More than three decades later, McCown has spent decades serving United Methodist congregations across South Carolina, and this summer he arrived in Manning to begin a new chapter — one that came through an unusual set of circumstances.
His predecessor, the Rev. David McManus, accepted an appointment to Conway, where McCown had been serving. Such a direct exchange between pastors is rare in the United Methodist appointment system.
For McCown, the move was unexpected.
"I really intended to be there until my son graduated," he said of Conway. "But this opportunity came."
Now, just weeks into his ministry at Manning United Methodist Church, McCown said the congregation has helped restore something he didn't realize he had lost.
"Manning has helped us restore a lot of our faith in church," he said. "Usually people think that happens from the preacher, but sometimes it needs to come from the churches, too."
An unexpected calling
Growing up in Greenville, McCown never imagined becoming a pastor. His father owned a heating and air business, and engineering felt like the natural fit.
Looking back, however, he sees more overlap between the two professions than he once realized.
"As an engineer, you're always trying to understand the problem," he said. "In ministry, people are more complicated than machines, but helping people gain clarity about what they're facing is one of the greatest gifts I can offer."
Following the Philippines mission trip, McCown entered seminary, where he discovered his calling wasn't simply to preach but to help people connect faith with everyday life. That emphasis has shaped every appointment since.
Over the years, he has served churches in Marlboro County, Lexington, Murrells Inlet, Mars Bluff, Lancaster and Conway, typically remaining longer than the average four-year appointment.
"I usually try to stay one year longer than my predecessor," he said with a laugh. After learning McManus served about five years in Manning, McCown joked about staying even longer.
"I plan on staying eight."
More than ministry
McCown and his wife, Cindy, have been married nearly 16 years. They met while he was serving a church near Florence and she was teaching school.
Together they have two children — Kirby, who will turn 16 this fall, and Jordan, 12.
Their family life revolves around soccer and gymnastics, activities McCown proudly admits have made them "that kind of family."
"We spend a lot of time doing what they do," he said. Both children are homeschooled, a decision the couple originally expected to make for only a few years.
"It started working so well that we just kept going," he said.
Outside the church, McCown enjoys astronomy and hopes Manning's darker skies will allow him to dust off the telescope that sat largely unused in Conway because of light pollution. He's also become an avid deer hunter — a hobby introduced to him years ago by a church member who simply wanted to spend time with his pastor.
Those relationships, McCown said, often become ministry in ways neither person expects.
Serving beyond sanctuary
If there is a common thread throughout McCown's ministry, it is the belief that churches are called to serve beyond their own walls.
"I've always seen myself as having one foot in the church and one foot in the community," he said. That philosophy made Manning United Methodist Church especially appealing.
Rather than arriving to build community partnerships from scratch, McCown found a congregation already deeply involved through ministries such as United Ministries, its preschool and local outreach efforts.
"I don't know if I can beat this church at that because I think they're already there," he said. "I've never seen that before."
Instead of reinventing existing programs, he hopes to strengthen them while helping more people — particularly younger generations — become involved.
"I'd like to see more younger people plugged into the church and into the community," he said. "I think that's where Christianity is at its best."
McCown also hopes the church continues growing as a place other congregations can learn from. His district superintendent has described Manning as a church with the potential to become a "teaching church" — one whose ministries provide a model for others.
Love in action
McCown describes himself less as a preacher who delivers answers than as a storyteller who asks questions.
"I try to tell stories that help people find their place in the story," he said. His ministry is guided by what he considers Christianity's two greatest commandments: loving God and loving one's neighbor.
"I've spent my lifetime trying to live into that," he continued. Whether visiting someone in the hospital, preaching on Sunday morning or volunteering in the community, his focus remains the same.
"If we don't get a lot of other things right, I want them to feel like they belong and that they've experienced compassion, no matter how different they are," McCown said.
"I don't remember a day when I didn't believe that God loved me. Your approach to life is going to be different with that. ... I see myself as sharing that."
