Tara Beth Leach

Tara Beth Leach (born 1982) is an American evangelical pastor and author.

Education Leach was born in 1982. She has said she first felt called to ministry while in high school but was told she couldn't be a pastor as a woman. She has a BA in youth ministry from Olivet Nazarene University and an MDiv from Northern Seminary, where she also worked as a teaching assistant for Scot McKnight.

Career Leach was appointed Senior Pastor at First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena ("PazNaz") in 2016, the first woman in the role. In 2017, she was the youngest female megachurch pastor in the United States.

Leach's first book, Emboldened, released in 2017, seeks to encourage women into Christian ministry. Her 2021 book Radiant suggests church leaders need to look at themselves rather than culture to explain the trend away from church attendance.

Personal life Leach married in 2006 and has two sons.

Publications