About Us
Our church began in the early 1980’s by Pastors John and Yvonne Walton with a group of believers that had a call to build a vibrant, Pentecostal church to reach our great city. From there, New Life Centre was officially established in 1982 which later became New Life Church. We met in function centres and school halls, setting up and packing down, until land was purchased and the church facility built at 590 Featherston St, Palmerston North in 1986.
In 2007, on our 25th year anniversary, Ralph and Anne-Marie Sutherland became the Senior Pastors, at which point we became Lifechurch.
Since their retirement recently in 2019, Zion and Sophie, became the Lead Pastors. In 2021 we announced that we would be joining with the New Life Church in Feilding to become “one church, in two locations.” It was then that we reestablished ourselves once again as New Life — both in Palmerston North and in Feilding.
New Life Feilding was birthed and planted from New Life Palmerston North in 1986 and has had a rich heritage over many years, and it has been in its current location on Fergusson St for over a decade.
We have an amazing group of Pastors and staff who oversee the running of New Life with many different responsibilities.
Our Elders function as the spiritual overseers, who support myself and Sophie with the overall direction and health of our church.
Our finances are managed by a Trustee board, who set all budgets, which are reviewed by independent auditors each year.
We are pentecostal - which means we fully believe in and embrace the moving of the Holy Spirit. And we are part of a movement called New Life Churches, which has over 70 churches all around New Zealand that are independent of each other, but journey together closely.
Our mission here at New Life is for all to know new life in Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”