Midway

Senior Pastor

Mark is the Senior and Founding Pastor of New Life Community Church as well as the 10^thPresident of the Moody Bible Instituteof Chicago. He and his wife Dee have seen New Life grow from a handful of people to several thousand meeting at over twenty locations with over forty worship services each weekend. Mark is also the founder of New Life Centers, an organization focused on helping youth in underserved areas of Chicago. He holds a Masters degree from Moody Theological Seminary and a Doctorate degree from Bakke Graduate University. Mark is the author of UNSTUCK: Out of Your Cave, and Into Your Call and can be heard daily on his national radio program called Bold Steps.

Lead Pastor

Josiah is the Lead Pastor of New Life Community Church and Location Pastor of New Life Midway. He graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Biblical Studies. Josiah is passionate about discipleship, communicating truth to the next generation and raising young leaders to be agents of change. Carolina gave her life to Christ when she was a young girl and since then has been passionate about seeing the people of God grow into their calling. She is currently serving in the youth ministry as a leader for high school girls. Josiah and Carolina got married September 2020 and love doing ministry together.

Associate Pastor

While at Western Illinois University, Mike met some friends that introduced him to Christianity. Sensing a desire to learn more about God, he went on to study at Moody Bible Institute and received his Masters of Divinity from Trinity International University. During his college years Mike began attending New Life and fell in love with the vision of the church and with his wife to be, Debbie. In 1994, Mike joined the New Life staff and has served ever since in various ministry capacities. He currently oversees adult home groups, training and coaching of small group leaders, assimilation of newcomers and organizing church wide events. Pastor Mike is married to Debbie and together they have three children.

Youth Director

Abel Lopez is a 28-year-old Colombian American youth leader, born in Chicago and raised in Lyons, IL. As a child of immigrants, Abel brings a deep passion for reaching the next generation with the hope of Jesus in culturally authentic and relatable ways. He’s been serving in youth ministry since he was a teenager and now carries over a decade of experience investing in students and developing emerging leaders. Abel is committed to helping young people build real relationships with Jesus and help develop leaders to step into the purpose God has placed on their lives. When he’s not preaching, mentoring, or leading, you’ll likely find him playing video games, catching a great movie, reading a good book, or exploring new coffee shops and food spots around the city.

Pastor de Español