Leadership

Senior Pastors

Pastor David Church is from Oshawa in Ontario, Canada. He graduated in 1992 from Indiana Bible College in Indianapolis with an Associates Degree in Theology. In 1993 David married Holly. Dave and Holly moved to Chesterton, Indiana in 1995. In 2002, Dave became the Pastor of the Chesterton church, New Life Tabernacle. In October of 2007  Dave was elected as the new pastor of the Valparaiso United Pentecostal Church, and the Chesterton and Valparaiso churches merged into one congregation, Life Church.

In addition to his role as Pastor, Dave is also a contractor by trade, and works throughout Northwest Indiana building homes. Holly is the Music Director for Life Church, as well as teaching in the local schools.

Pastor and Sis. Church have been married for over 30 years, and have three children.

Student Pastors

Shiloh is originally from Columbus, Indiana. He graduated from Valparaiso University in May 2019, with a Bachelors in Business Administration. In 2016, during Shiloh’s time at the university he became the Student Pastor of IMPACT Student group.

Shiloh married his longtime girlfriend Lexy in 2020, after she graduated with her Bachelors in Nursing degree from Ball State University. Together they lead Life Church Student Ministries.

Shiloh and Lexy are passionate about helping students discover their identity in Christ, develop their talents for the kingdom of God, and build strong relationships with one another.

Ministry Team

Paul is from Mishawaka, IN and is an architect by trade. Sally is from Buchanan, MI and is an *almost* retired nurse. They have been married for over 40 years and have three children and eleven grandchildren.

Paul & Sally fill a variety of roles at Life Church, from teaching Bible class for our young adults, Wednesday night Bible study (Paul), and Sunday morning adult class (Sally), to heading up our Small Groups Ministry, The Spites have served in a variety of roles throughout their decades in ministry and are always willing to serve where asked.

Paul has a special talent for puns and Sally’s chicken noodle soup on your doorstep is always welcome in times when you are stretched thin. More importantly, both of them are students of the Word of God and have a passion for sharing their knowledge with others through Bible studies. Both are also very  involved in our compassion and prayer ministries.

Safety Director & Life Kids Director

Brent is originally from Arizona. Deborah comes from Puerto Rico. They have been married for 16 years and members of Life Church for 15 years. They make their home in Portage and have four daughters.

Brent is the head of the Life Church safety team and takes care of safety issues with the facility as well as managing first aid training and background checks.

Deborah is the director of Life Kids and is passionate about kids having a blast at church and developing a personal experience with God all their own. She believes that even the littlest people can learn about Jesus on their own level.

Manuel is from Puerto Rico. Kaitlyn, a Louisiana native, met Manny on a missions trip to Puerto Rico in 2014. They have been married since 2016 and have a daughter. They currently make their home in Porter, IN.

Manny and Kaitlyn are our First Steps directors and are passionate about helping people learn more about God’s plan for their life. They believe that people experience deep contentment when they find and connect with their purpose.

Manny and Kaitlyn, along with Johnny Mojica also head up our Spanish ministry. They believe that every person deserves to hear the Word of God taught in their own language and are delighted to provide translation to our Spanish speaking community.

Tech, Media, and Administration

Rob is originally from Chicago, IL. He joined the military out of high school and attended a military junior college and then Ball State University where he met his wife Sarah. Sarah is an Indiana native and homeschool graduate. Rob and Sarah graduated from Ball State in 2005 and married shortly after.

Rob has served in the military for over 20 years in a variety of roles. Sarah homeschools their seven boys and does some light bookkeeping work for local organizations. Rob and Sarah make have made their home in Chesterton, IN since 2011.

Rob and Sarah head up the Life Church Tech Team, which includes everything from sound and media to administrative systems. Sarah is also the Life Church Treasurer. Both Rob and Sarah feel that administration is a gift of the spirit and are thankful that they have an opportunity to serve the Lord with their talents.