Meet Our Leadership and Staff

Staff Person 1

Senior Pastor

Mark Coleman

Pastor Mark Coleman is a Florida native, having grown up in Hollywood where he came to Christ through the ministry of Sheridan Hills Baptist Church. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1988 as an electrical engineer and worked at Florida Power and Light --but he always knew he would ultimately enter full-time ministry.  After graduating from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, he planted New Life in 1993 and has been our pastor ever since.
He and Jeanine (his bride since 1986) have two daughters, Grace and Glory.  They enjoy boat rides on the Intracoastal, sunsets, music, and time in the Florida Keys where Pastor Coleman is an avid fisherman.  He has participated in mission trips in several international settings, but particularly in Tanzania, Africa, where he has taken ten trips, teaching pastors in remote areas who have little or no ministry training.

Youth Pastor

Zack Pursell

Zack Pursell, born and raised in South Florida, joined the staff of New Life as Youth Pastor in 2015. He graduated from Boyce College in 2011 with a Bachelor's degree in Pastoral Ministry and from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2014 with a Master's of Divinity. Zack is passionate about helping young people apply the truths of the Bible to their lives. He is married to Lauren, who also grew up in South Florida, and they have four wonderful children: Rebekah, Elijah, Titus, and Benaiah.  Zack loves spending time with his family, and doing anything outdoors: especially fishing and kayaking.

Staff Person 2

Elders

Clell Coleman
Clell Coleman served for 28 years as the associate pastor of our mother church, Sheridan Hills Baptist Church in Hollywood, Florida. He is a Georgia native but grew up in Miami. Clell graduated from Georgia Tech and worked as an engineer with General Electric Company. He eventually started his own business, Coleman Industries. Not long after Coleman Industries was begun, he answered the call to vocational ministry and became the director of Sheridan House Family Ministries. Two years later he joined the staff at Sheridan Hills. After his retirement in 2002 Clell joined New Life Baptist Church. He and his wife Dee are the parents of our Senior Pastor.
John Rabe
John Rabe is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, and has been a member of New Life since 1999, where, in addition to being an elder, he teaches adult Sunday School and occasionally preaches. The husband of Julie, father of John Jr. (Elizabeth) and Leah, and the grandfather of Isla, he works as a producer at D. James Kennedy Ministries (formerly Coral Ridge Ministries) in Ft. Lauderdale. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry from Trinity International University, and before entering ministry worked as a sports talk radio host in Ft. Lauderdale, Las Vegas, and St. Louis. John enjoys spending time with his family, loves to read, and is a devoted fan of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Ron Smith
Ron Smith is a Florida native. Born in Hollywood, he has lived his entire life in Broward County. Ron and his wife Lisa have been married since 1977. They have 3 sons, Micah, Jordan, and Austin. In addition they have 3 daughters-in-law and 7 grandchildren. Ron has been working as an insurance agent since 1977. He teaches Sunday School at New Life and has been a member here since 2009. In his spare time he can be found from the ocean to the Everglades with Lisa enjoying a wide variety of boating and other outdoor sports.

Deacons

Tom Gee
Julian Gomez
Phil Slocum

Staff

Molly Pursell
Administrative Assistant
Dale Smith
Maintenance Team