Our Founding Pastor

Our Founding Pastor

Rev. Candace M. Lewis

Rev. Candace M. Lewis is an Ordained Elder in the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and is the founding Pastor of the New Life Community United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, Florida.

Rev. Lewis received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, majoring in Speech Communications in 1990. Upon graduation she was awarded the Distinguished Outstanding Female Student Leader Award for excellent service in leadership while at the University of Florida. The call to ministry came when she was twenty-two years old and she obediently followed God, accepted the call and enrolled in Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia to begin preparation. Four years later, she received the Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in Pastoral Care and Counseling.

In 2004 and for 2008 she was elected by her peers to serve as a delegate to General and Jurisdictional Conferences of the United Methodist Church. She is often invited to serve as a conference speaker, church consultant and ministry coach. Currently, she serves as an Associate with Griffith Coaching.

While in Jacksonville, Florida, Rev. Lewis was active within the community, serving on the Boards of Community Hospice, Girls Inc., Campus Crusade for Christ and the Eden Group. She is a Leadership Jacksonville Alumni and has served on the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women. Rev. Lewis was in full time ministry for eleven years. She is an excellent teacher and preacher of God’s word. God has given her a powerful message to the body of Christ, which she delivers under the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. Rev. Lewis now serves as the Executive Director of Path 1 New Church Starts with the Global Board of discipleship for the United Methodist Church.

Candace Lewis