New Life Church of Novato sits in a busy stretch of southern Novato, between San Rafael and Petaluma, and over the decades it has become one of the most recognizable Pentecostal congregations in Marin County. From its main building on South Novato Boulevard, the church runs Sunday worship, a busy children's ministry, a midweek youth program, an African fellowship, and a Christian school system that runs from preschool through high school. The lead pastors, Caleb and Rachel Klinge, describe their congregation as a vibrant, multigenerational family with a particular passion for the presence of God and the North Bay region beyond it.
A Story Going Back to 1949
New Life traces its roots to 1949, when students from Glad Tidings Bible Institute in San Francisco began traveling north to preach on Sunday afternoons in the VFW Hall in downtown Novato. The fellowship was originally named Northland Assembly of God. In 1957 the church broke ground on the building it still occupies on South Novato Boulevard, and the congregation has met there ever since. New Life is part of the Assemblies of God, belonging to the Northern California and Nevada District and to the national AG fellowship.
Sundays at the Main Auditorium
The Novato campus runs two Sunday services, at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM, in the upstairs main auditorium. Both services are described as casual, contemporary, and Spirit-filled, with a live worship band leading congregational singing and a message preached by one of the pastors. Services are intentionally welcoming to first-time visitors.
The 11:00 AM service is also livestreamed on the New Life Church Novato YouTube channel, and a recorded library of recent messages can be watched on demand. Recent series have included The Way, Better Together, and Belonging: At Home in God's Family. A weekly sermon podcast carries the same messages in audio form, available through Apple Podcasts, the New Life Novato app, and Google Play.
Services are offered in English, with real-time translation available in Spanish for the 11:00 AM service and in Portuguese for both the 9:00 and 11:00 AM services, delivered through a smartphone-based interpretation platform.
New Life Kids: Nursery through Fifth Grade
Children's ministry runs during both Sunday services. The first-floor lobby is the check-in hub, opening at 8:45 AM for the first service and 10:45 AM for the second. Each child receives a name tag and the parent receives a matching pickup tag.
Three rooms serve three age groups. Nursery, for infants and toddlers from 3 to 24 months, is on the second floor near the cafe. Preschool, for children from 30 months through Transitional Kindergarten, meets in the Monkey Room on the first floor. Elementary children in kindergarten through fifth grade begin both services with their parents in the main auditorium and are dismissed after worship to a separate chapel area, where the program includes high-energy worship, dramas, small group discussion, Bible stories, and games.
A Mother's Room sits next to the second-floor nursery and offers a private space with seating, changing stations, and a live video feed of the service, so nursing mothers can stay engaged with the service while tending to infants. Parents of younger children are notified during the service by a number projected on the auditorium screen if a child needs them.
Special Needs Ministry
New Life's special needs ministry operates during the 9:00 AM Sunday service, supporting individuals with special needs and their families. Participation requires an initial intake form, a review by the team, and a weekly sign-up so the volunteer team can be confirmed. Approval is based on volunteer availability and training level. The program exists to make full participation in the church community possible for these families.
Midweek: Tuesday Prayer and Pursuit Nights
The midweek rhythm at New Life centers on prayer. Every Tuesday from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, the church gathers in the main auditorium for an hour of worship and prayer, with childcare provided. The church calls prayer a first response rather than a last resort and runs an annual 7 Days of Prayer emphasis each year as well.
On Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, Pursuit Nights offer another hour of corporate worship and prayer, currently meeting on Zoom and open to the whole church family. The time is spent seeking the Lord together and praying, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
Movement Youth and VIBE Young Adults
Middle and high school students meet through Movement Youth, the church's student ministry, on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM in the chapel. The ministry serves students in grades 6 through 12 across Marin and Sonoma counties, with a focus on authentic friendship, energetic worship, and teaching from Scripture. Weekly discipleship groups include Middle School (Sundays during the 11:00 AM service), High School Girls (Tuesdays at 7:00 PM), and High School Boys (Tuesdays at 7:15 PM). The youth program runs annual camps including Raft Camp and hosts the Arrows Youth Conference, a one-night inter-church gathering for grades 6 through 12.
Young adults between 18 and 30 connect through VIBE, which meets on the first and third Friday of each month at 7:00 PM. VIBE centers on a small-group model that pairs young adults with peer-led life groups meeting in homes, coffee shops, and online across the North Bay.
The African Oasis
The African Oasis is a ministry of New Life Church that gathers people of African descent for fellowship, with worship in Swahili, Lingala, English, or French and preaching in English to bridge the different ethnic groups and dialects. Led by Pastors Isaac and Ann Munene, both originally from Kenya and trained through Christian Life International Bible College, the African Oasis has been part of New Life for over twenty years. The fellowship meets for a 5:30 PM service on the first Saturday of each month, with childcare provided.
Life Groups and the Alpha Course
New Life's discipleship vision is built around three words: Love, Grow, Serve. Life Groups, the Grow part of that vision, are small communities meeting in homes, coffee shops, and online across Marin, Sonoma, and San Francisco counties. The groups meet by season and include specialized men's and women's studies, married couples' groups, young adult groups, and multicultural fellowships. Joining a Life Group is described as the primary way people take next steps in discipleship beyond the Sunday gathering.
The Alpha Course, the church's introduction to the Christian faith, runs on Monday evenings at 6:30 PM over an 11-week cycle. Each evening includes a shared meal, a short film, and a small-group discussion around questions like "Who is Jesus?" and "How can we have faith?" Alpha is open to anyone exploring faith, new to faith, or wanting to revisit the basics, and there is no cost to attend.
Two Schools on One Campus
New Life is also home to a complete Christian school system on its South Novato Boulevard campus, a ministry the church describes as a partnership between parents and teachers to train up children in the way they should go.
Noah's Ark Preschool serves children from age 2 through Transitional Kindergarten. Marin Christian Academy operates on the same campus with a K-8 elementary and middle school program and a separate high school for grades 9 through 12. The schools emphasize academic excellence taught from a Christian worldview, and tours can be scheduled through the school office.
Branch Cafe
Before and between Sunday services, the church runs Branch Cafe on the second-floor lobby, serving Equator coffee drinks, tea, and morning snacks. The cafe is casual and family friendly, with Bibles and books available from its bookshelf, and all of its proceeds benefit the Movement Youth ministries and local student outreach.
What New Life Believes
The church holds to the Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths and lists a number of core values: the Bible as the inerrant, inspired Word of God and the rule of faith and practice; the church as a habitation for the presence of God; worship in spirit and in truth; the supernatural ministry of Jesus Christ, including miracles and healing; community, unity, and Christlikeness; prayer; and the Great Commission, with a particular burden for reaching all nations.
The church's mission statement is short and clear: "A community of believers committed to the Great Commission through the power of the Holy Spirit."
Leadership
The pastoral team at New Life includes Caleb and Rachel Klinge as Lead Pastors. Both are California natives and ordained ministers with the Assemblies of God. Caleb serves as Lead Pastor of New Life Church in Novato, while Rachel also serves as the Campus Pastor of New Life San Francisco, a sister congregation in the Potrero Hill neighborhood.
John Bidaurreta serves as Connection Pastor and oversees Life Groups and the church's discipleship pathway. Isaac and Ann Munene lead the African Oasis, and Jared and Samantha Gella direct Student Ministries, working alongside Assistant Youth Director Avi Fernandez. Caio and Janell De Azevedo direct both the worship ministry and the VIBE Young Adults ministry. Dave McKay serves as Production Director, and Amy James leads the church's graphic design and social media.
On the children's side, Chantal Glaser is the Kids' Ministry Director, Tamara Signor serves as the Assistant Director, and Heather McCracken directs the nursery. Christopher and Lucia Mychajluk serve as Principal and staff of Marin Christian Academy.
Connecting and Giving
New Life Church is located at 1370 South Novato Boulevard, Novato, California 94947. The church office can be reached at (415) 892-0714. Services stream live at 11:00 AM on YouTube, recent messages can be viewed on demand, and the church maintains a dedicated app for iOS and Android. Giving is available online through the church's secure portal, by text message, or by mail, with options for tithes and offerings, missions, and a building fund that is working to retire the church's remaining mortgage.