One House, Many Rooms Across South Florida
Christian Life Center calls itself "one house with many rooms," and the rooms keep multiplying. From its flagship home in Broward County, the church has grown into a network of seven campuses that stretches from Fort Lauderdale south to Marathon in the Florida Keys and west to Boca Raton. Worship gatherings are held in English at six locations and in Spanish at a seventh in Tamarac, and the church's local body represents over twenty-nine nationalities. Christian Life Center is affiliated with the Assemblies of God and identifies its culture as Pentecostal in persuasion.
Each Sunday the campuses fill with families, students, professionals, and retirees, and a steady stream of online viewers joins the Fort Lauderdale broadcast. Visitors will find the church's signature phrase painted across its homepage: a commitment to be messengers of hope, everywhere the congregation goes, to everyone it meets.
The Lead Pastors and the Vision of Hope
Dr. Thomas Manning and Pastor Candi Manning have led Christian Life Center since July 2011. Before coming to South Florida, they served as senior pastors of Vienna Christian Center in Vienna, Austria, a role they held from 1999. Both were appointed as Assemblies of God world missionaries in 1994 and earlier served in Budapest. They met and married in 1990 as graduates of Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. Pastor Tom received his doctoral degree in ministry leadership and church growth in 2017, and he also serves as the Pen Florida District Missions Director. Pastor Candi oversees the church's three affiliated schools: Precious Promise Academy, Christian Life Academy, and Coral Ridge Christian Academy.
Their shared vision is summarized in a single sentence: "We are a lighthouse of hope to those who are in need of spiritual and physical care. We are a people and a church that take a message of Hope everywhere we go to everyone we meet." Four pillars give that vision shape - experiencing God, connecting together, growing and serving, and impacting the world. Every ministry and program at the church is built to support one of those four.
Seven Campuses, One Family
The Fort Lauderdale campus at 2699 W Commercial Boulevard is the flagship. It hosts two Sunday morning services at 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and a third online-only service at 6:00 p.m. The campus offices, business team, and School of Discipleship administration are headquartered at the same location, and most major conferences and revivals stream from there.
Coral Springs meets at 1901 Coral Ridge Drive and runs three Sunday services at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 12:00 p.m. Sunrise meets at 7800 NW 39th Street with one Sunday gathering at 9:00 a.m. West Boca meets at 11443 W Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton with a single Sunday service at 10:30 a.m. Southwest Ranches meets at 6201 SW 160th Avenue at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays. The Marathon campus, located at 4711 Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys, gathers at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays and shares a phone line with the Fort Lauderdale office. The seventh campus, known as Tamarac (Español) or Ministerio Hispano, meets at 4905 West Prospect Road in Tamarac at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays in Spanish, and adds a Wednesday night Spanish service at 7:30 p.m. and a Monday prayer gathering at 7:00 p.m.
Beyond Sunday morning, the church also gathers its people midweek. Surge Kids (newborn through fifth grade) and CLC Youth (sixth through twelfth grade) meet Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. across multiple campuses, with boys' and girls' small groups for elementary students meeting alongside youth small groups.
What a Weekend Service Feels Like
Christian Life Center describes its weekend services as "a moving and inspiring experience." Each gathering begins with ten to twenty minutes of music-led praise, moves into prayer and thanksgiving, and concludes with teaching from Scripture. The church teaches that worship is "exciting, deep and powerful" and that musical styles vary enough to appeal to a wide range of preferences. Services last no more than an hour and forty-five minutes.
Visitors are asked to come as they are. "We invite you to wear whatever makes you comfortable," the staff writes. "There is no dress code, but you'll find that many at CLC always wear a smile." Arriving ten to fifteen minutes before service gives time to settle in. An offering is taken during the service, with the church teaching that giving is a willing response to God's generosity. First-time families who arrive with children from pre-K through fifth grade will be guided to Surge Kids, where a secure check-in system tracks each child.
Surge Kids: Newborn Through Fifth Grade
Surge Kids serves children from eight weeks old through fifth grade in nursery, early childhood, and elementary environments. The children's team describes its calling this way: "Small hearts, big faith. We're creating a space where your kids experience God's love, ask big questions, and learn that being a messenger of hope starts now, not when they're older." Sunday programming runs during the 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. services at the main campus, and Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. add boys' small groups (Royal Rangers) and girls' small groups (Girls Ministries) for elementary students. A special-needs ministry called I-CAN provides one-on-one care for children and families who need it.
Surge Kids is staffed by background-checked volunteers, and the church trains each team member through a formal application, orientation, and training process. Brandon Mercado serves as the Kids Pastor leading the department.
Powerhouse CLC Youth: Sixth Through Twelfth Grade
Middle and high school students gather under the banner of CLC Youth. The church's youth ministry exists to help students "wrestle with real questions, discover who they are in Christ, and learn that their faith matters right now." Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. include a pre-service lounge with games, worship and teaching, and small-group time. Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m. focus on small groups. Angel Agustin serves as Youth Pastor, with Zion Samms as Associate Youth Pastor. Powerhouse Student Ministries is the umbrella name used on the youth side.
Vibe Young Adults: Eighteen to Thirty
Vibe is Christian Life Center's ministry for young adults between eighteen and thirty years old. Vibe meets Sundays at 10:30 a.m. for "Sessions," a time of teaching and group conversation, and gathers regionally two Tuesdays and Fridays a month at 7:00 p.m. for "Vibe Nights." A women-only small-group time called DGTHRS meets Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. Amanda Small serves as the Young Adults Pastor. The Vibe team's framing is direct: "Stop waiting. Start living."
Brotherhood: Men's Ministry
CLC Men, branded as Brotherhood, exists to "develop and equip men to grow in faith, love, purity, integrity, leadership, and purpose." The ministry grounds itself in Proverbs 27:17: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Brotherhood runs discussion groups that meet weekly or every other week, including a Wednesday night group at the Fort Lauderdale campus and Tuesday night groups at other campuses. Special events such as the annual Men's Breakfast, Father's Day gatherings, and a fall Men's Retreat punctuate the year. The Men's Cookout and a six-week Steps to Financial Freedom course are regular features at the main campus.
Fabulous Ladies: Women's Ministry
CLC Women, branded as Fabulous Ladies, gathers women of all ages around friendship, encouragement, and Bible study. Annual Mother's Day events bring women together at every campus, with a Tea and Hat Affair in Coral Springs, a Tea Time at the Table in Fort Lauderdale, a Mother's Day Brunch in Sunrise, a Strength and Dignity breakfast in West Boca, and a Cuberta Con Su Fuerza gathering in Spanish at Fort Lauderdale. Life groups for women meet on campus and in homes throughout the year. The ministry maintains an active Facebook group called Ladies Bloom.
Lifegroups: Small Groups Across South Florida
Lifegroups are the small-group engine of the church and exist to make a large church feel small. Groups are categorized as men's, women's, married, open, and young adult, and they gather in homes, coffee shops, parks, restaurants, and on church campuses. Most meet weekly, with others meeting twice a month. Each meeting lasts up to two hours, with extra time for fellowship afterward. Some groups dig deeper into the previous Sunday's message; others work through assigned curricula. Childcare is arranged by each group, with the church often helping connect parents with Southeastern University students interested in babysitting.
Lifegroup meetings are listed by campus on the church's online group directory. The West Boca campus alone lists meetings on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Interested newcomers can sign up through a campus-specific form on the Life Groups page.
School of Discipleship: Three Levels of Formation
The School of Discipleship is a three-level formation pathway that has been completed by more than eight hundred people in the church's history. Level 1 focuses on drawing closer to Jesus, walking in freedom, and building character. Level 2 focuses on discovering, growing, and walking in spiritual gifts and calling. Level 3 focuses on making disciples and leading well. Pastors Tom and Candi Manning lead the school; Danielle Reyes directs it. The next round of Levels 1-3 begins in early September, with a deadline in late August. Each level costs forty-five dollars, which covers registration and materials. A prerequisite for the program is an Encounter God Experience weekend.
Encounter God Experience
The Encounter God Experience is a prerequisite retreat for the School of Discipleship and is open to anyone eighteen or older for whom Christian Life Center is home. Held Thursday through Saturday at the Fort Lauderdale campus, the Encounter is described as a weekend of worship, teaching, and prayer through which each person walks an individual journey toward freedom in Christ. Attendees must be able to provide their own transportation, attend every session, and arrange childcare for the duration.
Bible Engagement and Reading Plans
Bible Engagement is the daily Scripture rhythm that supports every other ministry at the church. The team frames the Bible as "God-breathed," the literal meaning of "theopneustos," the word Paul uses for Scripture. A rotating reading plan is offered in English and Spanish, with downloadable PDFs for each book of the Bible - Genesis, Joshua, 1 and 2 Kings, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, the Pauline epistles, James, Proverbs, Revelation, and more. A mobile app for iOS and Android keeps the current plan and other church resources within reach.
Spiritual Growth Campaign
Twice a year, the church launches a Spiritual Growth Campaign: a six-week church-wide study built around weekly messages, small-group lessons, and practical resources. Community Circles - small groups that meet anywhere life happens - carry the study into homes, workplaces, schools, gyms, and coffee shops. Lesson videos are available in English and Spanish, and a digital study guide is sold through the church's online store. Recent campaigns have walked the church through books of the Bible together.
Kingdom Builders and Global Missions
Kingdom Builders is the church's missions engine and a separate commitment above and beyond tithing. The team commits members "to give regularly to help fulfill God's plan to reach a lost world." Two giving tiers are highlighted: Impact Projects at ten thousand dollars or more, supporting Acts 1:8 expansion and initiatives, and Adopt-A-Crusade at fifty thousand dollars, fully funding a Gospel Crusade.
Past projects have funded two fifteen-passenger vans for the church and its schools, a CLC network of Christian schools with preschool technology and playground equipment, a Gospel Crusade in San Andrés, Colombia, a Bible college campus in Dhaka, Bangladesh, a girls' orphanage in Ghana, a Teen Challenge facility in Haiti, and Caribbean crusades reaching three hundred churches and seven hundred pastors and leaders. Mission trips are scheduled each year to Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Belize, and beyond, with medical, construction, and evangelism components.
BGMC, the Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge, is the Assemblies of God missions education program for children, teaching kids to know, care, pray, give, and reach the lost.
Outreach and Service in the Local Community
Outreach ministries include Prison Ministry, Local Missions, After School Enrichment, and New Believers. A Safety and Medical team staffs each campus, with First Aid providers who hold CPR certification and Security team members who bring law enforcement, military, or security experience. Outreach is led by Pastor Shawn O'Neill.
The Español Campus and Ministerio Hispano
The Tamarac campus, branded as Ministerio Hispano, gathers a Spanish-speaking congregation that describes itself as "a passionate congregation seeking God and all that He has for us, His people." Sunday morning begins at 10:00 a.m. with Clases de Crecimiento Espiritual (Spiritual Growth Classes), followed by the main worship service at 11:00 a.m. Prayer services meet Mondays at 7:00 p.m. and midweek services meet Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
The Ministerio Hispano offers its own Lifegroups, water baptisms at the beach four times a year, and baby dedications. Emmanuel Nina serves as the Español Campus Pastor and Facilities Director. Bilingual resources - reading plans, devotionals, faith cards, and event registration - are available throughout the church.
Light The Night and Family Events
Each fall, every campus lights up for Light The Night, a free family event built around bounce houses, candy, food trucks, age-specific zones for preschoolers, elementary students, and teenagers, and a three-week Bring-A-Friend challenge. The Fort Lauderdale campus hosts the biggest evening with bounce houses and tons of candy, while other campuses host prayer and worship nights. West Boca closes the season with a Trunk-or-Treat on the Saturday after. The Tamarac campus hosts its own Light The Night on the Saturday before.
Other regular church-wide events include Easter services at every location with Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday gatherings; Fam Jam family festivals at Sunrise and West Boca; the annual Mother's Day and Father's Day events; CLC Kids Camp in late June; CLC Youth Camp in early July; and the Pentecost and Thanksgiving Eve services at Fort Lauderdale.
Revival Nights and 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting
Each January, the church launches 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, with church members choosing between a full fast, a Daniel fast, a partial fast, or a digital fast. Four revival nights - called "Stronger" - punctuate the fast. Prayer walks take small groups to locations around the city: the Fort Lauderdale Riverwalk, Lauderhill City Hall, Lauderdale Lakes, and Coral Springs City Hall. Corporate prayer meetings happen by campus, with Fort Lauderdale hosting Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday gatherings on Zoom or in person. The summer brings 3 Nights Ablaze, a youth revival, and an annual Holy Spirit Conference.
Water Baptism, Membership, and Baby Dedication
Water baptism happens at the beach four times a year at Fort Lauderdale Beach. A one-time class walks new believers through the meaning and logistics. Anyone interested can sign up through the church's online form. The DNA Membership Class is offered several times a year at the Fort Lauderdale campus for those who want to learn more about becoming members of the church. Baby dedication is also available, with parents asked to fill out a short form so the pastoral team can walk them through what the church teaches about dedicating children to the Lord.
Weddings at Christian Life Center
Couples who want to be married at the Fort Lauderdale location start with the Wedding Brochure, then submit a Wedding Request Form to check date and pastoral availability. After a conversation with the wedding department and a review of the wedding policies, couples submit a Wedding Application Form and, upon approval, sign a Wedding Contract. Pastors Tom and Candi Manning and the pastoral team officiate.
Christian Schools: Preschool Through Elementary
Christian Life Center operates three affiliated Christian schools. Precious Promise Academy and Coral Ridge Christian Academy offer preschool programs for the youngest learners, and Christian Life Academy offers elementary education. Pastor Candi Manning oversees all three schools. Teachers are expected to be born-again believers who model Christian character, integrate biblical principles into every subject, and hold to the school's Statement of Faith. Both preschools and the elementary school hire Florida-certified or certifiable teachers, and the elementary school is accredited through the League of Christian Schools or the Florida Department of Education.
Southeastern University and Educational Partnerships
Christian Life Center is a partner of Southeastern University in Lakeload, Florida. Pastor Tom also serves as the SEU Regional Director. Through the partnership, college students serve as interns and volunteers at church campuses, and the university is featured prominently in the church's educational ecosystem. The church often recommends SEU students as babysitters for Lifegroup families.
The Pastoral Team
The Executive Team is led by Lead Pastor Tom Manning; Executive Pastor of Spiritual Life and Women's Ministry Candi Manning; Executive Pastor of Multisites and Coral Springs Campus Pastor Steven Chapman; Executive Director of Operations Hugh Nelson; and Executive Pastor of Ministries. Teaching Pastor and Evangelist Nadine Raphael carries a significant preaching and teaching load across the church. The Campus Pastors are Alex Umole (Sunrise); Andrew Manning (West Boca and global partnerships); Emmanuel Nina (Español and facilities); and Brandon Mercado (Kids), Angel Agustin (Youth), and Amanda Small (Young Adults) for the next-generation ministries. Tobi Morakinyo serves as Worship Pastor, Kristian Reyes as Weekend Experience Pastor, Susan Ramirez as Spiritual Community Pastor, and Shawn O'Neill as Outreach Pastor. Zion Samms is the Associate Youth Pastor.
The Directors team includes Bradley Reyes (Creative), Andrew Reyes (Production), Danielle Reyes (Spiritual Formation), and Ginette Remy (Connections).
What Christian Life Center Believes
The church holds to the sixteen-point Statement of Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God. Christian Life Center teaches that the Bible is inspired by God, that there is one true God revealed in three persons, that Jesus Christ is both human and divine, that humanity willingly fell into sin, and that every person can be restored to God through salvation by faith in Christ. The church practices two ordinances: water baptism by immersion after salvation, and Holy Communion as a symbolic remembrance of Christ's suffering and death.
Four doctrines are highlighted as cardinal doctrines of the Assemblies of God: salvation, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, divine healing, and the rapture. Christian Life Center teaches that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a special experience following salvation and that the initial physical evidence is speaking in tongues, just as on the Day of Pentecost. The church also teaches initial sanctification at salvation as the beginning of a lifelong process of becoming more like Christ, the divine call and scriptural ordination of leadership ministry, the church's mission to seek and save the lost, the millennial reign of Christ, the final judgment of those who reject Christ, and the believer's hope of new heavens and a new earth.
Giving and the App
Giving is handled through the church's mobile app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Recurring and one-time gifts can be set up online through Pushpay by campus, including Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs, Sunrise, West Boca, Southwest Ranches, and Tamarac (Español). Text giving is available by texting a campus code to a shared short code. Gifts can also be dropped off in the Fort Lauderdale office drop box Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., or mailed to the Fort Lauderdale address with checks made payable to Christian Life Center.
How to Connect
First-time guests can begin by visiting the New Here page and selecting the campus nearest them. Lifegroups are open to newcomers through a campus-specific sign-up form. Baptism, baby dedication, and membership each have their own dedicated forms. Prayer requests can be submitted online and are prayed over by the pastoral team. Visitors who want to dig deeper can register for the next Encounter God Experience or School of Discipleship level, and the Bible Engagement team offers reading plans for nearly every book of Scripture.
Christian Life Center's offices can be reached at (954) 731-5433 or info@clcftl.org. The Marathon campus can be reached at (305) 743-7165, and the Coral Springs campus line is 954-341-6264.