A Place to Grow on Temple Place
New Life Church sits on Temple Place on the west side of Billings, Montana, at 3950 Temple Place. The congregation's own tagline is "A Place to Grow," and the building has grown with it: a sprawling main sanctuary joined by a sky bridge to a gym that doubles as the Kids church space, with the Next Gen Building right next door for youth, a coffee shop run by the teens themselves, and a lower level that houses nurseries and Kid's Club. It is a family-anchored, multi-generational church whose leaders describe it simply as "a place where people of all ages can get planted and grow."
From a 60 by 60 to a Debt-Free Church
New Life Church had its beginning in April of 1981. The church was the result of God moving on Lester Hall, who had been a minister for twenty-one years with the Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee. God spoke telling Pastor Hall that He was calling him out for the purpose of beginning a new ministry. The groundbreaking had eighteen people present, and the original building was a 60 by 60. In prayer God said, "Don't borrow the money. You build the building, and I'll supply the needs. Do it my way and I'll pay; do it your way and you pay." The church has functioned debt free since the beginning.
New Life has also planted two churches outside of Billings. The first was in Roundup, Montana, holding its first service on November 6, 1994. The second was in Columbus, in June 2002. In the fall of 1995, Pastors Danny and Laurie Houde moved from Canada to Billings and began attending New Life. They started a drama team called CLAY in 1996, became the Youth Pastors in 1997, and Laurie relaunched the children's ministry in 1998. After twenty-three years serving youth and children, in June of 2020 Pastors Danny and Laurie were installed as the Lead Pastors under Pastors Lester and Jewel Hall.
What a Sunday Morning Looks Like
Sunday services are held at 9:00 and 11:00 AM. First-time guests who arrive at the main doors are met by door openers and the Welcome Team, who help with directions and any questions. Services feature vibrant worship and a practical message that the church says will challenge them to grow in their relationship with the Lord.
Across the walkway in the Youth Center, the youth-run coffee shop is open from 8:30 to 11:00 AM, and orders can be texted in ahead of time. After service, visitors can drop off a visitor card at the Welcome Center for a free gift, hang out in the lobby, sit on the outdoor lawn, or watch the kids at the play area.
Kid's classes for newborns through fifth grade run during both Sunday services. Parents can check children into the lower level or main-level registration areas fifteen minutes before service begins. A quiet room is also available for nursing moms.
Services are livestreamed on Facebook and posted on a YouTube channel, with recent messages also available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
New Life Kids and Junior Bible Quiz
Children's ministry at New Life is structured by age and led by Children's Pastor Tessa Houde. The nursery serves babies birth through three years in the lower level, with a clean, loving environment and a quiet room for nursing moms. The Pre-School class for ages three through five offers playtime, a color page with simple Bible points, story time, snacks, a Bible video, and interactive songs and games. Kindergarten children gather on the main level of the Youth Center and sing songs, do a craft, work through interactive Bible lessons, learn age-appropriate memory verses, and have snacks and potty breaks. Grades 1 through 5 meet in the gym across the sky bridge from the main sanctuary for an interactive, visual teaching service of their own.
On Wednesday nights, the New Life Kid's Club serves ages 8 through fifth grade from 6:45 to 8:15 PM in the lower level, with group games, activities, small groups, and solid Bible lessons. On Sunday mornings from 10:45 AM to noon, the JBQ (Junior Bible Quiz) program teaches Grades 1 through 6 hundreds of Bible trivia questions and specific verses in a competitive format, with travel around Montana at least four times a year for team and individual competition. The church also hosts Trail Life USA for boys and American Heritage Girls for girls, both K-12 character, leadership, and adventure organizations.
Wednesday Nights and the Coffee Shop
New Life Youth meets every Wednesday night in the Next Gen Building, right next door to the church. Middle School (grades 6 through 8) gathers from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, and High School (grades 9 through 12) from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. The format includes activities, a time of worship, and a sermon, followed by small groups where students discuss the message with leaders. Beyond Wednesday nights, students stay connected through summer camp, winter retreat, mission trips, and fellowship times in the Coffee Shop. To receive a weekly text update, families can text YOUTH to 406-506-4041.
Women, Men, and Marriage Connect
Women's ministry at New Life is built to reach them not only in the church, but in their homes, neighborhood, and the community around them. The church hosts Tuesday Women's Bible studies (both day and night), a monthly fellowship breakfast, an annual women's retreat, a spring Women's Day event, and other outings throughout the year.
Men's ministry meets the first Saturday of every month at 8:00 AM for a Men's Breakfast, offering food, support, encouragement, prayer, and fellowship, and a Tuesday night men's Bible study runs throughout the year. An annual Men's Retreat is hosted at Abba's Haven each May, with special speakers, worship, and outdoor activities.
Marriage Connect helps build strong marriages through connection, fun, and biblical encouragement. Date nights are held throughout the year, along with an annual Marriage Conference each September and a special Christmas party for married couples in December.
Senior Classics 55+
For those fifty-five and over, the Senior Classics ministry hosts semi-monthly pot-luck luncheons, games or movie nights, outings, and an annual Christmas Banquet. Small-group activities include Bible studies, lunch and breakfast get-togethers, and other opportunities for Christian fellowship and individual relationships.
Abba's Haven: The Camp on the Musselshell
One day Gary and Priscilla Kallem approached Pastor Hall about donating a beautiful 15-acre tract along the Musselshell River to New Life Church for a camp. Abba's Haven was birthed from that gift. Located about 60 miles north of Billings in the Bull Mountains, the camp has grown to 66 acres and facilitates over 30 camps a year. It is well suited for men's and women's retreats, youth and kid's summer camps, winter retreats, prayer retreats, leadership meetings, marriage and couples weekends, family camps, staff getaways, and day or overnight events.
Facilities include four air conditioned and heated buildings, an RV site, handicap accessibility, outdoor fellowship areas, sports and recreational areas, and current sleeping capacity for up to 130 people. The Disciple's Lodge offers fourteen rooms sleeping up to 82, each with a bathroom and shower, a smaller kitchen, and indoor recreation. Solomon's Porch has six individual rooms sleeping up to 48, with separate men's and women's showers, a snack shack, and laundry facilities. Kallem Hall features a full commercial kitchen, chowhall, and chapel area, and the Staff Quarters include guest speaker suites, staff rooms with private bathrooms, and a common area with a kitchen.
Beliefs and Core Values
New Life describes its purpose as leading the lost to Jesus Christ, keeping those who have made Him Lord and Savior, and being a channel through which Christ reveals Himself by His Spirit through His Word. Its mission, drawn from Acts 26:15-20, is to cause people to see Jesus, turn them from darkness to light, help them experience the power of God, understand forgiveness through the blood of Christ, know the promises they have in Christ, see the benefits of living by faith, and teach the importance of obedience to Christ.
Core values, anchored in 1 Corinthians 10:31 ("do it all for the glory of God"), are Unshakable, Dreamers, Passionate, Faithful, Disciplined, Servants, and Disciplers. The Articles of Faith affirm the Bible as the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God, one God in three persons, the deity of Jesus Christ, salvation by faith through regeneration by the Holy Spirit, the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, the resurrection of the saved and the lost, and the spiritual unity of believers. The church also teaches believer's baptism by immersion, tithing, the spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, marriage between a man and a woman as designed by God, and the soon return of Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom.
Growth Track and Getting Involved
New Life's Growth Track is a three-week class offered three times a year, designed to help members and newcomers connect with their purpose. Step one, "Get to Know Us," is held at 12:30 PM on the lower level with Pastors Danny and Laurie, includes a campus tour, explains the church's beliefs and membership, and provides lunch and childcare. Step two, "Discover and Serve," runs at 9:00 AM in the BCS Library across the parking lot, and helps people understand how God uniquely created them and how to lead through serving. Step three, "Equip and Connect," is held at 9:00 AM on Sunday in the BCS Library and presents volunteer opportunities and final steps for serving through the Reach Team. The Planning Center app, available on iOS and Android, manages serving rotations, family check-in, and church events.
Meet the Team
Founders Lester and Jewel Hall continue to serve as Founders and CEO. Lead Pastors Danny and Laurie Houde oversee the church alongside Associate Pastor Ronda Kiesser and Liaison Pastor Dennis Sharbono. Carla Harmon directs worship. Youth Pastors Zach and Danika Schwartz and Associate Youth Pastor Zach Harmon lead New Life Youth, and Tessa Houde serves as Children's Pastor.