New Life Fellowship
The New Life Fellowship (NLF) began in a small way in 1983, when the Lord Jesus Christ impressed upon Pastor V.M. Samuel and his wife, Somey, to move out of Mumbai and pioneer a church in Mangalore in Karnataka. God enabled them to envision a church planting movement throughout Karnataka, which still remains one of the most unreached states in South India.
In 1987, Pastor V.M. Samuel and Somey handed over the churches in Mangalore to Pastor Donald and Winnie Menezes and shifted base to Bangalore to lead the church planting movement of the New Life Fellowship. They continue to serve their Lord as the Senior Pastors of the New Life Fellowship Churches, overseeing more than 120 churches in South India & the Middle East.
Pastor V.M. Samuel is of the firm conviction that the church is the answer to the revival of people and the means of reaching out to the unreached. The church planting ministry of the New Life Fellowship continues to progress despite challenges. The Lord has raised up stalwart leaders who have stood firm with Pastor V.M. Samuel in building the kingdom of God. The Lord has also granted him faithful co-workers committed to the leadership and vision of NLF. Together they form a formidable team that is tasked with the vision to establish Bible-based, Spirit-filled, Self-Governing & Self-Supporting Churches with a mandate to
“Grow, Go, Give”
Pastor T. V. Gopinathan is one of the pioeneer leaders of the New Life Fellowship movement in South India. He is now the Chairman of New Life Fellowship Trust since March 2022. Pastor Gopinathan was saved in the year 1978, and then immediately heeded the Lord’s call into the ministry wherein he joined Operation Mobilization in 1979. He served in Karnataka, Kerala and even on the Logos ship. Recognizing the need for theological training he joined for his Bachelors in Theology in South India Biblical Seminary in the year 1983. After his graduation, his desire for church ministry led him to join with New Life Fellowship in 1986. He is married to Mrs Ponnamma Gopinathan and together they pioneered churches in Udupi and then on to planting and establishing churches across the coastal belt. They are blessed with two sons and three grand children. He is a very passionate prayer warrior and expounder of the Scriptures with a father’s heart towards the people he serves. He is an ardent practitioner of servant leadership and is known for hospitality and love as a family. He has been a trustee on the board of the New Life Fellowship trust since its inception. Having received the Apostolic mantle to lead the vision, he is now focused on taking the New Life Fellowship organization to the next level in fulfilling the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ through church planting and establishing.