To reach our friends with the life-giving message of Jesus, to see them become fully devoted followers of christ.
Founding Pastors
Rick Bezet is the founder and lead pastor of New Life Church of Arkansas. Pastor Rick’s heart and motivation is always to see the next person encounter Jesus. The vision of New Life reflects this passion as we grow throughout our state and country.
Rick and his lovely wife, Michelle, have been married since 1988 and live in Conway, Arkansas. They have four children and love life as grandparents.
Darren DeLaune serves as the Senior Executive Pastor of New Life Church. Darren is responsible for helping implement and execute the vision and values of NLC while overseeing the ministries and leadership teams on a weekly basis. Darren’s heart is for coaching pastors and seeing life-giving churches planted all over the state of Arkansas. Darren and his wife, Marci, have been married for more than 20 years and have two awesome children, Darren Jr. and Kara. To contact, please email Allison Parker at aparker@newlifechurch.tv.
Harry & Sherlyn Bates serve as the Lead Executive Campus Development and West Little Rock Pastors. Harry and Sherlyn have been part of the NLC family since its beginning, and have a huge heart for the state of Arkansas and a passion for serving people. The couple has been married for more than 25 years and have two wonderful children, Katelyn and Justin. To contact, please email Madie Drabble at madie.drabble@newlifechurch.tv.
Bobby Hamilton serves on our statewide pastoral team. Bobby, his wife Jill, and their family came to Arkansas in December of 2001 when they sold their business in Baton Rouge, LA, to join the Bezets as part of the original launch team of New Life Church. He has three adult children: Julie, Jonathan, and Michael. Jill gave her heart generously, as the foundations of New Life Church were laid, helping people grow in their love for God and their quality of life. She passed away in 2013 after a four-year battle with cancer. In 2020, Bobby was re-married. Now he and Angelina work with NLC pastors across the state of Arkansas.
Marcus and his wife, Brook, pastor New Life Church in Greater Little Rock. Marcus also coaches church planters across the US through the Association of Related Churches (ARC). He is one of the all-time greatest basketball players at Chuck E. Cheese’s, and Brook and he have three amazing children: Ashlyn, Austin, and Ainsley. mbrown@newlifechurch.tv
Hunter and Katy Bezet serve as the Conway campus Pastors and Lead Executive Pastoral team. They met and were married at NLC in 2014 and have been leading together ever since. Their heart is to see the church function as a family and create a space for the people of Conway to gather. Hunter and Katy have two incredible boys, Jack and Beau. To contact, please email Emily Free at efree@newlifechurch.tv
Josh Garlow leads the Creative department and weekend services of New Life Church. He loves to see people encounter God through art as he leads the creative team in unity and excellence. He and his wife Lacy have been married for over 20 years and have three boys, Lucas, Jackson, and Tyson. josh.garlow@newlifechurch.tv
Tyler Tarver serves as the Director of the Learning and Development Department at NLC. He and his wife, Amanda, have been a part of the New Life family since they met in college. They have been married for over 15 years and have three children, Titus, Ezra, and Finnick. Tyler and Amanda also serve as leaders at the Saline County Campus.
Tanner and Emily Bezet serve as the Lead Executive Statewide and West Little Rock student pastors. They have a heart to see the next generation grow closer in their walk with Christ and to form life-giving community along the way. Tanner and Emily have been married since 2018 and have one daughter, Ella Jane. tbezet@newlifechurch.tv
Christian and Abbey Ichter serve as the Lead Executive Worship Pastors for New Life Church, leading our worship teams across the state. They were married in 2013 and now have a daughter named Amari. Christian and Abbey have a passion to help raise up the next generation of worship leaders and see them worship God in spirit and in truth.
Trip Leach oversees our finance team across all campuses, leading the way in the accountability and excellence of the church‘s financial resources. He and his wife, Courtney, have four children and help lead in marriage ministry at NLC Conway campus. tleach@newlifechurch.tv
Bryan Christian is the director of Human Resources at NLC. He helps New Life maintain integrity in daily operations and keeps the church above reproach in all legal matters. Bryan has a heart to encourage and care for the New Life staff. He and his wife Sharon are raising their two incredible kids, Calista and Cayden in Conway, AR. bchristian@newlifechurch.tv
Rebecca Shatswell serves as the Lead Executive Prayer Pastor and is part of the Lead Executive Worship Team, leading our worship teams across the state. Through services, Bible studies, and events, Rebecca plays an integral role in teaching and training the next generation. She and her husband Brandon have two beautiful children, Israelle and Zavier. To contact, please email Bethany Rostampour at bethanyr@newlifechurch.tv.
