ABOUT US
Senior Pastor Johnny L. Burns, Sr.
Reverend Johnny L. Burns, Sr. has been the senior pastor of New Life Christian Fellowship, Inc. in Ledyard, Connecticut since November of 1992, along with his wife, Reverend Sharon L. Burns. Under his tutelage and strong leadership, New Life has become one of the fastest growing churches in all of Southeastern Connecticut.
Reverend Johnny was called into the ministry at the age of sixteen and has over thirty years of front line ministerial experience. As a humble and obedient servant of the Lord with extensive biblical knowledge and diverse spiritual gifts, churches from various denominations throughout the country have called on him to come over and help them.
He graduated from Norwich Free Academy in Norwich and attended American International College in Springfield, MA, on a four-year basketball scholarship, but suffered a serious knee injury that ended his collegiate career. He continued his secular education becoming a Shipfitter Apprentice Graduate and Instructor. He was certified as a Quality Assurance Inspector and nationally certified as a Quality Assurance Auditor. He holds certification with Hellier Technical Training & Consulting, Inc. His formal training is from Logos Bible International College where he became an instructor for Bethel Bible College.
As a gift to the body of Christ, Pastor Johnny has held different offices in the church and the secular community including the following, just to name a few:
- Sunday School Superintendent
- Assistant Pastor
- Prison Evangelist
- Youth Pastor
- Marriage Counselor
- Financial Advisor
- Secretary of the Southeastern Ministerial Alliance
- Dean of the Bethel Bible Series
- Current Senior Pastor of New Life
In November of 1992, the call went out to Pastors Johnny and Sharon Burns (who were previous members at New Life) to come over to Macedonia and help. Through prayer and consultation with their pastor at the time, Bishop Rev. Dr. Benjamin K. Watts, they accepted the call to come to New Life and take over the ministry. By his grace and mercy, the Lord began to resurrect and restore the failing church and the stone that once was rejected became a chief cornerstone throughout the community.
When Pastor Johnny returned to New Life sixteen years ago, there were only twelve members. The ministry was running a negative deficit between $800 and $1200 per week and was unable to pay any personnel. But look at God!
Under the leadership of Reverend Johnny Burns, the membership at New Life has increased from the twelve faithful to over four hundred and still growing with forty active church ministries. These are just some of the accomplishments of the church over the last sixteen years:
- Supports seven missions (two of them are foreign)
- Employs two full time pastors and seven part time staffers
- Pays nine ministry support persons
- Provides elderly care
- Developed a collegiate Scholarship fund
- Provides direct membership hardship assistance
- And, the mortgage was paid off 13 years ahead of schedule, a savings of more than $380,000 in interest!
All of this was accomplished without any outside help, fundraisers or solicitations. As a church, New Life stands totally debt free! To God is the glory for the things He has done!
Pastor Johnny gives all honor, glory and praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus, who is the Christ. “For the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me.”
Pastor Johnny L. Burns, Sr. is the husband of the bride of his youth, Pastor Sharon L. Burns, for over thirty years and the proud father of three children; Reverend Johnny L. Burns, Jr., a graduate of Springfield MA College and his wife Raychelle Burns; Shalena Dudley, a graduate of Norfolk State University, VA and her husband Minister Lewis Dudley, II; and Sharonda Carlos, a graduate of Mitchell College in New London, CT and her husband Barry Carlos. He is also the proud grandfather of eight with one on the way.