Chad loves hiking, fishing, skiing, racquetball and sitting around a fire while enjoying a good ale with friends. He and his bride Shauna have been married for over 32 years and have four adult sons who live coast-to-coast. Chad has been in ministry for over 27 years and has always been deeply passionate about helping connect with people who might be “done” with church, but not “done” with God (which represents more than half of the city of Wichita). He led the launch of New Life in January 2017 with the vision of creating a church in Wichita that unchurched and dechurched people love to attend and engage…a church where you can belong before you believe. If that sounds like the kind of community you might be looking for, you're welcomed and encouraged to reach out to him to connect for coffee, lunch or a good beer…his treat!
Kavin and his bride Caitlin have been married for over 10 years. They grew up in Virginia and moved to Wichita in 2020 with their two young children. Kavin was an adjunct professor of New Testament and Apologetics for 4 years and has been working in Information Technology for over 10 years. He loves soccer, basketball, biking, swimming and has played bass guitar for several projects with friends. Talk to him about anything in Philosophy, Theology, world religions and cultures, Sci-Fi, punk and hardcore music, movies, vacation travels, and where your favorite places are to eat. His personal ministry involves these interests with a focus on high school, college, and young families.
Katie enjoys shopping and traveling...but what she really loves is being a mom to her three young boys. She's been married to Dylan for ten years and thinks he's slightly awesome, too. They jumped in at New Life Wichita as soon after it first started because they were tired of a church that exists only for believers. They wanted their boys to grow up seeing mom and dad be an active part in sharing Jesus with their community. If the church isn't sharing Jesus with people who don’t know about Him...what's the point? They also enjoy watching their boys thrive in the Kids Life ministry and being connected to a vibrant church family that includes people from all walks and backgrounds.
TJ was raised in eastern Kentucky, which means he finds himself in the awkward position of cheering for the Kentucky Wildcats while living in Kansas. He is married to the fabulous Julie and has three pretty awesome kids. He works as an Independent Insurance Agent here in Wichita and has an affinity for all things Wichita. TJ & Julie joined New Life Wichita in 2019 because they wanted to be a part of a church that is helping people find and follow Jesus. He enjoys reading, cooking, spending time with his family. If you're looking for somebody to have a conversation with about parenting, life or the best place to get tacos in Wichita, he's your man.
Jerry grew up on a farm near a small town in Missouri. He attended the University of Central Missouri and studied Broadcast Engineering but after working in that field for a while he made a career change to software development. He is currently a Software Engineer for Tyler Technologies and has been there for over 20 years. Jerry loves to travel and has had the opportunity to visit 15 countries along with most of the United States. Jerry and his wife, Itati, were part of the original launch team for New Life Wichita. Jerry has served in several roles, most of them behind the scenes, including all things technical, Website, Podcast and A/V on Sunday mornings. Jerry is also the church’s financial offer.
Elizabeth’s favorite roles in life are being the wife of her wonderful husband Graham for the past 3 years and the mother to two incredible children, Grey – age 2, and newest addition Isla, born January 2022. Outside of the home, Elizabeth works as an HR Manger for a local Meat Packaging plant and loves using her role to help others and reach as many people as possible in a positive way. With any free time Elizabeth has, you can find her reading a book or spending time with friends and family. Elizabeth is the newest member of the Directional Leadership Team as her and her family joined New Life in late 2020. After many years of searching for the right “church home” the Ratzlaffs attended New Life’s first return service after the initial COVID breakout and have never looked back. They are so happy and excited to have found such an incredible church family and Elizabeth specifically is always happy to have a chat, grab a bite to eat, or spend time with anyone interested in having a further conversation about the church, Christianity, or just life itself.
Caitlin is a wife, mom, and nurse who grew up in the mountains of Virginia and moved with her family to Wichita in early 2020. She's been married to her best friend Kavin for about a decade. She's been a nurse for just as long in specialties from observation to ER to ICU in the height of the pandemic. She gets to stay home with their two young children by day and now works as a Mother/Baby Nurse by night. She spends her free time with her family or at her art desk and could happily have a conversation about anything from literature, film, and food to child development, fantasy/sci-fi, and sociopolitical history. Her personal ministry focuses on hospitality and supporting families in Kids Life, Home Groups, and Meals Ministry. She's always happy to have company over, drop off a meal, or provide a listening ear.
Alyssa is a born and raised Wichita native and loves exploring and celebrating her city. Whether it be through First Friday, Music Theatre of Wichita, Riverfest, or random popup events, she's always up for an adventure. She met her husband, Brandon, on the dance floor in 2016, and together they love spending time with their many nieces and nephews. Alyssa loves to travel around the globe and jump into any and ALL adrenaline-inducing activities. To fund her escapades, Alyssa works at Friends University as the designer, advertiser, and event planner for the Fine Arts department. At New Life Wichita, Alyssa seeks to create an inviting atmosphere for anyone who walks through the door.
Xan has been singing and playing keyboard for as long as he can remember and is passionate about bringing glory to God through music. Originally hailing from Cleveland, OH, he moved to Wichita in 2015 in pursuit of the other of his two passions: aviation! He is an aerospace engineering manager, private pilot, and aviation and travel blogger. He has been a part of the New Life story since the beginning and met he beautiful wife Ashley at New Life in 2018. They got married in 2019 and are now a family of three! Xan and Ashley also love to travel and have visited 8 states and 4 countries together. He spends as much free time as he can with his wife and baby and is proud to be part of a community where everyone belongs and can know how much they are loved by God and others.
