About us
"Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering." - Augustine
About us
"Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering." - Augustine
ChristLife exists to strengthen Christ's church by coaching, restoring, and awakening its leadership. Our ministry is led by an ever-growing community of Christian leaders, many of which have personally experienced the difficulties of local church ministry.
We recognize that there is no "one size fits all" method for real healing. And so, we use the best of cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative therapy, mindfulness, and healing prayer... but ultimately depend on God and His Word as our primary sources for healing and transformation.
As a result, we have been able to help restore and awaken pastors from a wide range of denominational backgrounds. Our desire is to also equip these leaders to confidently bring Gods healing and life to others; each one restoring one as God provides the opportunity.
God wants to take your mess and make it a part of your message!
I can remember this moment like it was yesterday; we were racing down a small gravel runway, our plane shaking, engine roaring... heading out into the wilds of Alaska. Once airborne we turned and began to follow the Copper river deeper and deeper into the Wrangell- St. Elias national park. As we flew, something began to awaken in me; this was bigger, wilder, more beautiful country than I had ever experienced. In many ways, I saw God in it. Like C.S. Lewis once wrote: "the beauty that we see, the veil of endless beauty be." The mountains, glaciers, and rivers were just a glimmer... a shadow of the Almighty. And then it hit me... nature, in all of its awe-inspiring glory, also revealed something about me; this beauty which surrounded us wasn't Gods best work... He said I was.
That moment combined with thousands of others exposed a chasm between what I believed to be true about God and what I was experiencing daily. Why was I still using performance and approval as a means for determining my own value? Why were fear and unrest still issues in my life when God clearly invited me to not be afraid or anxious about anything? Why was real humility, which is supposed to a primary indicator of Christian maturity, all but missing in my life? Over the next 12 years, Gods healing and real answers to these, and many other questions formed the beginnings of ChristLife Ministries.
We are so excited that you're considering starting or continuing your own healing journey! We would love to help in any way we can.
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Think about that for a moment...this is an opportunity to positively influence the primary leadership of close to 40 churches in West Michigan this next year. Our prayer is to then begin 2019 with a minimum of 25 fully equipped pastoral leaders...you see where this is going... God is building a low overhead high impact ministry.
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Greg Dempster
Founder and director
ChristLife Ministries
"God will heal everything that hinders you from fulfilling His great purpose for your life."
"I'd gone to counseling off and on for years trying to get rid of the pain and humiliation I carried...instead of working on coping mechanisms, ChristLIfe was used by God to bring me to the true Jesus and ultimately into true healing...I'm really free! I'm already using my own experience to help other pastors in Grand Rapids experience their own freedom...Thank you!"
Board of Directors
Greg Dempster
Greg is the director of ChristLife ministries. He's married, has two boys, and has served in full-time pastoral ministry for the past 27 years. He's been a senior leader, elder, ministry director, and has played an instrumental role in developing the ChristLife experience and vision.​
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Jamison Jones
Jamison has served as the senior pastor of the Pentecostals of Kentwood for the past 14 years. He is a proven leader and one of 10 key directors within the Pentecostal movement of West Michigan. Jamison has played a role as a strategic adviser to ChristLife this past year and will be a tremendous asset to our leadership team as we move forward into the future.
douglas DeVries
Doug has recently retired from being the president and owner of KRC logistics, Inc. He has a keen mind for business organization and a huge heart for Christian leaders.
Samuel Moffet
Samuel has been in pastoral ministry for close to 30 years. He’s now serving as a chaplin with Mel Trotter ministries here in Grand Rapids. Samuel is a wise counselor and Godly shepherd naturally building relational bridges both within the African American church and also across racial and denominational lines.
Bruce Cheadle
Bruce has served in positions of leadership most of his life. He was the owner and president of Jobbers Warehouse Service, Inc. & Performance Automotive, Inc. He has served as the Board Chairman of the Association of Aftermarket Distributors (owned by companies like mine all over the U.S. & Canada & doing 1 billion+ annually, based in Memphis, TN.)
In the non-profit area, he served as the Board Chairman of Mary Free Bed Hospital, Grand Rapids City Planning Commission, Egypt Valley Country Club, etc. He also founded and directed Prayer fire ministry, which was a ministry focused on bringing prayer renewal to the reformed church in West Michigan.
strategic advisors
Ken Greene- Founder of the Pastor Support Network
Brian Smilde- Pastor of Emmanuel Reformed church
Stephen Kepley- Mayor of Kentwood, MI.
Jeff Greene- Financial advisor and president of Gods gift foundation
John Mohl- Maplan industries