How it all started...
On the 21st of September in 1867, eleven followers of Christ Jesus gathered in the Toms River sheriff's office to start First Baptist Church of Toms River. These founding members gathered in their homes for worship, prayer, and to study the Bible.
As this group grew, they began to meet in a hall, known as the Caroperthwat Building, that was located on Main St. and Washington St. As they continued to gather there, they saw the faithfulness of Christ who promised that He would build His Church and even the gates of Hell could not prevail against them (Matthew 16:18). Then, 16 years later, the church moved into a building located at 236 Main Street, where they would remain for the next 11 years.
As this group grew, they began to meet in a hall, known as the Caroperthwat Building, that was located on Main St. and Washington St. As they continued to gather there, they saw the faithfulness of Christ who promised that He would build His Church and even the gates of Hell could not prevail against them (Matthew 16:18). Then, 16 years later, the church moved into a building located at 236 Main Street, where they would remain for the next 11 years.
In 1894, the church voted to build a building where Main St. and Broad St. came together. As they moved, God continued to move in their midst, and the congregation continued to grow. During this season in our church family history, First Baptist Church of Toms River also became a home away from home for many of the families stationed at Lakehurst Naval Base, as well as those in Toms River.
In 1966, as the country was in turmoil, the congregation of First Baptist Church was anything but. They had seen the continued faithfulness of Christ and were outgrowing their place of worship. So, they voted to purchase a piece of property on the corner of Main St. and Colfax...the property where we still currently meet and gather each week. On July 10th of that year, the congregation broke ground and, in October of 1967, the members of this church gathered to celebrate the faithfulness of King Jesus and dedicated the 700-seat sanctuary that we now call home.
In the nearly 200-year history of our congregation, we have seen 24 faithful pastors given to us from our founding in 1867 to the present day. Under the leadership of our current Lead Pastor, Winchester Hagans, our church is actively "replanting" and working with community partners to see revival on the Jersey Shore.
In 1966, as the country was in turmoil, the congregation of First Baptist Church was anything but. They had seen the continued faithfulness of Christ and were outgrowing their place of worship. So, they voted to purchase a piece of property on the corner of Main St. and Colfax...the property where we still currently meet and gather each week. On July 10th of that year, the congregation broke ground and, in October of 1967, the members of this church gathered to celebrate the faithfulness of King Jesus and dedicated the 700-seat sanctuary that we now call home.
In the nearly 200-year history of our congregation, we have seen 24 faithful pastors given to us from our founding in 1867 to the present day. Under the leadership of our current Lead Pastor, Winchester Hagans, our church is actively "replanting" and working with community partners to see revival on the Jersey Shore.
Where We are Now
Today, under the leadership of Pastor Winchester Hagans, we continue to gather and pursue the mission that we have had from that first day in 1867. We currently have 60-80 people who gather with us each week, yet we know that Christ the King is not done with us or the mission He has called us to.
In April of 2025, under the leadership of Andrew Brown, Pastor Winchester Hagans came on staff and joined in our efforts to revitalize and grow this church once again. This effort began over a decade ago when Pastor Andrew accepted the call to become the 23rd Senior Pastor. And it was under his tenure with us that the name of the church transitioned from First Baptist Church of Toms River to New Life Church. This name represents both the new life that we are all given in Christ Jesus and the new life that Christ has given to this church as it continues to be a lamp-stand of the gospel in Downtown Toms River.
In April of 2025, under the leadership of Andrew Brown, Pastor Winchester Hagans came on staff and joined in our efforts to revitalize and grow this church once again. This effort began over a decade ago when Pastor Andrew accepted the call to become the 23rd Senior Pastor. And it was under his tenure with us that the name of the church transitioned from First Baptist Church of Toms River to New Life Church. This name represents both the new life that we are all given in Christ Jesus and the new life that Christ has given to this church as it continues to be a lamp-stand of the gospel in Downtown Toms River.
In the spring of 2025, we were given permission to set up our Prayer Tent with Team 635 at all downtown Toms River events, as well as going to the boardwalk monthly to pray for people and share the hope that we have been given in the Gospel of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in our first 9 months of doing this we were able to pray for 600+ and saw 6 people become Christians. We are praying to see people even more prayed for, become born again and join us as we do life together as Spirit-filled followers of Christ Jesus the King who love the LORD their God with all of their Heart through Gospel-Fueled Prayer, all of their Soul through Gospel-Inspired Worship, all of their Mind through Gospel-Centered Theology, and with all of their Strength through Gospel-Empowered Mission. And love their neighbors across the street, across the state, and across the world as themselves (Mark 12:28-34).
Where we are going...
As we seek to advance God's influence in Toms River, we recognize the need for adaptability in both our church and in the community. There is a deep hunger and desperate need for the power and fulfillment in life that is only found in Jesus Christ. As we look around our community, it is clear that many are looking for hope and meaning in life. We know that this is found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is only through Jesus that someone finds hope and meaning that goes beyond this temporary journey of life and carries them into eternity.
New Life Church is committed to connecting people to Jesus and His Church.
New Life Church is committed to connecting people to Jesus and His Church.
We are currently affiliated with the Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania and South Jersey, and the Southern Baptist Convention. We hold Scripture as our authority, the Father as Creator, the Son as Savior, and the Holy Spirit as Indwelling Guide.
We want to be connected to Jesus - not just so we can be “saved” but so that we might be transformed through a lifelong process into Christ-likeness. This transformation will be seen in the way that we love people both in and out of our church family.
Our simple process is that we want to draw the community into a relationship with Jesus and His church. We want our regular attenders to get involved in a Life Group; walk through our discovery classes; get involved in serving by using their spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences; and we want to see our church family carrying out God’s mission of sharing the Gospel in our community and around the world.
We want to be connected to Jesus - not just so we can be “saved” but so that we might be transformed through a lifelong process into Christ-likeness. This transformation will be seen in the way that we love people both in and out of our church family.
Our simple process is that we want to draw the community into a relationship with Jesus and His church. We want our regular attenders to get involved in a Life Group; walk through our discovery classes; get involved in serving by using their spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences; and we want to see our church family carrying out God’s mission of sharing the Gospel in our community and around the world.