About Us
A body of believers loving and serving God, each other, and our community with excellence.
Our Story
2008
Michael and Amanda Montgomery began dreaming of planting a life-giving church that would love people unconditionally and lead them to life in Jesus Christ.
2014 | January
While praying about God’s direction in their life and ministry, God spoke to Michael & Amanda’s hearts: “Meet the people where they are,” He said. “Share Jesus Christ with them, teach them the importance of being together in love and unity, teach them faith in My Word, and instruct them to love and serve others with excellence.”
2014 | August
Michael & Amanda, along with 20 others, began their journey together. The primary focus, for the remainder of 2014, was to build a team of leaders with a passion to love God and love people.
2015 | February 8
Our first Sunday morning worship service at West Florida High School. The gathering became a safe place for all people with questions about faith and Christianity in the community.
2015 | November 1
We moved to our Nine Mile campus and experienced great growth as we pursued life, continually reaching beyond, full of faith, hope, love and transforming power.
2018 | September 9
We launched two Sunday worship gatherings and experienced record attendance on that day.
2019 | April 7
We moved to UWF Commons. Due to COVID-19, March 15, 2020 was our last meeting at UWF Commons.
March 22, 2020 - May 31, 2020
In accordance with social distancing measures and city-wide mandates for shelter in place, we held online services.
2020 | June 7
We relocated and started gathering again at Tate High School. God has continued to do amazing work in and through Pursue Life Church. Many have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord and have followed the Lord in Baptism.
Our Beliefs
This is our foundation. We believe the bible. Every. Single. Part. This is where our strength is drawn from and we preach this life-giving gospel from cover to cover.
We believe in an open-handed and closed-fist theology. The open hand is our methods of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. These may change along the way but in the closed fist, are what you see below. These are our foundational beliefs that will never change.
Holy Bible
The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, it is inspired, infallible and inerrant.
(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26)
Salvation
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts.
(Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22)
Healing of the Sick
Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is given as a sign which is to follow believers. It is also a part of Jesus’ work on the Cross and one of the gifts of the Spirit.
(Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29)
Second Coming
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures.
(Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7)
Trinity
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and co-eternal.
(I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11).
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth.
(Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6)
Heaven & Hell
Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
(Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; 1 Peter 1:4)
After living one life on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell where they will be eternally tormented with the Devil and the Fallen Angels.
(Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8).
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind and thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory.
(John 1:1, 14, 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; 1 Timothy 2:5)
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters.
(Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8; Ephesians 4:16; 2 Timothy 1:5-16, 4:14; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; 1 Peter 4:10)
5 Core Values
Every church, family, and organization has a culture. At PLC, we are continuously creating a healthy culture. This culture is guided by our values.
RELEVANCE
The message of Jesus never changes but the methods of communicating that message have. We strive to remain relevant in order to identify with our culture.
EVANGELISM
We will never apologize reaching those far from God. This is our call to Pensacola and the world. Evangelism is simply telling people the good news of Jesus.
COMMUNITY
Life-giving relationships are at the core of a biblically functioning community. Our goal is to connect people to these relationships through small groups.
DISCIPLESHIP
Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ is the most exciting and challenging journey you can take. We want to help guide people in this journey by discipling people the way Jesus did.
EXCELLENCE
Our God is an excellent God so we model that in everything we do. Excellence isn’t perfection, it’s just doing the best with what we have.
Our Leadership
Pastor Michael & Amanda Montgomery
LEAD PASTORS
As the Lead Pastor, Pastor Michael inspires, encourages, and challenges our church staff and congregation to be fully committed to our vision, values, and mission. His wife Amanda sings with our worship team on Sunday mornings helps with various events for different ministries and outreach groups. They both are Discipleship Circle facilitators and coaches.