Get to know us!

Hi. I’m Dale Swanson, the lead pastor at New Life Church.

I love Santa Barbara.  I moved here when I was 10 and have been hooked on the beach and warm weather ever since.  I went to Santa Barbara High School and Westmont College (Montecito,CA.) where I studied education, but from the time I became a Christian, early in elementary school, I knew I wanted to serve the church.  Even when I worked in the hotel and sales industry for 10 years, I served at New Life Church as the young adult leader and men’s ministry leader.  In 2004, I traded in my sales job to join the staff of New Life Church as Associate Pastor, with a range of responsibilities that included small groups, men’s ministries, young adults, and frequent preaching. In June of 2008, Foursquare called me to serve as Senior Pastor. I love the staff, I love the people, and I love what I do.

I met my wife, Amy, in my college youth group, and we were married in 1989. Amy always knew she wanted to be involved in Christian ministry, so we were a perfect fit.  She has always understood the demands of a church-ministry-lifestyle and knows how to nurture and manage our home as a pastor’s wife. We have three children who are easy to love: Nizi (‘87), Ciza (‘95), and Abel (‘97).  We adopted all of our children from Burundi, and became a family together in 2004. In addition to her home responsibilities, Amy serves New Life Church in many capacities.  She leads the women’s ministry and writes most of the communications. She also teachers part time as a high school English teacher and writes articles for our Foursquare denomination publications.

Beyond my church ministry, one of my passions is playing sports.  I love to play basketball and I love all things USC! Of course, I also love spending time playing on the awesome Santa Barbara beaches.  I have always loved Santa Barbara and have a strong desire to serve my city.  I think I’m blessed to live here, and I want to see the hope and love of Christ permeate all aspects of our wonderful city.