Jonathan Wilson

Pastor Jonathan Wilson is a long-time friend and ministry partner of The Life Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where he has contributed to key conversations around leadership, reconciliation, and the future of the Church. A seasoned pastor with roughly four decades of ministry experience, he is widely recognized for his steady, faith-filled approach to leadership and his heart to strengthen pastors and churches for the long haul. 

Jonathan serves as Senior Pastor of Newport Church in Orange County, California, which he and his wife, Dianne, planted in 2006 after 28 years of ministry in Australia. Before launching Newport, the Wilsons were part of the Hillsong Church team in Sydney, where they served in senior associate leadership and helped build a strong, contemporary local church with global influence.  Under their leadership, Newport Church has grown into a vibrant, multi-generational congregation committed to connecting people to Christ, to their God-given purpose, and to life-giving relationships. 

Jonathan’s ministry at Newport Church is marked by clear, Bible-based teaching on themes such as faith, spiritual vitality, worry-free finances, and living with vision and hope. Through weekend services, teaching series, and pastoral letters to the church, he consistently emphasizes hearing and obeying God’s Word, living in the power of the Holy Spirit, and building a lifestyle of trust in God in every season.  His leadership also helped give birth to Newport, a worship expression from the church whose music has reached beyond their local congregation. 

Jonathan’s relationship with The Life Church has included significant moments of collaboration. In the wake of the George Floyd tragedy, he travelled to Memphis at the invitation of Pastor John Siebeling to participate in “Race, Hope & Healing,” a candid and hope-filled conversation with Pastors John Siebeling and Wayne Francis on racism, reconciliation, and the Church’s response.  He has also joined John and Wayne on the Leadership in Black and White podcast to speak about longevity in ministry, drawing from his many years of experience navigating the highs, lows, and transitions of pastoral life. 

Alongside Dianne—an author and speaker in her own right—Jonathan leads Newport Church as a “hub of hope and faith” for their region, and together they are passionate about helping people encounter Jesus, walk in freedom, and build strong, healthy lives.  As a trusted voice and friend to The Life Church family, Pastor Jonathan brings a blend of pastoral wisdom, global church perspective, and a warm, pastoral heart that encourages believers to keep growing, keep leading, and keep loving people well.