Rocklyn E. Clarke Sr.,
Senior Pastor & Founder

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Pastor Rocklyn E. Clarke founded Life Church Ministries in 2003 in Boston, Massachusetts together with his wife Eva, and currently serves as its Senior Pastor. He was ordained as a pastor under Church Without Walls International in October 2002 during the annual Covenant Convention of New Covenant Christian Church (now known as Jubilee Christian Church).

Rocklyn was born in New York City in 1959. After graduating from The Bronx High School of Science in 1976, he left New York to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he majored in physics, met his future wife Eva, and eventually served as the Co-Chairman of the M.I.T. Black Student Union.

Rocklyn became a Christian in the Spring of 1979 and shortly thereafter joined the ministry of Pastor Gideon A. Thompson Sr. at the First Church of God in the South End section of Boston. Rocklyn and Eva married in 1980 and their son, Rocklyn Jr. was born the following year. In 1982 they became charter members of New Covenant Christian Center (now Jubilee Christian Church), the new ministry launched by Pastor Thompson and his wife Yvonne. After graduating from M.I.T. in 1983 with an S.B. in Physics, Rocklyn continued working there in the Information Systems Department, eventually becoming a Senior Project Manager.

In May 2002 Rocklyn left M.I.T. to serve as Administrative Pastor at New Covenant. This position gave him the opportunity to further develop New Covenant’s infrastructure and to learn important lessons about church organization. It also prepared him to become a senior paster. On Sunday October 26, 2003 Bishop Thompson and the pastoral staff of New Covenant laid hands on Rocklyn and Eva to commission them in the launching of Life Church.

He is affiliated with the following organizations:

• Member of the MIT Educational Council
• Chair of the Emmanuel Gospel Center Board of Directors (member since June 2004)
• Volunteer with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship:
  • Graduate & Faculty Ministries
  • Black Scholars and Professionals
  • Boston Graduate School Christian Fellowships
  • Harvard Graduate School Christian Fellowship
• Member of the Oversight Committee of the Boston Capacity Tank

He is a former board member of Axiom Entertainment Group.

Rocklyn E. Clarke,
Senior Pastor & Founder

Pastor Rocklyn E. Clarke was born in New York City and grew up in a loving and nurturing extended family environment. He developed a deep interest in science and mathematics as an elementery school student which led him to The Bronx High School of Science, then one of three math and science oriented exam schools in the New York City public school system. While at Bronx Science, Rocklyn participated in the Columbia University Science Honors Program and attended the Hampshire College Summer Studies in Math(HCSSiM), a program his friends sometimes refer to as “math camp”. After graduating in 1976, Rocklyn left New York to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he would major in physics.

M.I.T. was the setting for a number of formative experiences in Rocklyn’s life. In the summer of 1977 he served as a tutor in Project Interphase, a preparatory program for selected incoming students. It was here that he met Eva Louise Gilliam, an incoming freshman and the woman who would eventually become his wife. In 1978 Rocklyn’s growing involvement in minority student activities culminated in his election to the office of Co-Chairman of the M.I.T. Black Student Union. It was this position that gave him the opportunity to begin developing his leadership skills and to work with students, faculty, and senior members of the administration. His greatest M.I.T. experience was yet to come however.

Prior to college Rocklyn had some scattered experiences with Christianity. He attended Sunday School briefly as a small child and later attended Trinity Parish Boys Camp for several summers as a teenager. His maternal grandmother also spoke often about God’s role in her own life. All of these created in him a basic awareness of spiritual issues, but left him without a solid understanding of the implications of Jesus’ death burial and resurrection. While he was in high school, his sister took the time to write him a letter explaining the good news about Jesus and how to make him Lord of your life. Although at the time he rejected her invitation to accept Jesus, the message in her letter never left him. During his freshman year in college, Rocklyn met a fellow physics student who became his closest friend and one of the major Christian influences on his life. The following summer he met B. Courtney McBath, an incoming freshman. Courtney became another very powerful Christian influence in both Rocklyn’s and Eva’s lives. Courtney is now the Bishop and Senior Pastor of Calvary Revival Churchin Norfolk, Virginia.

In the spring of 1979, while sitting alone in his dormitory room, Rocklyn had an encounter with the Holy Spirit and gave his life to Jesus Christ. He immediately became an active member of the Black Christian Fellowship. Shortly thereafter he attended Easter service at the First Church of God in the South End section of Boston. Here he was introduced to the ministry of Pastor Gideon A. Thompson Sr. — the man who would become his mentor and spiritual father.

In 1980 Rocklyn married Eva, the love of his life. He graduated from M.I.T. in 1983 with an S.B. in Physics and continued working there in the Information Systems Department. In 1981, their son, Rocklyn Jr. was born. When Pastors Thompson and his wife Yvonne left First Church of God to found New Covenant Christian Center (now Jubilee Christian Church) in 1982, Rocklyn and Eva joined him along with several others to become charter members of the new ministry. They were part of the first group of New Covenant cell leaders. In 1985, their daughter Sharon was born.

In 1987 Rocklyn and his family left New Covenant to join another ministry. In 1994, prompted by God, they returned.

By this time New Covenant had renewed its vision for cell ministry and Rocklyn seized this opportunity to pursue his pastoral calling. He became a cell leader again and was soon asked to serve as a section leader overseeing several cell leaders. At this time he also became very active in coordinating the church’s overall cell ministry. In 1999, Rocklyn and his wife were appointed as Pastors over one of the four districts into which New Covenant’s cell ministry had been organized. Rocklyn eventually authored a number of the materials that were used by the cell ministry participants.

In May 2002 Rocklyn left his position as a Senior Project Manager at M.I.T. to serve as Administrative Pastor (and effectively Chief Operating Officer) at New Covenant. This position gave him the opportunity to further develop New Covenant’s infrastructure and to learn important lessons about church organization. It was during this period of his life that God began to rekindle in him the dream of founding a new ministry — Life Church. Life Church would continue many of the spiritual traditions of New Covenant, but would be launched as a cell church from the very beginning.

On Sunday October 26, 2003 Bishop Thompson and the pastoral staff of New Covenant laid hands on Rocklyn and Eva to commission them in the launching of Life Church.