LifeBridge Community Church was launched on Easter Sunday 2005. Why another church in Dartmouth? We wanted to provide a place for individuals and families in our community to enter a relaxed environment where there would be an opportunity to begin a spiritual journey to discover God. To discover who He is and why that is important to us in our pursuit of meaning and purpose in life and culture today. We believe that Church is not just a religious time 1 hour a week, but it should be about a spiritual journey that impacts how we live out our lives daily. We seek to provide a relevant application of God’s biblical principles into all we do to serve people in Dartmouth by helping them connect with God and discover and live out His purposes for their lives. Come discover your value to God!

Here is a brief introduction to our church leaders:

LifeBridge Leadership

Lead Pastor:

Rob, Julie, Brett, and Lindsay moved to Dartmouth from Winnipeg to start LifeBridge Community Church in early 2005. Rob had previously been serving as a pastor at Ness Avenue Baptist Church in Winnipeg for 12 years.

Julie and the kids were born and raised in Manitoba, but Rob grew up in the very neighbourhood where God has called them to plant a new church here in Dartmouth, NS. Julie taught music and kindergarten for several years and brings that passion and experience with children into this new church endeavor. Lindsay is an obsessive-compulsive craft addict and Brett enjoys anything that involves him doing construction or destruction (usually the latter).
Contact Rob: rlaidlaw@LifeBridge.ca
Pastor of Relationship Ministries:

Gordon and Anna MacKenzie joined the LifeBridge staff in July 2009. Gordon serves as our Pastor of Relationship Ministries. He served as the pastor of Penobsquis Baptist Church in New Brunswick for six years and has recently completed his Masters in Counselling from The University of New Brunswick. They have two grown children and two very friendly dogs! They are loving life in Dartmouth!
Contact Gordon: gmackenzie@LifeBridge.ca

Chair of Leadership Team:

David and Shelly Tonen were part of the original church launch team for LifeBridge in 2005. David serves as chair of the board for the LifeBridge Leadership team.


David’s corporate career has been spent in a variety of sales and marketing positions within the educational publishing industry. Shelly is a high school teacher with the Halifax School Board. David started JesusAtlantic.com in 2001 and continues to volunteer as its Ministry Director.  He also writes a church marketing blog and you can follow him on Twitter.

Contact David: dtonen@LifeBridge.ca