Rev. R. Michael Chance
Rev. Michael Chance is our Pastor here at the Raritan Valley Baptist Church in Edison, NJ, having come in early February, of 2006, following two years in Hammond, Louisiana as a partner in a new business start-up with family. Michael and his wife, Linda, joined his brother, Tommy, in a new business start up called BestChance Enterprises-LLC, bringing Southern Maid Donuts to Southeastern Louisiana. For 17 years, from 1986 through most of 2003, Michael served the Metropolitan New York Baptist Association as Church Development Director. In this position, he led Southern Baptist Churches in the Greater New York City area with on-going leadership development, curriculum consultations, church health assessments, strategy development, youth ministry, and other Christian Education tasks. Originally coming to this position as an appointed Missionary of the SBC’s Home Mission Board, Michael also worked very closely with LifeWay Christian Resources of the SBC in Nashville, TN. He has ministered in the Northeast for over 22 years, serving as a Christian Education Pastor in Buffalo, NY, and since 1986, with the Metro Association in New York City
A native of Shreveport, La., Michael earned his BA degree from the Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La., and his MRE degree from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in that same city. He is past president of the Metro Association of Religious Education Directors, is presently a member of the Greenleaf Center For Servant-Leadership, and has led numerous workshops and conferences across the country. Pastor Mike and Linda are the proud parents of 3 children - Gabe, who with his wife Bethany, now live in Austin, Texas; Gail, is a social worker, who along with her NJ State Trooper husband, Joe, reside in South Jersey; and Grace, a pediatric nurse at St. Claire’s Hospital in Northern New Jersey, and is married to Jeff Markey, an up and coming youth ministry and worship leader. Pastor Mike and Linda made their residence in Ponchatoula, La for a little over 2 years before returning to New York City for 3 months where he was Interim Operations Officer for Graffiti Ministries, in the East Village. Now, they are settling in as the Pastor and wife of our little church, an SBC congregation serving Middlesex County.
Most recently, their business in South Louisiana, Southern Maid Donuts of Hammond was on the cutting edge of providing relief ministry following the devastating effects of Katrina and Rita - or, as Michael says, “Katrita”. The whole experience with a business start up has shown Pastor Mike that there is truly opportunity for doing “ministry in the marketplace” and developing workplace believers for the greatest mission field of the 21st Century : the 9 – 5 Workplace!
