Staff Team

Dr. Ryan Johnson
Lead Pastor
FOUNDER
Pastor Ryan, together with his wife Megan, planted New City Church from scratch in 2015. They have four children: Tatum, Caden, Roman, and Maggie. Ryan is the visionary leader of New City, serving as the moderator of the Session, the President of the corporation, and the head of the Teaching Team. He is also the executive director of Metro Atlanta Collective our local church planting network.

Megan Johnson
Discipleship Director
FOUNDER
Megan, alongside her husband Ryan, founded New City Church in 2015. She has four children: Tatum, Caden, Roman, and Maggie. Megan provides visionary leadership in the area of Discipleship Pathways. The primary way she serves is by guiding the formation of life-on-life discipleship groups and cohorts as well as providing for the care and development of their leaders. Megan is also a trusted voice on our Liturgy Team. Outside of New City, Megan is the director of Parakaleo in the Metro Atlanta region, a ministry that provides care and support for the wives of church planters.

E. Brandon Dean
Assistant Pastor
Pastor Brandon has been a part of New City Church since the initial Launch Team. He and his wife, Alisha, have two daughters: Halle and Maddy, and one grandson: James, and one more grandchild on the way. Brandon wears a variety of hats: Pastoral/Shepherding Care; Communications; Liturgy Development; and Officer Development. He is the Secretary of the corporation and serves as Clerk of the Session. Brandon is a regular part of the Liturgy Team and Teaching Team.

Duane Mixon
Worship & Residencies Pastor
Pastor Duane joined New City Church at the beginning of 2022. He and his wife Jessica have three children: Miles, Iris, and Silas. Duane curates our times of worship and provides for the care and development of our worship leaders and technicians. Besides worship, Duane oversees the residencies program at New City Church. Duane is a regular part of our Liturgy Team.

Kelly Shipp
Shepherding and Children's Ministry Director
Kelly and her husband Kenny, have been a part of New City Church since the initial Launch Team. They have three children: Emma, Ben, and Everett. Kelly built our children's ministry, New City Kids, from the ground up and provides for the care and development of a team of children's leaders, teachers, and other volunteers. Along with Pastor Brandon, Kelly provides leadership for the Shepherding Care Team.

Anne Bridges
Children's Ministry Assistant Director
Anne and her husband Rob have been a part of New City Church since we were still a portable church plant meeting in a middle-school gymnasium. They have two children: Rylan and Reese. Anne provides organizational leadership to our children's ministry, New City Kids.

Patrick Choi
Student Ministries Director
Patrick has been a part of New City Church since just after we launched. He and his wife, Erica, have two children: Haven and David. Patrick and Erica built our student ministry from scratch and provide for the care and development of a team of youth leaders. Patrick is a Ruling Elder providing leadership and oversight as well as Shepherding Care as a part of the Session. He is a regular part of our Liturgy Team and Teaching Team.

Erica Choi
Engagement & Student Ministries Director
Erica, alongside her husband Patrick, has been a part of New City Church since the early days. She has two children: Haven and David. Erica and Patrick developed our student ministry from the ground up, and they provide for the care and development of a team of youth leaders. She provides visionary leadership in the area of Engagement, guiding people from when they first visit New City until they are fully engaged and connected Covenant Partners within our church family. Part of Erica's role is connecting with people through our social media and email presence. Erica is a regular part of our Worship Team and Liturgy Team. Outside of New City, Erica serves as the Director of Operations for Metro Atlanta Collective, our local church planting network.

Mike McAuliff
Missional Communities Director
Mike and his wife Emily were a part of the initial Launch Team for New City Church. They have two daughters: Ella and Ada. Mike provides for the care and development of a team of volunteer leaders who facilitate Missional Communities, one of our core Discipleship Pathways. As a Ruling Elder, Mike provides leadership and oversight, as well as shepherding care, as a part of the Session. He is a regular part of the Liturgy Team and Teaching Team. Outside of New City, Mike is the Executive Director of Youth for Christ in Atlanta.

Bill Golden
Executive Director
Bill and his wife Karen have been a part of New City since we were still a portable church plant meeting at Richards Middle School. They have two grown children: Mikayla and Nathan. As our Executive Director, Bill provides for the care and development of the staff team. Bill provides leadership and oversight, as well as shepherding care, as a Ruling Elder on our Session. Outside of New City, Bill serves as Candidates Director for Mission to the World, the global missions arm of the Presbyterian Church in America.

Rachel Bartlett
Finance and Campus Director
Rachel and her husband Andrew have been a part of New City Church since just after we moved into our facility on Buford Drive. They have two children: Layne and Lindy. As our accountant, Rachel serves by providing leadership and guidance to the staff and ministry team leaders as we seek to be good stewards of the financial resources entrusted to us. Rachel also provides organizational leadership to the use of our campus. Outside of New City, Rachel serves as an accountant for Youth for Christ in Atlanta.

Jorge Vallejo
Church Planting Resident
Jorge and his wife Brittany have been a part of New City Church since the initial Launch Team. They have four children: Nehemiah, Georgia, Moriah, and Isaiah. Jorge is our first Church Planting Resident and is attending seminary at Metro Atlanta Seminary in preparation for planting a Hispanic-speaking church within Gwinnett County. Outside of New City, Jorge is the Executive Director of Upper90, a vibrant ministry within the Hispanic community here in Gwinnett County and also in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
The Session

Ryan Johnson
Teaching Elder / ELT / Moderator

Jeff Thomas
Ruling Elder / ELT

Bill Golden
Ruling Elder / ELT

Phil White
Ruling Elder / ELT

Patrick Choi
Ruling Elder

Joe Brand
Ruling Elder

Brian Pettigrew
Ruling Elder

Mike McAuliff
Ruling Elder

Brandon Dean
Teaching Elder / Clerk
The Diaconate

John Hudson
Deacon | Chairman

Steven Sexton
Deacon | Secretary

Mark Ryan
Deacon

Art Edwards
Deacon

Kenny Shipp
Deacon

Antonio da Silva
Deacon