MEET OUR PASTOR

Pastor Michael D. Chance is a Norfolk, Virginia native who has served as Pastor of New Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Portsmouth for 17 years. His path to the pulpit ran through years of service and honest wrestling with what God was calling him toward.

In 1997, at 27 years old, he accepted the call to serve as an ordained deacon, following thorough examination by the late Rev. Jake Manley and the Bethany Baptist Church congregation. After a period of deep reflection and struggle, he answered the call to preach in 2000 and delivered his initial sermon in April 2001.

His academic formation began at St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he attended on an athletic scholarship and studied Early Childhood Education. He later earned a Master of Divinity from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. He is currently pursuing additional theological studies at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.

In addition to his pastoral work, Pastor Chance serves the community as Director of Re-Entry for the Portsmouth Sheriff's Office under Sheriff Michael Moore.

He and his wife, First Lady Tawanna Boone Chance, reside in Chesapeake, Virginia. Pastor Chance is also a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. His mission is to empower God's people to become holistic disciples of Jesus Christ.