Bishop John I. Cline is the senior pastor of the New Life Baptist Church in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

He began ministry in 1985 at the New Light Baptist Church in New Jersey where he served as both as Associate Minister and Youth Pastor.  He was ordained as pastor in 1989, and shortly thereafter, in 1993, he was led to return to the British Virgin Islands where he accepted the call to be the Senior Pastor of the Road Town Baptist Church. Under his leadership, in February of 1997, the church broke ground and nine months later the building was dedicated and the church was renamed The New Life Baptist Church. Bishop Cline is also the visionary and overseer of the Emanuel Baptist Church in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands.

Bishop Cline is passionate about young people and understands the complex challenges they face. He firmly believes in impacting the world, not just spiritually but socially and physically as well. Hence, not too long after construction of the church, the New Life Day Care Learning Centre was opened. It was his intention that children receive early training in biblical teachings as well in their academic journey.   Furthering his vision, NLBC spread its mission to Africa and pledged its financial support to a primary and secondary school administered by a local church in Kenya.  Together, the partnership has seen the growth of the primary school from twenty students to nearly three hundred students and with the first cohort of primary school children entering the secondary level in 2017!

With his determined mind-set to impact the British Virgin Islands community, in 2011, Bishop Cline also acted upon a vision to construct a recreational facility that would mainly target the youths—a generation that he feels is in dire need of attention and rescue.  The multi-recreational facility, known as the Save the Seed Energy Centre, was completed and dedicated in November 2012.   Bishop Cline believes that the Energy Centre will help to create an impact in the British Virgin Islands community by providing a safe and productive environment for young people.

In 2014, he developed the Core Values Program.  The Core Values Program implants his vision to rebuild and retool the present and upcoming generations with core values.  The program was introduced to public primary schools in the British Virgin Islands in September 2018.

In July 2017, Bishop Cline received the Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Fellow Award for his philanthropic contributions

to the BVI, the Caribbean region and Kenya, Africa.

In 2020, in recognition of his business prowess and nation building capabilities, he was appointed the Chairman of the Economic Advisory Committee, a committee which advices the Premier of the Virgin Islands on economic enhancement in an effort to ensure that the economy of the Virgin Islands continues in an upward mobility and that the Virgin Islands keeps its competitive advantage regionally and globally.

Bishop Cline is the author of The Monogamy Mystery, a thought provoking book which discusses the difficulties relationships are fraught with, especially around the area of infidelity and offers a solution to the problem through spirituality.

He attributes his success to the influence of godly parents, strong family ties, a caring church, and a supportive community.  He desires to “Pass it on!”