Meet The Pastor
Founder and Pastor R. Loren Sandford
Called to love people, to set them free and to grow God's church, pastoring has been Loren's lifelong passion. He has served four churches full time since 1976, two of which he planted. Recognition as a prophetic voice was never his ambition. His passion for people and the church, however, have led directly to a prophetic calling and the need to hear the voice of God so he could help prepare God's people for the coming days. In recent years everything Loren has done, from his work as a songwriter to his preaching, teaching and writing books, has been seen and interpreted by the wider body of Christ as prophetic in its impact. As John Sandford's son, heritage, it seems, can be inescapable. As a pastor/prophet, Loren always speaks from the Father's heart, the heart of a shepherd training up those prophetically called, as well as those gifted in other areas of ministry.
In 1973 he completed a B.A. in music education, then completedd his Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California in 1976. Since then, he has served four churches full time, planting two of them himself, including New Song Church and Ministries where he remains the senior pastor. In 1979 and 1980 he was the co-director of Elijah House, the ministry his father and mother founded in 1973, where he did prayer counseling and traveled the world teaching inner healing. Initially ordained in a mainline denomination where he served on the national board for the Charismatic Renewal group within that denomination he has since served in the Vineyard (1988-1992) and from 1996-2013 was affiliated with Partners in Harvest, the church affiliation that grew out of the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (now known as Catch the Fire). He served a number of years as a regional coordinator in PIH and as a recognized prophetic voice within the movement.
Now independent, he is involved in overseeing churches in several states. Loren has released 14 CDs of original music, mostly for worship, and is the author of six books currently in publication.
Loren has been married to Beth since 1972. Loren and Beth share everything from church leadership and worship to weight training and a passion for revival. They have three grown children and ten grandchildren. Their son, Nathan is Loren's co-pastor. Their two daughters and their husbands serve in various volunteer capacities at New Song. Loren is a member of the Osage Nation, a Native American heritage he cherishes.