Ministry

Neighborhood Church Lakeland

Neighborhood Church Lakeland is a church plant in Lakeland, Florida, and part of the broader Neighborhood Church family, alongside sister congregations in Sebring and Ocala. We launched in September 2022 after years of prayer, planning, setbacks, and a lot of providential twists along the way.

My family moved from Ohio to Florida in 2018 to join the team in Sebring. In time, I was trained and affirmed to help restart the work in Lakeland—a declining congregation that needed renewed health, clear direction, and fresh confidence in the gospel. It's been the hardest and best ministry assignment of my life.

Hard and good often travel together.

Our Mission

Inviting our neighbors to meet and follow Jesus.

"Each Sunday, we gather to worship Jesus through the ordinary means of grace—prayer, Scripture reading, singing, and the preaching of God's Word. We come not to put on a religious event, but to be formed again by the gospel and sent back out to live faithfully in everyday life."

Our Vision

Following Jesus into our neighborhoods to plow the ground, sow the seed, and reap a harvest.

Plowing means preparing leaders to take Jesus' presence into places lacking qualified church leadership. Sowing means cultivating a church planting movement that partners broadly. Reaping means celebrating new life as God moves in hearts to meet and follow Jesus.

What We Value

• We put Jesus first. We center everything on Jesus' love and grace because He alone has set us free.
• We trust the Bible. We depend on Scripture as our primary guide for life because God leads us most directly through His Word.
• We journey together. Spiritual growth happens best in community. God brings us into His family so no one has to face anything alone.
• We collaborate rather than compete. Jesus has one body and we're all on His team. We work together with others who are seeking His Kingdom first.
• We hold God's gifts with open hands. God gives each of us resources, experiences, and abilities, so we share them generously with others.
• We hold fast to the mission while adapting our methods. The truth of the Gospel never changes, and we trust the Holy Spirit to help us creatively reach our community.

What I Focus On

Preaching & Teaching

I give a good portion of my week to sermon preparation because I really believe verse-by-verse exposition is one of the most faithful ways to shepherd people. The goal isn't to impress anybody. It's to help people see what God has said and submit their lives to it.

The text sets the agenda—not my opinions.

Hospitality

Hospitality at our house isn't a program. It's just part of how we try to live.

Kara and I have seen again and again that some of the most meaningful pastoral conversations don't happen in an office. They happen around a dinner table, after church, with kids running through the house and coffee getting cold on the counter. That's often where trust grows and where God's sovereign goodness becomes easier to trace together.

Discipleship

I'm committed to investing in younger believers and helping raise up leaders for the church. That includes mentoring, premarital counseling, walking with families through transitions, and trying to model simple faithfulness over time.

There's a particular kind of joy in watching God bear fruit through long, ordinary investment.

What I'm Learning

Goals for 2026

Each year I sit down with our leadership team to pray through and plan where God is leading us. Here's what I'm focusing on in 2026:

Relationships Over Programs

Kara and I are setting a rhythm of having families over twice a month—some from the church and some from our neighborhood. Ministry happens best around a table. I'm also committing to writing at least one personal postcard each week to encourage someone.

Men's Ministry

We're moving our men's breakfast to monthly and planning a retreat for November. I'm looking for someone to help lead this—discipleship happens when men invest in men, not when the pastor does everything.

Preaching & Worship Flow

I'm working on running through my sermons on Fridays to let them settle before Sunday. We're also refining our order of worship—making sure each element serves the whole and points people to Christ.

Administration & Delegation

Honestly, this is my weak spot. I'm working on clarifying roles—especially for Kara and others who serve behind the scenes—and building a basic org chart so everyone knows who's responsible for what.

Dreaming a Little

We have a back lot on our property that's completely untapped. I don't know what it will become yet, but I want to start dreaming with our leadership about what it could be—a place for community gatherings? A outreach space? We'll see.