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 relaunched 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
"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
"Invite your neighbors to meet and follow Jesus."
That isn't branding language for us. It's a simple way of saying we want to live missionally where God has actually placed us. We're not trying to be impressive. We want to be faithful with the people right in front of us—our neighbors, coworkers, classmates, and friends.
What We Value
- Christ-Centered Preaching — Verse by verse, trusting God's Word to do God's work.
- Relational Discipleship — Real growth usually happens slowly, in real relationships.
- Gospel Community — Shared meals, honest conversations, burdens carried together.
- Missions & Evangelism — Loving our neighbors enough to speak clearly about Christ.
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.
Leadership Development
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
On Stress vs. Burnout:
"What I've been calling exhaustion may actually be stress. I need to give myself to the right things—not just pile on more things."
On the Blessing of Elders:
"I've been reminded again why biblical ecclesiology requires a plurality of elders. Elders are God's gift to the church."
On Evangelism:
"We've been playing the long game with our neighbors—praying, building trust, waiting on the Lord. This week he asked if we could grab lunch."
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.