Baptist
Contemporary
101-500 Members
Church Profile
Service Times
Sunday:
Life Groups: 8:30am
1st Worship Service: 9:45am
2nd Worship Service: 11:30am
Wednesdays:
Awana: 6:30pm
Adult Worship: 7:00pm
(662) 781-2151
Senior Pastor Dr. Larry Wayne Sykes
Our Mission
Values
Traditionally, when someone finds a “what we believe” link on a church website they find an abbreviated, “canned” commentary on various doctrines that church adheres to. The Church at Lake Forest is not very good at being “canned.” Instead, we value being original, creative and, above all, honest. Read on to discover what we believe and who we honestly strive to be.
GOD-HEARTED
It all begins with God. We believe He is the Creator of all. He is unlimited, unchanging and He needs for nothing. Yet, in needing nothing, He chooses us. Personally and individually He seeks out His creation – you and me. In His pursuit, He shows Himself compassionate and merciful, though sometimes our view of this is clouded because our world is broken – a result of our choices, not His. But even in the midst of our failed choices, He chooses redemption. He is active, involved. The sum of which is unconditional, unrelenting LOVE. Sure, our theology is Reformed, but our approach is practical and easy to understand.
CHRIST-CENTRIC
Jesus Christ is the heartbeat of all we do. He is the most extraordinary and exciting presence to ever walk our planet. This is amazingly profound because for 2000 years He has wonderfully, radically and eternally changed people’s lives. And…He used a cross to do it. A cross where He died in order to pay the price for my brokenness and yours. Simply put – He paid what we owed. But it didn’t end there. He was resurrected and eternally lives to bridge the chasm between God and us. Though He walked the earth over 2000 years ago, He still desires to have relationship with the people of today. He is God’s Son and He IS God. Virgin born. God with skin on. Savior to anyone who believes and receives His message. We view His full humanity and full God-ness as gloriously mysterious, yet simple enough for anyone who says, “I want to know YOU”. So, our message is Simple, Jesus Saves!
PEOPLE MATTER
All people are God-made which means all people are God-valued. We are filled with unlimited potential, yet tragically flawed. Calvary (where Jesus Christ died on the cross) proves people matter to God—they matter to us, too. Our desire is help people get to know how MUCH they matter to God.
CULTURAL REBELS
Disillusioned, disenfranchised, skeptical, and bored, this generation is spiritually hungry yet often untouched and unmoved by what it experiences in its limited encounter with church (more on this below). The world is full of broken people, cultured orphans. They are skeptical of the “absolute” yet longing for a standard. Broken hearts rail against truth, while desperately seeking it. They constantly strive for something more, hoping that just “one more thing” will suffice their craving – not knowing that their hunger is for Christ…The only One who can satisfy.
SPIRITUAL REBELS
You and I suffer from a spiritual disease called sin. Minimize it, excuse it, deny it; it’s real and it’s a big deal in the eyes of a just God. Yes, humankind is made in God’s image and is filled with potential, but we are also simultaneously flawed beyond the point of being able to fix ourselves (anyone who has tried, knows). Given this irreparable problem of sin – apart from God – we are in a hopeless state. Appraised in a divine economy, it’s spiritual treason. You and I are rebels. Depressing, huh? Sounds hopeless? It is…except for the fact that this same God has a soft spot for rebels. Rebels make really good believers once they understand the truth.
LIVING WORD
Finding God is not something we initiate; it is Someone we respond to. Though we are unaware, He loved us first. He sought us out. We know this because He has given us an entirely trustworthy revelation, a divine book – HIS BOOK, the Bible. His words tell us of His original love. Though written by human authors, its ultimate author is God Himself. He supernaturally inspired every word from beginning to end using the pens of different authors from different generations in different cultures. Through all of this, it is the most current and relevant book the world has known and will ever know. It is perfect in its truth. It is wholly consistent in its theme. It has stood the test of time. It is a book for the nations, yet simultaneously a personal love letter to you. In a word, it is our standard.
RELEVANT CHURCH
What is relevant? It just means being up-to-date or current. And though possessing the ultimate truth, the Church is often guilty of dumbing down and dulling down the life-altering message of Jesus Christ in order to stay relevant. Lost in confusing jargon, bogged down in doctrinal minutia – simply said – the church has not stayed current. Though not perfect, we seek to be authentic. We desire a creative community that presents God-truth in uncompromising but culturally current ways. We seek to promote spirituality and acceptance without the trappings and pretense of organized religion. We adjust to what morphs – styles and methods. We fiercely cling to the sacred and unchanging – our God and His Gospel. To be relevant and to stay relevant we remember: “God never changes, the church does.”
A FAITH NATION
“Diversity” is a word commonly used to describe the people who attend our worship services. And we love it! We are one people, yet profoundly different. One family, yet culturally diverse. We bring unique backgrounds, burdens and baggage, yet with similar dreams and desires. Though we are all uniquely created individuals, we believe that everyone longs for a relationship with their Creator. We are spiritual beings, therefore we crave spiritual relationships, both with God and one another. We believe in fostering these relationships by celebrating our God-given differences (culture, race and gender) AND our God-given commonalities (a deep desire to connect with the One, True God, and with one another). Simply put, we seek to cultivate community.
LIVING FOREVER
You and I were created to live forever. Some treat Heaven like a fairytale, a myth that Christians conjured up to bolster excitement when life on earth seemed too bleak or drab. The Bible presents Heaven very differently: A place that is perfect, amazing and very REAL. It is more real than anything you can touch in this present realm. The problem is, you can’t get there on your own (remember that “rebel thing”?) Try as you might through morality, religion, charitable activity, positive thinking – it’s not enough. Christ is the only way. His cross is the cure for our sin. And the best part, receiving salvation (forgiveness, acceptance, Heaven, God’s Spirit) is as a gift. It’s not something you work for. It’s not something you can earn. You can’t buy it. It’s purely a GIFT. Far from cheap, but FREE. It’s as simple as putting your faith in Christ.
A GLOBAL MISSION
Jesus saves. This is a truth too amazing to keep to ourselves. It is a truth that houses eternal life, purpose, cleansing, peace, and acceptance. It is a righteous revolution that is for all people – hope, healing, and heaven. Because this truth can only be found in a relationship with Christ, we are not ashamed to share it with all we know…It is a truth so transforming we will take it to our neighbors and we will take it to the nations. Some see this as narrow and small-minded; we see it as so gracious and revolutionary. To keep it to ourselves would be criminal.
No Reviews
About The Church at Lake Forest
The Church at Lake Forest offers ministries for every age and family stage. Get your kids plugged into LFKids, your students into FirePower, and yourself into one of our many adult LifeGroups.
Denomination / Affiliation:
Southern Baptist Convention
Dress Style:
casual
Average Age of Attendees:
20-30
Community Projects:
11-24
MINISTRIES AND GROUPS
Church Ministries
Kids
Youth
Men’s
Women’s
Sunday School
Adult
Small Groups
Choir
BELIEFS
Values
Traditionally, when someone finds a “what we believe” link on a church website they find an abbreviated, “canned” commentary on various doctrines that church adheres to. The Church at Lake Forest is not very good at being “canned.” Instead, we value being original, creative and, above all, honest. Read on to discover what we believe and who we honestly strive to be.
GOD-HEARTED
It all begins with God. We believe He is the Creator of all. He is unlimited, unchanging and He needs for nothing. Yet, in needing nothing, He chooses us. Personally and individually He seeks out His creation – you and me. In His pursuit, He shows Himself compassionate and merciful, though sometimes our view of this is clouded because our world is broken – a result of our choices, not His. But even in the midst of our failed choices, He chooses redemption. He is active, involved. The sum of which is unconditional, unrelenting LOVE. Sure, our theology is Reformed, but our approach is practical and easy to understand.
CHRIST-CENTRIC
Jesus Christ is the heartbeat of all we do. He is the most extraordinary and exciting presence to ever walk our planet. This is amazingly profound because for 2000 years He has wonderfully, radically and eternally changed people’s lives. And…He used a cross to do it. A cross where He died in order to pay the price for my brokenness and yours. Simply put – He paid what we owed. But it didn’t end there. He was resurrected and eternally lives to bridge the chasm between God and us. Though He walked the earth over 2000 years ago, He still desires to have relationship with the people of today. He is God’s Son and He IS God. Virgin born. God with skin on. Savior to anyone who believes and receives His message. We view His full humanity and full God-ness as gloriously mysterious, yet simple enough for anyone who says, “I want to know YOU”. So, our message is Simple, Jesus Saves!
PEOPLE MATTER
All people are God-made which means all people are God-valued. We are filled with unlimited potential, yet tragically flawed. Calvary (where Jesus Christ died on the cross) proves people matter to God—they matter to us, too. Our desire is help people get to know how MUCH they matter to God.
CULTURAL REBELS
Disillusioned, disenfranchised, skeptical, and bored, this generation is spiritually hungry yet often untouched and unmoved by what it experiences in its limited encounter with church (more on this below). The world is full of broken people, cultured orphans. They are skeptical of the “absolute” yet longing for a standard. Broken hearts rail against truth, while desperately seeking it. They constantly strive for something more, hoping that just “one more thing” will suffice their craving – not knowing that their hunger is for Christ…The only One who can satisfy.
SPIRITUAL REBELS
You and I suffer from a spiritual disease called sin. Minimize it, excuse it, deny it; it’s real and it’s a big deal in the eyes of a just God. Yes, humankind is made in God’s image and is filled with potential, but we are also simultaneously flawed beyond the point of being able to fix ourselves (anyone who has tried, knows). Given this irreparable problem of sin – apart from God – we are in a hopeless state. Appraised in a divine economy, it’s spiritual treason. You and I are rebels. Depressing, huh? Sounds hopeless? It is…except for the fact that this same God has a soft spot for rebels. Rebels make really good believers once they understand the truth.
LIVING WORD
Finding God is not something we initiate; it is Someone we respond to. Though we are unaware, He loved us first. He sought us out. We know this because He has given us an entirely trustworthy revelation, a divine book – HIS BOOK, the Bible. His words tell us of His original love. Though written by human authors, its ultimate author is God Himself. He supernaturally inspired every word from beginning to end using the pens of different authors from different generations in different cultures. Through all of this, it is the most current and relevant book the world has known and will ever know. It is perfect in its truth. It is wholly consistent in its theme. It has stood the test of time. It is a book for the nations, yet simultaneously a personal love letter to you. In a word, it is our standard.
RELEVANT CHURCH
What is relevant? It just means being up-to-date or current. And though possessing the ultimate truth, the Church is often guilty of dumbing down and dulling down the life-altering message of Jesus Christ in order to stay relevant. Lost in confusing jargon, bogged down in doctrinal minutia – simply said – the church has not stayed current. Though not perfect, we seek to be authentic. We desire a creative community that presents God-truth in uncompromising but culturally current ways. We seek to promote spirituality and acceptance without the trappings and pretense of organized religion. We adjust to what morphs – styles and methods. We fiercely cling to the sacred and unchanging – our God and His Gospel. To be relevant and to stay relevant we remember: “God never changes, the church does.”
A FAITH NATION
“Diversity” is a word commonly used to describe the people who attend our worship services. And we love it! We are one people, yet profoundly different. One family, yet culturally diverse. We bring unique backgrounds, burdens and baggage, yet with similar dreams and desires. Though we are all uniquely created individuals, we believe that everyone longs for a relationship with their Creator. We are spiritual beings, therefore we crave spiritual relationships, both with God and one another. We believe in fostering these relationships by celebrating our God-given differences (culture, race and gender) AND our God-given commonalities (a deep desire to connect with the One, True God, and with one another). Simply put, we seek to cultivate community.
LIVING FOREVER
You and I were created to live forever. Some treat Heaven like a fairytale, a myth that Christians conjured up to bolster excitement when life on earth seemed too bleak or drab. The Bible presents Heaven very differently: A place that is perfect, amazing and very REAL. It is more real than anything you can touch in this present realm. The problem is, you can’t get there on your own (remember that “rebel thing”?) Try as you might through morality, religion, charitable activity, positive thinking – it’s not enough. Christ is the only way. His cross is the cure for our sin. And the best part, receiving salvation (forgiveness, acceptance, Heaven, God’s Spirit) is as a gift. It’s not something you work for. It’s not something you can earn. You can’t buy it. It’s purely a GIFT. Far from cheap, but FREE. It’s as simple as putting your faith in Christ.
A GLOBAL MISSION
Jesus saves. This is a truth too amazing to keep to ourselves. It is a truth that houses eternal life, purpose, cleansing, peace, and acceptance. It is a righteous revolution that is for all people – hope, healing, and heaven. Because this truth can only be found in a relationship with Christ, we are not ashamed to share it with all we know…It is a truth so transforming we will take it to our neighbors and we will take it to the nations. Some see this as narrow and small-minded; we see it as so gracious and revolutionary. To keep it to ourselves would be criminal.
Baptism:
Both
Eternal Security:
No, Can't Lose
MAP
The Church at Lake Forest is a Baptist Church located in Zip Code 38680.
Church Profile Manager: Josh Siddon