History

Christ Community began conceptually with Trinity Presbyterian Church's vision to see the city of Lakeland changed by the power of the gospel.  Their vision was to plant many new churches whose presence and work would affect the entire landscape of Lakeland.  We are one of those churches.  In the fall of 2004, Lyle Caswell, pastor of Christ Community, began meeting with 11 families to pray, plan and train for starting a new church. Highland City Elementary graciously allowed us to use their facilities, so we started regular Sunday evening meetings on January 16, 2005. Since that time we have seen God do some amazing things. From the forming of ministry teams and the provision of a worship leader, to the inception of our community groups, God has been working.

We continue to pray and work towards change both socially and spiritually in Lakeland.  As a part of our ongoing vision, we also want to plant new churches whose presence and work will affect the entire landscape of Lakeland. There are currently 160,000 people in the surrounding Lakeland area who do not regularly attend church.  This number could easily double over the next 20 years, so the need has never been greater for more churches to be planted.

Lyle Caswell, Pastor

Lyle and his family have lived in Lakeland since 2003. He is a transplant from Georgia and has had a heart for church planting since graduating from seminary in 1996. Lyle's first introduction to Lakeland was through his wife, Luchrysta, who grew up in Lakeland. When they were looking for a place to plant a church, the community of Lakeland was a perfect place for the Caswells to relocate. They have four children: Jack, Mary Fran, Ethan and Gretchen.

Dax Gibson, Associate Pastor

Dax and Michelle and their three children, Knox, Karis and Kase moved to Lakeland, Florida in August of 2008.  Dax is serving as the associate pastor at Christ Community and primarily oversees the growth and development of our community groups.  The Gibsons have lived in both Charlotte, NC and Birmingham, AL.  Dax spent five years working in the construction industry before starting at Beeson Divinity School (Birmingham, AL) in 2005 and moving toward a pastoral vocation.  While finishing seminary, Dax taught Bible at the Westminster School at Oak Mountain (Birmingham, AL). 

Jeremy Kemp, Director of Student Ministries

Jeremy, his wife Sarah, and son, Corban are new additions to the Lakeland community. Jeremy and Sarah grew up in Roswell, Georgia where they were high school sweethearts and married in 2008. After graduating from UGA Jeremy worked for three years at Perimeter Church (Duluth, GA) in the High School Ministry Department. Jeremy is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity Degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando.

Robin Lopez, Office Administrator

Robin and her husband, Freddy, grew up in Lakeland and graduated from Lakeland High School in 1987.  They have three daughters, Emily, Ashley and Katherine.  They developed a heart for church planting and evangelism while attending Troy University where they were involved with Campus Outreach.  They are former members of Covenant Presbyterian Church and Trinity Presbyterian Church in Lakeland, FL.