Beliefs

We are part of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA).

The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:

God

We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Bible

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings.

The Human Condition

We believe that God created human beings in His image but they sinned. Human beings are sinners by nature and by choice and alienated from God. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified and arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

The Work of Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

The Church

We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head.

Christian Living

God commands us to love Him supremely, to love others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. We are to live God-centered lives in full devotion to God, characterized by loving God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

Christ’s Return

We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

Response and Eternal Destiny

We believe that God invites everyone everywhere to believe the gospel or "good news" by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.*

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*Summary of the statement of faith adopted by the EFCA Conference on June 26, 2008. For the full version, go here. 

History

After several years of involvement and prayer, in the spring of 1992, five people from Morristown approached Berean Bible Church in Knoxville about sponsoring a church in the Lakeway area. That "daughter" church began meeting as Lakeway Community Church (LCC) in the summer of 1992 on Sunday nights at Rose Center.

In late 1992, now with a leadership team of nine and twelve family units involved, LCC became part of The Evangelical Free Church of America (probably best known for its association with Chuck Swindoll, writer and speaker on "Insight for Living"). 

In the spring of 1993, LCC brought its first pastor on staff.

The vision for LCC was developed and presented in the fall of 1993.

Copies of material related to the Evangelical Free Church of America or the vision for LCC are available upon request. 

Vision

vi•sion [vizh-uh n] : a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation.

We, the people of Lakeway Community Church, will be a home where Christ's love is experienced and spills out. His grace inspires a contagious, Spirit-filled joy that must be shared with those who are without hope. We will be a diverse and creative family, intent on discipleship. By His transforming grace, we will be a part of what God is doing in the world, for His glory.

Renovation

ren•o•vate [re-nuh-vayt]: to restore to a former better state

(as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding)

"IMAGINE YOURSELF as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised.

But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of--throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.

You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but he is building up a palace. He intends to come and live in it himself."

-- C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

Lewis' imaginative description sums up the vision of Lakeway Community Church. We want to be part of what God is doing in the world--how He is transforming the lives of people everywhere--bringing healing, reconciliation and hope to a broken and hurting world that He loves very much.


Does God exist?

"Does God exist?"

"Can I trust the Bible?"

"Is the Jesus of faith different than the Jesus of history?"

"What is evil?"

"If God is all good and all powerful, why do so many people suffer?"

"Does truth exist? What is truth?"

These questions and more have been asked by thinking people for centuries. While our questions are big, we believe our God is yet bigger... At Lakeway we desire to aid you as you seek answers to your questions about God. If you would like to speak to our pastor concerning a particular question, please e-mail or call. Also, visit the helpful online resources below.

Helpful Websites:

Veritas Forum

LeadershipU