Lakes Free Ministry and Church Family Profile  - Grounded, Growing, and Going

 Identity

 Lakes Free Church is “a growing community of family, friends, and neighbors walking the journey of life and faith together” (lakesfree.org). Our identity is grounded in faith in Jesus, God’s one and only Son, and the abiding work of the Holy Spirit. God is the source and giver of life, and we place our hope in the promise of Jesus redemption and return.

 Lakes Free Church was founded 35 years ago by a small group of visionaries from a neighboring Evangelical Free church. Lakes Free has exceeded those founders’ dreams; they have seen God at work multiplying disciples who believe “that God has placed [them] in the Chisago Lakes area to be a loving, Biblical, and relevant witness to the grace and truth of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Lakes Free Vision Statement). Lakes Free Church is a member of the Evangelical Free Church of America (efca.org).

 Lakes Free Church serves the Lakes Area of east-central Minnesota, a thriving cluster of towns surrounded by scenic waters. The area includes Chisago City, Lindström, Center City, Shafer, and Taylors Falls. Founded by Scandinavians in the 1850s on lands occupied by native Ojibwa long before, these towns form a vibrant, welcoming community. Together, they boast 20,000 people and are located 35-45 miles northeast of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. The Lakes Area has a vibrant retail, restaurant, medical, and professional services base. It is also home to many people whose employers are in the Twin Cities. The Lakes Free campus is located near the local high school and community center on the south edge of Lindström.

 Mission

 The stated mission of Lakes Free Church is “to glorify God by making healthy multiplying disciples who will work together to reach the world for Jesus Christ” (Matthew 28:18-20). That mission is further defined in the trio of adjectives first outlined by Senior Pastor Jason Carlson in 2017: Lakes Free is Grounded in the truth of God’s Word, Growing in grace and obedience, and Going into the world in faith to make disciples.