A PLACE TO CALL HOME
Five Lakes Church looks to the first church in Acts as our role model. The early Christians loved one another – not only in word, but also in actions. For over 50 years, our church has been committed to welcoming the people of Sylvania, OH and beyond into relationship with Jesus Christ.
We are a multigenerational church, physically and spiritually, where all believers mature and new believers are born. We see people of all ages deepening their knowledge, wisdom, and faith.
Outreach is a major emphasis of our church: locally, nationally, and internationally. It’s been this way since our beginnings over 55 years ago and will be that way into our future. While we serve broadly, our intention is to make a deeper, more focused impact rather than a broader, shallow impact. We pursue sustainability of impact, reciprocity in relationships, and initiatives that balance word and deed. We understand that selfless service and meaningful presence are often the catalysts that opens the door for spiritual conversations, and getting the message of Jesus out to the world is our ultimate goal. Ten percent of our church’s annual operating budget is committed to fueling our outreach efforts.
OUR BELIEFS
Each Christian is encouraged to approach the Scripture in their own personal study and discover for themselves what the Bible teaches. While we stand firm on some doctrinal topics, we allow for variety of thought on many issues. We believe that variety—when accompanied by dialogue, love, and mutual respect—is far more healthy than inwardly focused uniformity.
As the early founders of our church proclaimed; “In essentials of our faith, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, love.”
We agree to disagree agreeably, and in all things to love each other. The following is a brief summary of some of the key beliefs of Five Lakes Church.
We believe in the absolute inspiration of the Holy Scriptures in their original writings. That they were given by the Holy Spirit without error as He moved upon holy men of old. Furthermore, we believe that since the church was Christ’s idea and His creation the church has no authority to establish doctrine or practice contrary to the same scriptures which were subsequently accepted as Canon by the early Christian Church. (II Timothy 3:16) On the other hand the church has the privilege of exercising every authority outlined in scripture and living in every promise made by God to the church.
We believe that it is impossible to truly explain God entirely. We can only understand what He has revealed of Himself. There is One God and Father of all. (Ephesians 4:6) He is expressed or revealed in the three persons or manifestations of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16). He is both one and three. (Deuteronomy 6:4; II Corinthians 13:14; John 1:1)
We believe that Jesus was willingly sent by the Father to become the sacrifice for the sin of mankind. His sacrifice would fulfill the law and allow anyone who accepted His Lordship by faith to receive the free gift of salvation.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was the only-begotten son of the Father, and is truly God and truly man. He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died a vicarious and atoning death for the sins of the world, resurrected bodily for our justification, and now reigns in Glory until all things be put under His feet. (I Timothy 3:16)
We believe that individuals who have a revelation of Jesus Christ as Savior in their lives can then be called believers. When two or more believers gather together that is what scripture calls the Church.
We believe that every believer has the empowerment and responsibility to share the gospel of Jesus Christ through words and deeds. The local church is the most powerful evangelistic of Christ.
We believe in the Priesthood of the believer. That is to say all people born of God have equal status before God and direct access to their Lord. (I Peter 2:5)
We believe the identity of the body of Christ on the earth is primarily perceived through the local church. (Revelation 2, 3)
We believe that the callings of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher are functional within the body of Christ until the Lord’s return. Furthermore, these ministries are gifts to the church for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, that the body of Christ may be edified. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Meet our Team
Micah & Kristy Sutton
Senior Pastor
Benton & Lindsay Cole
Executive Pastor
Chris & Heather Folck
Student Pastor
David & Olivia Helkenn
Worship Pastor
Dan Pratt
Kids Pastor
Becky & Tony Rydman
Church Life Pastor
Stephanie Cousino
Operations Manager
Betty Bassett
Outreach Director / Student Ministry Assistant
Debbie Powazki
Connections Coordinator
Laura Bernsdorff
Member Care Coordinator
Christa Gomez
Administrative Assistant
Kitty Dulgar
Administrative Assistant
Our Name
During the summer of 2020, McCord Road Christian Church officially became Five Lakes Church.
After 55 years of being known as McCord Road Christian Church, the time came for a change. Throughout history, God never changes a name without expanding a vision. Our future is calling, and it is big!
As Five Lakes Church, our vision hasn’t changed; it is expanding.
We are a compassionate church, committed to making a tangible impact in our region and beyond. We see an increasing number of people experiencing the love of Christ right where they are. This matters so much that we commit the first 10% of our annual budget to outreach efforts. As we move into our future, Five Lakes Church will continue to deepen and extend those efforts locally and around the world.
We are a multigenerational church, physically and spiritually, where all believers mature and new believers are born. We see people of all ages deepening their knowledge, wisdom, and faith. We introduce people of all cultures to the transforming truth and grace of Jesus Christ. Five Lakes Church is a healthy, growing church family.
As we pray into our new name, we see God at work affirming and expanding our story. Here are some thoughts behind our new name:
God is using our church to make a regional impact. This name roots us to the Great Lakes Region and points toward the expanding influence of our mission to Love God, Love Each Other, and Get the Message Out.
FIVE
Throughout the Bible, we see the number five often referencing or symbolizing the grace of God.* This resonates with us. Five Lakes is not just a church on Sunday. We are ambassadors to a lost world, separated from God and in need of a savior. We cannot fathom the depths of God’s grace, but we rely on it completely.
LAKES
Water is a theme throughout the Bible. It frequently symbolizes new life, cleansing, and the spirit of God. Five Lakes Church is a place where you can experience a life-giving relationship with Jesus. It’s a place where you can be empowered by the Spirit of God to do more, be better, and make a difference in the world.
*When God was giving unholy humanity a method of approaching a holy God, He gave them five sacrifices. They are the Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1; 8:18-21; 16:24), Sin Offering (Leviticus 4; 16:3-22), Trespass Offering (Leviticus 5:14-19; 6:1-7; 7:1-6), Grain Offering (Leviticus 2) and Peace Offering (Leviticus 3; 7:1-34). This was God offering grace to His children so they could come to Him. Another example is the way the Ten Commandments are broken into two sets of five commandments. The first five commandments are related to our treatment and relationship with God, and the last five concern our relationship with other humans. God’s grace is again revealed as He gives us guidelines to follow in building successful relationships with God and each other. Lastly, though not exhaustively, there were five ingredients in the holy anointing oil (Exodus 30:23-25). These ingredients (pure myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, cassia, and hin) were given directly by God and used to consecrate the furniture of the tabernacle. It was a revelation of absolute grace.