Lakeland Baptist Church


Lakeland Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist congregation located in Lewisville, Texas.

History

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Jim Angel, a resident of Denton who worked at Southwestern Bell in Dallas, noticed that several new houses were being built on the west side of Interstate 35E in Lewisville. The new subdivision was named Lakeland for its proximity to nearby Lewisville Lake.
Angel believed that God was leading him to start a new church in the area to reach the residents of the growing subdivision. Using their property as collateral, Angel and his wife Darlene purchased a plot of land at 397 South Stemmons Freeway, which today remains the church's address.
The church held its first services on June 25, 1962 with 34 in attendance, and simultaneously held a ground-breaking ceremony for its first facility. Services were held in a by tent rented by Angel from Childress Tent Company until August 1 of that year, when the first indoor service was held. During the first service, ten persons joined by letter and six made salvation decisions.
Angel would remain as pastor until 1967, when he would resign to begin another startup ministry, nearby Camp Copass in Denton. During his five years, Lakeland would baptize over 200 individuals.
Garland Beasley would become Lakeland's second pastor in 1967, and would continue to maintain Lakeland's successful ministry until his resignation in 1974.

The Ben Smith Era

Dr. Ben Smith, Lakeland's third pastor, was called in December 1974 and retired in 2007.
Lakeland has arguably had its greatest success since 1974, which can be attributed equally to Dr. Smith's leadership and to Lewisville's growth from rural farming community to Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex suburb. From 1974 to 1998, Lakeland:
Lakeland offers a variety of programs, including Sunday School, a Youth Ministry, and other programs.
Lakeland is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.
It is affiliated with the Southern Baptists of Texas and the North Texas Baptist Association.
Lakeland leases their facilities to a private school, Lakeland Christian Academy. The school currently operates a preschool on the bottom floor, in the facilities normally used for children's Sunday School, and other grade levels are on the second and third floor.
On Sunday June 1, 2008 Lakeland members voted in Dr. Ron Osborne as their Senior Pastor.
In November 2014, Dr. Donald Schmidt was elected Senior Pastor.