Sundays at Nine and Eleven on Bell Forge Lane
Lakeshore Christian Church sits at 5434 Bell Forge Lane East in Antioch, on the southeast edge of Nashville. The non-denominational congregation gathers twice each Sunday morning, and anyone who cannot be there in person can join the 9 a.m. service through a live stream on YouTube. Both hours are built so that families arrive together: nursery, preschool, and elementary programming is offered at every service time, and middle and high school students have their own dedicated programming during one of the hours each Sunday.
First-time guests can fill out a registration form through the church center and find help signing up for a Life Group or volunteering in children's ministries. The lobby includes kiosks for child check-in, a QR code for online giving, and information about the free YouVersion Bible app the church recommends for following along with the weekly sermon.
What Lakeshore Believes
The church's statement of faith centers on Jesus Christ as the one and only Son of God, who died for sin and rose again. Lakeshore teaches that the Bible is the inspired word of God and a lamp for daily life. Every person, the church teaches, is made in the image of God, and all have sinned and fall short of his glory. Forgiveness and the promise of eternal life are available through trusting Christ as Savior and Lord, and those who accept Christ are called to repent, confess their faith, and be baptized by immersion.
Three words shape how the church understands its mission: Connect, Grow, and Serve. Connect means linking people to Christ and to one another. Grow means helping people move toward maturity in Christ. Serve means meeting the needs of others in Christ's name. The statement of faith also looks forward to the day Jesus returns to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Life Groups: Discipleship That Meets in Homes
Lakeshore's small-group ministry is built around Life Groups that meet in homes across the Nashville area. The groups are organized for different ages, interests, and seasons of life, and the church's goal is to connect every person into one of them. Mike Schwartz, the Life Group Pastor, oversees the ministry, and a Get Connected form helps newcomers find a group that fits.
Children: Nursery Through Fifth Grade
Children's ministry runs at every Sunday service. Babies and toddlers spend their time in the nursery, where they play, hear Bible stories, sing, and do age-appropriate activities. Preschool and elementary children gather for large-group teaching, then break into smaller groups to talk through what they have learned and worship together with fun songs. Children also take a weekly offering, and baptized children participate in communion. Andy Cox oversees elementary programming and Jessica Layman oversees preschool.
Safety is built into every layer of the children's ministry. A secure check-in system prints matching name tags for children and guardian tags for parents, and a unique security code links the two. Background-checked leaders and a safety team watch every room, while security cameras cover the building.
Students in Middle and High School
Middle and high school students have their own ministry with regular weekly programming led by Tito Lozano. The format is built around relevant teaching, passionate worship, and small-group time where students can ask honest questions, pray together, and build friendships. The church describes it as a fun and casual environment where students feel comfortable bringing their friends.
Junior High (grades 6 to 8) meets Sundays at 11 a.m. and Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Senior High (grades 9 to 12) meets Sundays at 9 a.m. and Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Each group has its own Facebook group for current news and events.
Serving Antioch and Nashville
Lakeshore partners with The Branch of Nashville, a local food pantry, and the church regularly opens registration for volunteers from the congregation. Other service opportunities include the children's ministry, a trunk-or-treat outreach on Halloween afternoon, and a café team that serves between Sunday services. Legacy planning seminars are offered periodically to help members plan for generosity across a lifetime.
Music, Media, and the Wider Reach
JW Andrews leads worship as the Music and Fine Arts Pastor, and Bobby Cordell serves as the church's media specialist. Sermons are posted on the church's YouTube channel, and a weekly sermon podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so the congregation can keep up with teaching throughout the week. Members are encouraged to use the YouVersion Bible app to read along with the weekly outline.
The Pastoral Team
Randy Cordell has served as lead pastor of Lakeshore Christian Church since March 1991. A 1980 graduate of Atlanta Christian College (now Point University), he has also studied at the University of Georgia, West Georgia College, and the Beeson Institute for Advanced Church Leadership, and has served churches in Georgia and Alabama before Tennessee. Randy and his wife Sue Ann have two grown children and seven grandchildren. He serves alongside Executive Pastor Michael Scherer, who oversees family ministries across all age groups.
A group of elders - Hugh Coleman, Dean McCondichie, Jeff Shicks, Michael Edwards, and Oscar Valencia - shepherd the congregation alongside Pastor Randy. The full staff team includes the family ministries team, the Life Group pastor, the music and fine arts pastor, the media specialist, and administrative support.