Just south of State Route 84, on a quiet stretch of Johnnycake Ridge Road, Trinity Church anchors a corner of Mentor that has become a small hub for Lake County believers. From the main entrance off Johnnycake Ridge Road, the building opens into what the staff calls the Gathering Space, a wide lobby where first-time guests meet at The LINK welcome desk before being shown to a seat. Across the parking lot, a second entrance at The Hub welcomes families with young children. On a typical Sunday, several hundred people move through both doors for two morning services, a Sunday evening youth gathering, and a full calendar of classes that runs from nursery care through retired adult Bible studies.
A Baptist Family With Two Sunday Mornings, Soon Three
For years Sunday at Trinity has meant two identical services at 9:00am and 10:30am. The congregation gathers in the Worship Center for a service that is somewhat contemporary yet grounded in the history of the church. New songs sit alongside old ones, and the liturgy draws on readings from both the ancient and modern church. The messages are primarily expositions from the Bible with application for everyday life. Services are livestreamed on Facebook and at trinitymentor.com/live, and an audio archive with sermon notes goes back many years.
Starting October 4, the Sunday schedule expands to three services at 8:00am, 9:30am, and 11:00am. The change, called Rise Together, is designed to make room for more people, more space for kids programming, and easier parking for first-time guests. Pastor Paul's mission in Lake County, in his words, is to bring healing and peace to broken lives and families through Christ and to raise Trinity up into a people who are willing to be models and agents of that healing and peace.
Worship Arts and the Team Behind the Music
Worship Pastor David Erlandson leads the Sunday morning musical life of the church. A graduate of Cedarville University with a master's from Cleveland State and an Ed.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, David has served at Trinity since 2006. He plans Sunday morning services along with special services throughout the year and oversees the worship, technology, IT, and media teams, as well as the choir. His vision is to see Trinity become an even greater worshiping community that takes worship into Lake County by loving neighbors and helping them learn to worship the living God.
Anyone who sings, runs a soundboard, plays in the band, runs a camera, or clicks a mouse on a Sunday morning is welcome to join the volunteer Worship Arts team. Worship playlists are also posted to YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music for those who want to learn the songs at home during the week.
Walking In on a Sunday Morning: Where to Go and What to Wear
Trinity sits near the intersection of Route 84 and King Memorial. Visitors arriving from the main road enter at the east side Gathering Space door, while families with younger kids can head around the back of the building to enter at The Hub. Inside the Gathering Space, the LINK desk is staffed by ministry partners who will point visitors in the right direction. Inside The Hub, Guest Services handles family check-in for kids and students.
There is no dress code. On a typical Sunday morning you might see everything from suits and ties to jeans and sneakers, with sandals common in the summer months. The only expectation is that guests come ready to worship alongside the rest of the congregation.
Prayer is taken seriously at Trinity. On any given Sunday, prayer cards tucked in the seatback pockets let worshipers submit requests that are gathered by the staff and Elder team. Online prayer requests are accepted through the church's connection form at any time.
Lionheart: Discipleship Built on the World of Narnia
The most distinctive thing Trinity offers families with children is Lionheart, a family discipleship program developed by Trinity's own staff and centered on the world of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Lionheart is geared toward families with children in kindergarten through 5th grade and meets at the 9:00am service hour.
Each Lionheart student begins the journey by learning the Lionheart Motto, Key Verse, and Hymn, then starts down the Lionheart Path toward becoming a Knight of Narnia. Kids play games and hear a lesson each week that ties into Bible verses they will work on at home with their parents. When students come prepared to recite their verses, they earn gold coins that can be saved and spent at the church's in-house store, LionMart. Lionheart leaders have all passed a background check and thorough screening, and the program is open to any family in the community who wants to walk through Narnia together with their kids.
Trinity Kids From Infants Through Fifth Grade
Lionheart anchors the 9:00am hour for elementary kids, and a fuller set of programs fills both services. Nursery and Preschool children from infants through Pre-K are cared for in the downstairs Club 84 Jr. preschool area at both 9:00am and 10:30am. Every classroom has a dedicated teacher, and every ministry partner has passed a background check and thorough screening.
At 10:30am, Early Elementary (kindergarten through 2nd grade) gathers for age-appropriate lessons, worship, and activities. 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders also meet at 10:30am, beginning in the Worship Center with the rest of the congregation for corporate worship and then moving to their own classroom with their teacher for the remainder of the hour.
The Trinity Kids Buddy Ministry extends a one-on-one buddy system to children up through 5th grade who benefit from individual assistance in a classroom setting. The goal is to create an environment where children with special needs can be safe, feel loved, and encounter the gospel in a way best suited to them.
Student Ministries: Pathfinders, Elevate, and Sunday Night Youth Group
Trinity runs a full discipleship pipeline for 6th through 12th graders, anchored by Next Generations Pastor Ian Neale, a U.S. Navy veteran and former Aviation Electrician who joined the staff in 2018.
Pathfinders is for students in 6th through 8th grade and meets during both Sunday services in the Orange Room on the top level of The Hub. Students are encouraged to worship with their families during the first part of the service and head up to The Hub during the sermon. The curriculum follows the New City Catechism, working through 52 questions and answers that root each doctrine in Scripture and point students to the hope of the gospel.
Elevate is the high school discipleship class for 9th through 12th graders, meeting at 10:30am. Students are challenged to confront the pain points of following Jesus in an increasingly self-focused world and are given hands-on opportunities to develop Bible reading and other spiritual disciplines.
The Sunday evening youth group meets from 5:30pm to 7:30pm with doors opening at 5:30pm and programming beginning at 5:50pm. The night includes games, worship, teaching, and small group time, and is designed to give students a space to grow as disciples of Jesus who are independently dependent on him. Throughout the year the student ministry also runs DiscipleNow weekends, a Winter Retreat, Summer Camp, and service trips.
Men's Ministry: Man Up! on Thursday Mornings
Man Up! is the heart of men's ministry at Trinity. From September through May, men gather on Thursday mornings from 6:30am to 8:00am to share breakfast, hear a brief biblical charge from Pastor Paul, and break into small groups for discussion, encouragement, and prayer. A 6:00am option is offered for men who need to be at work earlier. A Thursday evening option is also offered during the same season.
The aim of Man Up! is for men to sharpen one another's understanding of truth and apply it with love in their lives. The brotherhood is open to any man seeking truth and craving meaningful conversation and connection with other men who want to become Christ-centered husbands, fathers, and Christians.
Each August, Trinity hosts Chippin' In for Hope, a four-man scramble golf outing that has raised tens of thousands of dollars over the years for Friends of Recovery NEO, a Christ-centered recovery ministry in Willoughby. The men's ministry also runs white water rafting, hiking and camping trips, pickleball nights, game nights, and other outreach events throughout the year.
Women's Ministry Across the Week
Women's ministry at Trinity is built on discipleship groups of 8 to 9 women who meet for two hours a week from September through May to study the Bible on a deeper level. Groups open each fall.
MUMS, which stands for Mentoring Upon Mothers Spiritually, is a fellowship for young mothers of children from conception through elementary age. MUMS meets on the first Monday of each month (September meets on the second Monday) from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. The evening begins with dinner and fellowship and continues with guest speakers and activities. Titus2 mature women mentors guide and pray for the group.
Basics of the Faith is a women's Bible study open to anyone wanting to know more about the Christian faith. It meets on Thursday evenings from 7:00pm to 8:30pm in three six-week sessions across the year.
Women to Women, led by Susie Sartarelli, meets at 10:30am on Sunday mornings during the second service and works through a selected study book together.
Throughout the year, women's ministry also runs missions and outreach events, holiday events, guest speakers, and craft nights.
Adult Ministries: Small Groups, Sunday Classes, and CROSSFAITH
Small groups at Trinity meet throughout the week and are built around the Sunday sermon. The discussions give adults a place to dig deeper into Scripture, ask hard questions, and apply the message to daily life. Interested adults can reach out to Pastor Ty to get plugged in.
In addition to small groups, three Sunday morning adult classes run during the school year. At 8:15am, a group for adults 60 and over digs into the Book of Ephesians and follows that with a study on the armor of God. At 9:00am, Open Door, led by Jeff Wilson, meets in the Library next to the Worship Center and follows the current sermon series or tackles topical studies. At 10:30am, Women to Women meets during the second service for the women's study mentioned above.
CROSSFAITH is a unique fellowship that meets at CrossFit Mentality on Pinecone Drive in Mentor from 5:00pm to 6:30pm each Thursday. Participants wear workout gear and bring a Bible, then pair a workout with discussion. Workouts can be tailored to any fitness level.
The Retired Adult Ministry also runs a monthly Lunch & Learn on the second Wednesday of each month from 11:00am to 1:00pm, September through May. The program includes a hot or cold lunch at a modest donation, prayer, pastoral teaching, fellowship and fun, worship through song, and community outreach.
Healing and Support: GriefShare, DivorceCare, and Member Care
Trinity hosts two long-running support ministries that are open to the wider community. GriefShare is a 13-week program for people walking through grief, with discussions led by people who understand the loss and want to help. DivorceCare offers the same kind of structured support for those going through divorce or separation. Sessions do not build on each other, so anyone can join at any point in the cycle. Both groups meet on Wednesday evenings and begin new sessions in the fall.
For members and regular attenders, a Member Request for Assistance form is available for benevolence needs. Requests are reviewed by the Diaconate Board. The Diaconate, made up of deacons and deaconesses, also handles communion, communion to shut-ins, acts of service, and other benevolence work across the church.
The Retired Adult Ministry also maintains a list of Preferred Contractors and providers that members of the Trinity family have used and recommend, updated periodically.
What Trinity Believes
Trinity affirms the historic Christian faith in plain language. There is one God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, born of a virgin, crucified for the sins of the world, and resurrected on the third day; he will return in power and glory. The Holy Spirit teaches, comforts, and empowers every believer, giving diverse gifts for serving in the church and in the world.
The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God and the final authority for all faith, practice, and discipline. People are created in God's image and made to live in relationship with him; through the original disobedience of Adam, all mankind is captive to sin and in need of restoration. Salvation comes by faith alone in the atoning death of Christ and brings peace with God, the gift of Christ's righteousness, and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
The Church is the universal and global Body of Christ expressed in local gatherings of believers. Trinity practices two ordinances: water baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper. Trinity looks for the personal and imminent return of Jesus Christ, who will judge the nations and restore all things; the believer will be raised to everlasting life and the unbeliever to judgment apart from the presence of the Lord. The culmination of all things will be God making all things new.
For a deeper dive, Trinity points visitors to three classical statements: the Nicene Creed, the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, and the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
The Path of Discipleship: Attend, Connect, Serve, Lead
Trinity frames its ministry around four verbs. Attend by joining a Sunday morning worship gathering and gathering with the church. Connect by joining a smaller group, a class, or a ministry where relationships can grow. Serve by sharing the gifts the Lord has given through a ministry team. Lead by becoming an influencer for Christ at church, at home, and in the world.
Five core values shape how those steps are taken. Lifelong Discipleship means moving beyond Sunday worship into a variety of outlets for authentic discipleship community. Biblical Foundation means prioritizing transformational Bible instruction so the church grows in love, understanding, and application of Scripture. A Tone of Grace means welcoming those from diverse backgrounds and views and maintaining a posture of humility on secondary theological issues while remaining clear on what Trinity believes. Impactful Generosity means building bridges from Trinity's people to neighbors and nations through financial generosity, strategic partnership, and focused events. Quiet Excellence means pursuing excellence in love, attitude, and practice across all programming and facilities.
Reaching Beyond Mentor: Local and Global Outreach Partners
Outreach is a stated core of Trinity's identity. The church supports a network of local and global partners and gives its people regular opportunities to serve alongside them.
Locally, Cleveland Hope works through area churches to bring the hope of Christ and genuine spiritual community to greater Cleveland. Friends of Recovery NEO in Willoughby offers a safe, supportive, drug- and alcohol-free residential environment for individuals recovering from substance use. Hannah's Home, located right in Mentor, is a maternity home for single pregnant young women that provides a safe and nurturing environment for mothers and their babies. Ivy Women's Center, also in Mentor, is an early pregnancy center offering medical testing, education, and consultation services at no cost. Emmaus Theological Seminary in Cleveland Heights exists to cultivate humble orthodoxy through embodied formation for the church's ministers and leaders.
Trinity's Man Up! ministry has built raised beds for Friends of Recovery NEO's Willoughby campus, and the Starry Night 5K raised more than $10,000 in its first year for Ivy Women's Center. Trinity also hosts a regular Red Cross Blood Drive in its Multipurpose Room.
Globally, the Dignity Freedom Network is a South Asia-based ministry that supports child sponsorship, education, healthcare, economic empowerment, and trafficking prevention through Good Shepherd schools. The Adkins family works with LampStand to plant churches among unreached Gulf tribes, including through local schools, hospitals, and businesses. The Doe family ministers in Northwest Africa through medical care and training in a largely Muslim Sahara nation. The Smiths bring the gospel to China through a bookstore and coffee shop and other tent-making endeavors. Trinity also partners with the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board, supporting church planting, relief work, and training across more than 240 people groups through SEND Network and SEND Relief.
The Staff and Leaders
Lead Pastor Paul Sartarelli has served the church since 2015. He completed undergraduate work at Kent State, graduate and seminary studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, and post-graduate classes at Duquesne University. He sets the direction and tone of Trinity as its primary biblical teacher and runs an ongoing video series on YouTube called Take 5.
Executive Pastor Ty Waardenburg oversees the Next Gen ministry team as well as all group ministries. He and his wife Jillianne met at Cedarville University before he continued at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served at Trinity since 2015.
Worship Pastor David Erlandson has served at Trinity since 2006. Next Generations Pastor Ian Neale joined the staff in 2018 and leads middle school, high school, and young adult ministries alongside the Kids Ministry team.
Kristen Wolf stepped into the role of Director of Children's Ministry in 2022 after 25 years in education, with a bachelor's from Edinboro University and a master's from Walden University.
Logan Willis is the Ministry Administrator, joining Trinity part-time after graduating from Lake Erie College in 2023 and stepping into the full-time role in September 2025. Katherine Wetzel, the Communications Coordinator, grew up at the church, met her husband Doug in the youth group here, and developed the Lionheart program in 2022. Dominick Rubertino, the Financial Analyst, has served since 2018 and handles all church finances at the direction of the Trustee board.
Elders work with the Lead Pastor and ministry staff to oversee the church and shape its vision: Todd Conley, Mike Grubba, Joe McLaughlin, Glen Richardson (chairman), Paul Sartarelli, Randy Verdi, Ty Waardenburg, and Jeff Wilson. Trustees partner with the Elders to oversee finances and facility needs: Tom Adamo, Steve Belliveau, Scott Gardner (chairman), Timo Lehtonen, Ashley Reavy, Matt Robinson, and Tim Rosiek. The Diaconate serves the body through communion, communion to shut-ins, acts of service, and benevolence requests.
Getting Connected and Staying Informed
Visitors ready to take a next step can fill out a Connection Points form online, and a staff member will reach out to help them take the first steps. A Baptism Interest Form is available for anyone ready to be baptized, and a Membership Class meets for three weeks during the 9:30am service hour.
The LINK is Trinity's online hub for weekly announcements, sermon resources, registration forms, ministry signups, and event listings. Email subscriptions keep Trinity's people informed of upcoming events, including the community Art Show with Stella's Art Gallery, seasonal retreats, mission trips, and the spring Couples Golf League.
Online giving supports the ongoing ministries of Trinity in Lake County and around the world, and the office is open Monday through Thursday from 8am to 4pm. The church phone number is 440-974-9614. Visitors can also email the office, or reach out directly to Pastor Ty, Pastor David, or Pastor Ian through the staff email links.
Trinity is a church that welcomes people wherever they may be in their spiritual journey. Its ministries are meant to help those of all ages grow in their faith and reflect Christ in their lives. The Bible is the reference point for all that Trinity believes and does, and the conviction at the heart of the church is simple: when you are here, you do not have to do life alone.