OUR PASTOR

Pastor Josh and his wife, Lisa, came to Lakeland in 2010. What started with about 100 people when they arrived has grown to the thousands who now call Lakeland their church home.

Josh and Lisa are passionate about living out their faith and leading others to do so with them. As a communicator, Josh’s passion, authenticity in leadership, and ability to make the Bible and faith “make sense” and “make a difference” are what sets him apart.

Josh grew up in the Chicagoland area and came to faith in Jesus at a young age. Lisa grew up in Glacier National Park in Montana as a pastor’s kid and similarly, trusted Jesus at a young age. Josh and Lisa attended Moody Bible Institute where they met. There, they fell in love, got married, and quickly dove into ministry. They spent nearly a decade doing youth ministry in Joliet, IL, then 3 years doing adult ministry in Owatonna, MN, until finally landing at Lakeland in Lake Geneva.

Josh and Lisa love the local church but also love leadership development, investing in local pastors, and partnering with others to most effectively reach their cities.

Josh has written a handful of books from adult devotionals to kids’ books which dive into the parables of Jesus retold in a creative and playful way, in the writing style of “Dr. Suess”.

For fun, they love all things music-related, working out, snowboarding/skiing, and anything lake-life (mostly water skiing). And…any day on a boat is a good day.

Josh and Lisa have 9 amazing children. Yes, they know how it happens. Yes, they are all theirs. No, they don’t homeschool. No, they don’t own a bus, but they have owned many 15-passenger vans over the years. To say life is a crazy adventure at times is an understatement. But following God has taken them on the greatest adventure they could ever imagine.