THE LAKE NORMAN BAPTIST STORY
Lake Norman Baptist (LNB, LKN Baptist) was planted in 1980 as a mission of First Baptist Huntersville. It
began in a small facility on the lake and moved to its current location in 1983. In the first two decades, the
church steadily grew to around 400 members, expanded the facility, and became established as a visible
presence in the heart of a growing community.
From 2000-2010, LNB experienced a great season of vitality and expanding impact. Weekly attendance
grew to 1,000 people and the campus was expanded twice to create additional ministry capacity. The
community of Lake Norman (LKN) was also booming, nearly doubling in population and rapidly changing
from a farming community north of Charlotte to a modern suburb with a lakeside vibe.
The following decade presented new challenges for LKN Baptist. The community was changing fast, and
leadership struggled to adjust to the dynamics of a larger congregation and a community that was
becoming less traditional Bible-belt and more religiously, culturally, and ethnically diverse. By 2021, weekly
attendance had declined to around 250, and the senior pastor of 24 years retired. In the last few years of his
ministry, an elder council was formed to help address the church’s challenges and provide new leadership
toward a revitalized future.
In 2022, LNB called a new lead pastor and began a season of new beginnings. The elders, staff, key leaders,
and the congregation started building a fresh, outward-focused vision for re-engaging the community with
the love of Jesus. They took a fresh look at the current demographics of LKN, the most pressing needs of
individuals and families, and opportunities for the church to establish a new relationship with the community.
They also studied the outward-focused ministry of Jesus and introduced new mission and vision language
reflecting the ways Jesus met needs and made disciples.
In February 2023, a new mission and vision were introduced under the banner of “For Lake
Norman” (4LKN), along with a three-year strategic focus. Over the year, they took early steps in establishing
the new vision and began making plans for major ministry and campus investments in 2024-26.
In February 2024, they took another step forward by introducing a vision campaign to accelerate ministry
impact and fund the needed investments in outreach, discipleship, and infrastructure.
In the last two years, weekly attendance has grown to around 400 with many new young families in
particular. The LNB family is experiencing new health, energy, and a missional focus.