Senior Pastor
Pastor Josh grew up in the Chicagoland area. He attended Moody Bible Institute where he received his bachelor's in Youth Ministry and his Masters in Ministry. At Moody Josh met the love of his life Lisa and they were married. They have 7 amazing kids: Reese, Hailey, Kelsey, Braden, Kylee, Arol, and Lyla.
Josh has served in multiple areas of ministry since college. He served 10 years in a youth ministry in Joliet, IL and 3 years as an associate pastor in Owatonna, MN.
God used these experiences to prepare him for his role here at Lakeland. Josh began serving at Lakeland in the fall of 2010 and it’s been an awesome ride since arriving. He has a passion to see the truth of the gospel go forth and change lives. He’s passionate about authentic living, experiencing the raw power of God in each and every person’s life and seeing people grow into fully devoted followers who boldly live for our God.
He also enjoys almost any outdoor activity and anything involving music, reading, coffee, and a bon fire.
Family Pastor
Buck grew up in Springdale, Arkansas. He received his Bachelor’s of Biblical Studies and Speech from Ouachita Baptist University. After college, Buck spent a few years in Texas before moving to the Great Northwest where he earned his Masters of Theological Studies from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, while serving as a missionary and youth pastor in the Seattle/Tacoma area.
While in the Northwest, Buck met his incredible wife Beth who is a constant source of encouragement to him and a great partner in ministry. Together they have three adorable daughters: Peyton, Addison, and Tatum.
God has given Buck a passion to help others see that the family is the primary way we teach our children who Jesus is and what He wants for their lives. His goal is to help our church partner with parents so that they can disciple and raise their children to love Jesus and love others.
Office Administrator
Heather has been in the Lake Geneva area for 10+ years. She is originally from Southern California and has also lived in Hawaii, Arizona and Michigan. She has two daughters, Emma and Bethany. She first came to LakeLand in 2005 after being invited by friends.
Prior to working at LakeLand, she had many years experience in retail management and as a Director at a child care center. She started working as the church office administrator in June 2010. She is responsible for making sure everything runs smoothly and is ready for Sundays. She considers herself truly blessed with her job. Her favorite thing about LakeLand is the people. They are like her family and she especially enjoys getting to know new people.
In her free time she enjoys reading, listening to music and going to museums and festivals with her girls.
Worship Leader
Since Mike has failed to get me (Josh) his bio...he will fall prey to my creative juices.
Mike had an unlikely upbringing. His parents sought the best for him and thought this would best be accomplished if left with the gurus of the Ararat Mountain Range in Turkey. Most of his days were spent hunting and gathering and furthering his boomerang abilities. This proved to be benefitial not only for the gurus in hunting and sport but also accelerated Mike into unique areanas of boomerang competitions. He went on to win the gold medal in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. While the Olympics were boycotted by many countries, luckily Turkey participated and thrust Mike into the global spotlight. Mike used his new fame as a means to come to the United States and develop additional skills.
He saw a poster of Bon Jovi and his heart was set on a great-looking mullet and learning guitar. His skills developed quickly with the guitar while his mullet remained nothing to write home about. He excelled in his music skills and quickly began collecting every instrument he could get his hands on. To this day he has a massive collection of instruments, many of which he is unsure of their names and purposes.
Music is not the only thing Mike has found to enjoy. He's figured out computers... Mac has made this easier for him. He also loves biking... and he's very fast, even with his training wheels. In light of his many accomplishments he seduced a wonderful woman named Heather. They were married and have 4 amazing, musical, boomeranging, Mac obsessed children, and Lakeland is so lucky to have him each week leading our team and church body in worship. :)