Who Are We?
Lakewood Presbyterian is a Bible-believing Presbyterian church plant, and right now we gather as a Sunday night Bible study as the work of planting and organizing a local church gets underway. The Bible study is led by the Rev. Dave Queener. Dave is a native of Knoxville, a graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary (St. Louis), and a graduate of the University of Tennessee.
Starting in May of 2025, we are meeting on Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m. at 2701 Lakewood Lane; Knoxville, Tennessee 37921 in the Powell community, just off Clinton Highway.
- In Essentials… Unity
- In Non-Essentials… Liberty
- In All Things…. Charity
A Brief Introduction
The heart of the Gospel is Jesus Christ: Knowing Him, loving Him, serving Him, loving His people, and seeking to introduce Him to those who do not know Him. Alongside the essentials of the faith there are other matters—distinctives—which distinguish one church from another. At Lakewood Presbyterian some of our distinctives are the great
doctrines of the Reformation; its bold, biblical preaching; robust liturgical worship according to biblical norms; the restoration of our children to the Lord’s Table; the cultivation of a culture of joy and feasting; and a desire to minister to and strengthen our families as families.
A Reformational Church
The term “Reformed” defines both our system of doctrine as well as our historic 16th century Reformational roots. As an historical church, we stand in a long line of believers who embrace the ancient Apostolic, Nicene, and Chalcedonian creeds; while as a Protestant church, we are in essential agreement with the great confessions of the Reformation, including the Augsburg Confession, the 39 Articles, the Three Forms of Unity, and the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1646.
As a Bible-believing, Reformational church, we hold that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone on account of the completed cross-work of our Lord Jesus Christ alone.
As a community of believers, we are committed to:
The verbal, plenary inspiration, inerrancy and infallibility of the Holy Scriptures.
The “solas” of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solo Christo, and Soli Deo Gloria.
The preaching of the Word, the exercise of church discipline and the right celebration of the sacraments
The Westminster Standards (1646)
A Liturgical Church
Worship is a God-centered, not a man-centered activity; and as such, it involves the participation of all worshippers—the man in the pew no less than the one behind the pulpit. Rather than viewing the congregation as an audience and ministers as performers, in corporate worship, the LORD is the only member of the audience and we the worshipers are the performers. The 16th century magisterial Reformers—Luther, Calvin, Cranmer, Bucer, Knox, and others—applied this principle by (1) restoring the reading & preaching of God’s Word in the vernacular (rather than in Latin); (2) instituting congregational singing of the Psalms, the Ten Commandments & the Creeds; (3) writing unison, congregational prayers as well as making room for extemporaneous ones; and (4) recovering the frequent celebration of the Lord’s Supper using both elements while sweeping away superstitious medieval beliefs and practices which were out of accord with the Scriptures.
In addition to the principle of participation, the Reformers were guided by another fundamental principle respecting worship: Worship must be according to and limited by biblical command patterns, precepts and examples. The only worship, therefore, that is glorifying and honoring to the LORD is that which he prescribes in his written Word. In practice this means that not only are images of God improper means by which to approach Him (the 2nd Commandment), but so also skits, altar calls, religious entertainment, children’s church, and a host of other well-intentioned but misguided modern “innovations.”
A Feasting Church
One of our goals at Lakewood Presbyterian is to restore full participation in worship to God’s people in accordance with biblical standards. In today’s parlance, that means a more or less “liturgical” style of worship. In actual practice, it means a service where sin is confessed corporately, the Word is read and preached from both Testaments, the Lord’s Supper is observed weekly, and the children of believing parents are welcomed gladly, along with the elderly and the mentally handicapped, to the Table (Mt.19:14).
“The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom.14:17); and yet there is a lot of eating and drinking going on in the kingdom. The fellowship we have together as the Body of Christ around our Lord’s Table overflows into a lifestyle of joy and feasting with one another throughout the week. The LORD hosts us at His table and then invites us to do likewise (I Tim.3:2).
A Family Integrated Church
Because God has ordained the family as the basic unit for the structure of every other institution, as a church we emphasize equipping individuals to function properly within the family. Therefore as a congregation, we do not attempt to assume the responsibilities given by God to the family. In practical terms, this means we do not break up the family during corporate worship, exclude its youngest or oldest members from the Lord’s Table on account of age or mental ability, nor further subdivide the Lord’s people by offering various age-segregated programs and activities. The job of ministers is to equip fathers in particular to disciple their wives and children, so that they may lovingly shepherd their own flocks at home.
The Blessing of Children
One of the marks of a healthy church is plenty of little people bumping into the legs of Granddads, Grandmas and honorary aunties. Sadly, many contemporary churches have adopted the prevailing ethos of the surrounding secular culture which holds that children are a barrier and a hindrance to the “good life,” such that families should limit themselves to one, and at most two, children, that way the kids can have the best of everything, right down to their designer socks.
Our congregation rejects this consumerist mentality because the Bible describes children as a blessing from the LORD to be received with gladness. The Word to our first parents was itself a blessing: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen.1:28a). This blessing has never been rescinded, not even by the Fall. Our congregation, therefore, welcomes families both large and small into our midst and their children into our worship services (Deut. 31:12).
Christian Education: A Necessity
All things are to be considered and conducted under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, but especially the education of our covenant children. God has neither charged nor authorized the state to educate children within its civil jurisdiction; rather, He has commanded parents to bring up their children in the education and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4, Dt. 6:7-9). Given the importance and enormity of the task and the impossibility of neutrality in education (Prov. 1:7, Mt.12:30, Lk. 6:40, Col. 2:1f, II Cor. 10:3-5), at Lakewood we heartily affirm the necessity of educating our children in a manner that is explicitly Christian in content and rigor, whether through homeschooling, faithful Christian day schools or homeschooling cooperatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are you in a nutshell?
Lakewood Presbyterian is a Bible-believing, independent Presbyterian church and is pastored by the Rev. Dave Queener. Dave is a native of Knoxville, a graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary (St. Louis) and of the University of Tennessee.
Where are you located?
2701 Lakewood Lane; Knoxville, Tennessee 37921 in the Powell community, just off Clinton Highway
When do you meet?
We are meeting on Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m.
Still have some questions?
We’d love to chat! Feel free to contact us and ask whatever you’d like.