Churches in Lakeland

Active churches in Lakeland

16600 7th St. S., Lakeland
embracemn.life
29 sermons

Types of churches in Lakeland

Modern Churches in Lakeland

These congregations feature band-led worship, casual dress, and practical teaching that resonates with residents along the St. Croix River. With many locals commuting via I‑94 to St. Paul or Hudson, they often offer Saturday-evening services, livestreams, and weeknight small groups meeting in Lakeland and Lakeland Shores.

Churches in Lakeland for Families

Family-focused congregations provide nursery care, robust kids’ programs, and summer VBS, timed around the Stillwater Area and Hudson school calendars. Expect parent meetups, youth nights coordinated with local sports, and gatherings that spill into neighborhood cul-de-sacs and riverfront parks.

Riverfront & Outdoor Churches

In the St. Croix Valley, some churches lean into creation care—hosting outdoor worship in local parks, trail hikes, and river cleanups. They attract boaters, cyclists, and nature‑lovers from the bluff neighborhoods, and often partner in stewardship efforts near Afton State Park and St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park.

Small-Town Traditional Churches

Rooted in the valley’s Midwestern and Scandinavian heritage, these congregations emphasize hymns, liturgy, and a steady rhythm of the church year. Potlucks, quilting circles, and food-shelf drives knit together long‑time Lakeland residents and neighbors from Afton, Bayport, and Lake St. Croix Beach.

Sermon clips from Lakeland churches

54s
#ServeFromWorth
“You see, Jesus, he served from a place of absolute security. He wasn't striving for anything. He just humbly humbly served out of his great love for us. He didn't serve to prove his worth. He served because he knew his worth. And the same is true for you, and the same is true for me. The distinction is so important. Don't serve to prove your worth, but serve because you know your worth. You know that you have been claimed by God. We serve because Jesus has already accepted us, and we have the opportunity to step in and to offer that to other people.”
36s
#ServantKing
“We have to be reminded of that. The son of God left heaven and came to Earth to dwell amongst. He put on human flesh. He left perfection and came to a fallen and broken planet. If anybody deserved to be served, it was him. And yet the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom, to pay the price for you and me, to serve and to love and to care and to step forward when other people stepped back.”
39s
#PeopleNotProjects
“Because we see in the life of Jesus over and over and over again, he was never too busy to accomplish the needs and serve the people around him. We exist in this place to reach people for Jesus. But here's the deal. People are not projects. People are not just numbers. People are not problems to solve. People are sons and daughters of god who deserve to be seen and known and loved and welcomed.”
39s
#WhatDoesLoveRequire
“``You see, our culture, it struggles with this, doesn't it? You see, something's broken, something's out of place. What does our culture like to ask? Whose fault is that? Right? I can't believe that they would let that happen. And yet inside of this house, it comes to guest to host, it's not about whose fault is it. Jesus asks a different question. He says, what does love require of me? What is my part to play inside of this?”
56s
#AcceptOneAnother
“Romans fifteen seven, accept one another then just as Christ accepted you. Why? In order to bring praise to God. Not to me, not to this house, but to God. We welcome because we have been welcomed. We make room because Jesus made room for us. We open the door because Jesus opened the door for us. And when Jesus gets into the house, salvation gets into the house. Breakthrough happens in the house. And this is why it means everybody always. The church is not welcoming because it says it on the sign out front. The church is welcoming because we're the hope of the world.”
38s
#JesusCalledYouByName
“Where the crowd was muttering, Jesus was welcoming. Amen? Jesus is welcoming him. And the great news about this is that you and I at one point in our lives were Zacchaeus. There was a moment for all of us where we were seeking, we were looking, we were wondering, will God see me? Am I welcomed with him or not? And Jesus stopped at the base of the tree that we had climbed to get a glimpse of him, and he paused and he looked and he called you by name, and he said, come on down. You belong with me.”
39s
#RelationshipBeforeRepair
“``Do you not hear me saying that your belief doesn't matter? That our obedience doesn't matter, that knowing God's word doesn't matter? It absolutely does. But don't get the order mixed up. So oftentimes, we expect people to look like a Christian before they've ever had an encounter with Christ, don't we? We expect people to have a Christian moral compass before they've ever encountered Jesus. Jesus brings relationship before repair. He brings welcome before transformation, and he brings grace grace before growth.”
41s
#EveryoneBelongs
“you know that Jesus never said, I hope the church is full of perfect people. Not one time. And whoever we disqualify, we are forgetting that you and I are also disqualified without Jesus. My sin is great, but his love was greater. Don't point your finger somewhere else and disqualify someone else from the love and the hope of Jesus. Jesus welcomed. He said, you belong with me. No disclaimer. No caveat. You belong with me.”
92s
#LovedNotEarned
“Looking back, I think I think my body was a living sacrifice, meaning I didn't care so much what people thought about me anymore because Jesus was more important. But my life wasn't a living sacrifice for Jesus. It was a living sacrifice for myself. I felt, probably subconsciously most of the time, that if I did things for God, he would love me and accept me. I gave my life to Jesus. I I read the Bible every day. I was a youth pastor. I'm praying for strangers at Walmart. But in my heart, I was still struggling with the simple truth that God loves me, really loves me. Not because of who I am, but because of who he is as my father. I felt I needed to earn his love and affection by doing a bunch of things for him. And God uses everything, but that's not the way to worship with our bodies as living sacrifices for him.”
73s
#CourageToShare
“Sometimes I get nervous to pray before a meal at a restaurant because some random stranger might think that I'm weird. I have no concerns about getting beaten or flogged for talking about Jesus. I'm not gonna go to prison in today's day and age in America here for telling someone that Jesus loves them. Yet sometimes I'm scared to tell someone about the best thing that has ever and will ever happen to me because they might think differently of me. And I don't wanna be like that. What a disservice that is to others. Withholding the most indescribable joy from people, withholding life from people because I'm scared, they might think less of me.”

Why Lakeland churches are unique

Set along the wooded bluffs of the St. Croix River, churches in Lakeland, MN reflect a river-town lifestyle where nature and community meet. Many churches in Lakeland host seasonal gatherings in parks and along the water, and they often champion stewardship of the local ecosystem as part of their faith practice. You’ll find creation care and river stewardship, outdoor summer worship gatherings, and family-friendly service projects woven into the calendar.
With a small-town feel and quick access to the Twin Cities, Lakeland churches serve a mix of longtime residents, commuters, and growing families. That blend shows up in practical scheduling, next-step pathways, and programming that supports kids and teens while welcoming newcomers. Look for strong kids programs for young families, small group culture, and modern worship with contemporary band.
Culturally, the area’s Scandinavian and Midwestern roots foster a steady, hospitable ethos that values both tradition and neighborly cooperation. Many Lakeland churches collaborate with nearby river towns on service and outreach, especially during harsh winters when community support is essential. Expect ecumenical community partnerships, historic liturgical traditions, and robust local outreach and charity as distinctive hallmarks of the St. Croix Valley faith community.

Recent sermons from Lakeland churches

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