Lakeland Baptist Church started in the Fall of 1957, when members of the Walnut Street Baptist Church decided to begin a church on the east side of Carbondale, Illinois. They prayed for God's will and timing. They gathered a core group of people that would share the vision of reaching the greater area of the Carbondale community. About 40 adults attended Bible Study and Worship on February 2, 1958 - Lakeland's first worship service. Lakeland was "born" from the heart of mission-minded people willing to take risks and step out of their own area of comfort so God could be glorified.