Our Story

In 1986, approximately 30 people came together who had been influenced by a move of the Holy Spirit in the Christian Church/Churches of Christ. This small group decided to meet together as a church in the Priest Lake area of Nashville. Our first pastor was Mike Southards. Through his leadership and that of the elders, we embarked on a journey together. One way to explain our church at that time is through the metaphor of the streams of faith. We had one foot in the charismatic stream and one foot in the evangelical stream. From this place as an interdenominational church, we had the freedom to dip our cup in other streams of classic Christianity, such as the holiness stream, the contemplative stream, and the liturgical/sacramental stream.

In 1994, Phil Dillingham became the second lead pastor of PLCF. During these years, the church rented various spaces for our Sunday morning and Wednesday night meetings. In 1999-2000, we secured land and built. We moved into our current building at 2311 Hobson Pike, Antioch, TN 37013, on Sunday, February 27, 2000. We were able to pay off this building in full in 2008. 

Over the years, our church grew in maturity and numbers. We have maintained a children's ministry, started a youth ministry, and successfully launched a second service, while also expanding our missions, both locally and internationally. By 2016, Phil's ministry had grown to the point of ministering to both churches and pastors within the community. The elders ordained Phil to this ministry in the community, and Wade Jones was ordained as the new lead pastor. Some of Wade's gifts involved helping us grow in the liturgical and sacramental stream, which culminated in our prayer lodge, the Great Stone Lodge, where Wade holds primary leadership. Wade's healthy and strong ministry as our lead pastor continued until 2024, when he stepped back into the role of associate pastor. The elders at the point asked Phil to step back into the lead role.

Our call has always had a primary call in five areas of ministry: (1) missions, (2) renewal, (3) the generations, (4) developing strong, mature leaders, and (5) restoration.
Looking back over these 40 years, PLCF is a testimony to God's faithful and sovereign love and guidance.