Larry has served as the lead pastor at Neighborhood Church since 1992. He is tasked with the general oversight of all the ministries of Neighborhood Church including the preschool, elementary and middle school. His passion is to teach and preach and this constitutes a major portion of his time and energy. He is also involved in leadership development and maintains a visible profile in the community, encouraging business and governmental leaders. He is blessed with a great staff that assists in carrying out the vision of the church. His wife, Carol, partners with him in ministry coordinating volunteers, small groups, and a host of other responsibilities.
Larry’s heart is to see the Neighborhood Church and the greater church in the region effectively penetrate every level of society with a demonstration of the love and power of God. It is his prayer and passion to see Neighborhood Church become a community of faith whose commitment and love for one another becomes a compelling apologetic for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Larry possesses a deep love for God’s people, God’s Word and the community to which God has called him.
BIO
My walk with Jesus began at an early age (9) and like many people continued through my early years with some detours along the way. Both my wife., Carol, and I had the privilege of growing up in Christian homes with fathers who were pastors. My commitment to the Lord solidified in high school with a determination to serve Him the rest of my life. I graduated from Nyack College in 1977, married the love of my life, Carol and continued with seminary training at Asbury Theological Seminary in Lexington, Kentucky. I served as an assistant pastor at the C&MA (Christian and Missionary Alliance) church in Lexington while finishing my Master of Divinity degree in 1980. I accepted the call to serve as Senior Pastor at the Derwood Alliance Church in Rockville, Maryland in 1981 and ministered there for 11 years. I was only 26 years old; there we had our children (Tara, Eirik, Brittany, Cassie and David) and grew up with the people we loved and served. The Lord called us to Neighborhood Church in Chico in July 1992 and we are committed to serving here the remainder of our lives.
Vision
My personal vision statement is “to glorify God by exhorting, encouraging and preparing spiritual leaders and the broader Church to participate in a move of God to transform our city, region and world”. This begins by being a servant-leader to my family. From there it moves to encompass Neighborhood Church and then beyond to my community and region. To accomplish that I must practice the spiritual disciplines of worship, Bible meditation, and prayer as the primary means for fulfilling my purpose. People and relationships are my priority, not activity or performance. Carol and my children are the most important people and relationships in my life. When I truly am “at my very best”, I am daily experiencing the presence of God, fervent, persistent and effective in intercession, daily walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, developing leaders committed to transforming their city and region, actively developing relationships with unbelievers, and generous with my time, talents and money. Like you, I am a learner in this process.
My primary ministry is the oversight and leadership of Neighborhood Church. That includes preaching and teaching, leadership development, communicating the vision, and various corporate responsibilities. Beyond that, I give leadership to a group of regional pastors and host an annual prayer summit for pastors at the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base in Richardson Springs.
Contact: You can contact me anytime via email at: larrylane@ncchico.org. I try to respond to my emails in a timely fashion (except on weekends). You can reach me at the church office (530) 343-6006, extension 2106.