About Us
Statement of Faith:
These statements of faith are intended simply as a basis of fellowship among us, that we all speak the same thing
(I Corinthians 1:10).
The Bible as the inspired Word of God and as the revealed will of God.
The One True God manifesting Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The fall of man and satan’s control over the unborn-again man.
The salvation of man through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His substitutionary death.
The Scriptures declare:
The Deity and Humanity of Jesus Christ,
His Virgin Birth, His Sinless Life, His Miracles, His Bodily Resurrection from the Dead,
His Exaltation to the right hand of God.
The Ordinances of the Church:
Baptism in Water
Holy Communion or Lord’s Supper
The Baptism with the Holy Ghost with the initial, physical evidence of speaking in other tongues, as being for all believers, and the bestowment of the Gifts of the Spirit.
Sanctification by the Word of God and by the Power of the Holy Spirit.
The Church as the Body of Christ with the mission of evangelizing the world.
The ministry gifts to the church for the edifying and perfecting of the saints, which are the Body of Christ.
Divine Healing and Health.
Doctrine of Laying on of Hands.
The Blessed Hope of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Millennial Reign.
The Final Judgment.
The New Heavens and the New Earth.
The Bible is the basis for all beliefs at The Church at Gardendale.
In 1977, Apostle Chuck Clayton came to Gardendale, Alabama to pray for the healing of Cindy Lawson’s eyes. A miracle occurred and The Church at Gardendale was conceived. Apostle Clayton drove from Indiana quite regularly to conduct a Bible study on Monday night for two and a half years. The Bible study continued to grow and lives were being changed, and it was time to see if this indeed was to be a church. The first Sunday morning service was on February 3, 1980, where 27 people were in attendance. Lynn Lawson was set in as Pastor of The Church at Gardendale. The church met in Vernon and Helen Fink’s garage from 1980-1982. Next, we moved to Garden Grove Office Park, and we were there from 1982-1985. Then came the big move to the Gardendale Shopping Center and we occupied that location until 1991. After a lot of very hard work, our first service here was on February 3, 1991. Truly, we have seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, and we have seen the development of many ministries and lives that have been transformed. It has been the desire of this church to see the saints equipped with the call of God that is on their life. Habakkuk 2:2-3 says, “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end, it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not tarry.” Now is the appointed time. We will see the vision for this house come to pass.
Statement of Purpose,
Mission and Vision:
Statement of Purpose and Mission:
The purpose of this church shall be as revealed in the New Testament, to win people to faith in Jesus Christ and commit them actively to the church, to help them grow in the grace and the knowledge of Christ that increasingly they may know and do His will, and to work for the unity of all Christians, and with them, engage in the common task of building the Kingdom of God.
The Vision of
The Church at Gardendale will be:
A Word Church: Each believer to realize that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and the final authority in their lives. (See Statements of Faith) Also, that each believer has personal knowledge and understanding of the Word of God. And through the knowledge of the Word of God, they would come into a personal understanding of God’s will for their life.
A Worshiping Church: To bring each member into a personal understanding of true worship of Jesus Christ. That our worship would express the true worth of Christ through musical instruments, dance, expressive sign, pageantry, banners, flags, drama, etc., and most of all, through each individual life.
A New Testament Church: The Church at Gardendale would pattern itself after the New Testament, in particular, the pattern set forth in the book of Acts. Each member would experience salvation through Jesus Christ, water baptism, the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues, the charismatic gifts of the Spirit and a deeper life in Christ Jesus.
A Disciple-Producing Church: The word “disciple” means, “disciplined follower.” The aim of The Church at Gardendale is to teach and train each member to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ as set forth in the Holy Scriptures. By doing so, each member will be a productive citizen in the Kingdom of God, as well as, his own community.
A Family Church: To build families on three levels. First, to strengthen each individual family in their relationship with one another and with Jesus Christ. Second, to mold individual families and strengthen singles into a church family that loves, supports and upholds one another according to New Testament teaching. Thirdly, to help each individual to know God as their Father, and to see themselves as Sons and Daughters of Father God.
Conclusion: The fulfillment of this purpose will see God’s people Delivered from Sin, Developed in God’s Word, and Deployed in God’s Service. The greatest gift one can give to His creator, Father God, is a life submitted and committed to the Father’s Mission, which will, in turn, bring life.
In September of 1975, at the age of 23, Lynn Lawson came to know Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord. As an accomplished drummer, Lynn began working in the music department at Huffman Assembly of God. It was at this time at Huffman Assembly that Lynn met and married his wife, Cindy, in 1977. Pastor Cindy came to the Lord and was born again in 1969, during the Charismatic Renewal Movement at the age of 12. The following year, she received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Just prior to their marriage, Cindy had eye surgery. Her surgery was a failure and her eye condition grew worse. However, it was through this physical challenge with his wife that God propelled Pastor Lynn into ministry. Shortly after their marriage, through the supernatural power of God, Cindy was healed.
Over the next three years, God prepared Pastor Lynn for the ministry. In February 1980, Lynn, along with his wife, Cindy, founded The Church at Gardendale, where he has continued to pastor for over 26 years. Pastor Cindy serves with him as an ordained minister, teacher and Associate Pastor. Pastor Lynn has earned a Bachelors of Theology, Masters of Theology, Masters of Divinity, and Doctorate of Theology from Christian Life School of Theology/Beacon Institute of Ministry in Columbus, Georgia. Pastor Cindy currently holds a Masters of Theology, Masters of Divinity, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Theology from Christian Life School of Theology/Beacon Institute of Ministry.
Not only does Lynn pastor, but he is also recognized as a prophet. He was introduced into the prophetic in 1983, through Dr. Bill Hamon of Christian International. The prophetic ministry has continued to be a driving force in his ministry. He is also a chief musician and is noted as an authority on the subject of praise and worship. He has written training manuals on praise and worship, conducted seminars on the subject in numerous churches nationally, including the International Worship Symposium, and has held worship workshops and seminars abroad in several Russian cities as well. Pastor Cindy is an excellent Bible teacher and Counselor, as well as, an Elijah House Facilitator. Both Pastor Lynn and Pastor Cindy are available as conference speakers. You may contact
Pastor Lynn at llawson@thechurchatgardendale.org
and Pastor Cindy at clawson@thechurchatgardendale.org
or by calling (205) 631-9673.
With a heart to see the church come together as one, Pastor Lynn has served as the president of the Greater Gardendale Ministerial Association, where he was re-elected to three consecutive terms because of his ability to bring people with differences together. During his time as president, he got to see one of his dreams come true for all the churches in the area to come together for a week of revival meetings.
Pastor Lawson and his wife, Cindy, have one daughter, Amy. Amy is married to Jody Jones and they have two children, Kathryn Grace and Lawson. Amy and Jody serve as Student Ministry Pastors. Amy is also the Church Administrator.