A group of four people sitting around a table having a conversation at a restaurant during evening time.

Hi, I’m Russ.

I spent years leading churches, hitting goals and getting applause—but I couldn’t let grace mean what Jesus meant and keep my job. The system just wasn’t built for that.

So I resigned and started Lark with my friend Tony to help weary people find the relief faith was always meant to bring. Because grace is a lark—a prank on religion played by the God who never followed our rules. Faith isn’t another project to perform; it’s the freedom to breathe, laugh, and reimagine life in the God who’s already made His home in us.

That’s what you’ll find here. Not a new program to master—just the kind of grace you can actually taste, spilled across tables, writings, podcasts, and parties.

  • Join the Conversation
    Start with the free Pull Up A Chairseries. Check out the podcast and writings. When you’re ready, hop on a call with us. We’d love to hear your story and see what could be.

    Set a Table
    Walk through This Is Not That—a series of truths that help you see the Church as friendship, and make space for the conversation of grace. You can even host a gathering and ask us to join. We’ll come.

    Fuel the Movement
    Lark runs on generosity—no ads, no paywalls, no brand to protect. Your gift keeps the conversations of grace alive, near and far. (And yes, it’s tax-deductible.) Give today.

  • Most of society has no interest in what’s been labeled “church,” so we’ve seen an explosion of online talks, soundbites, and debates. But these efforts haven’t worked—not for lack of passion, but because people can’t hear what threatens the story they depend on to feel secure.

    Lark exists to do something different. We create space for unhurried conversations of grace—where people can wrestle with doubts without judgment and relearn their story in Jesus without pressure. Then we provide the resources and relational support to keep those conversations alive where they are.

    This is the movement of everyday friendships—the Church Jesus started. Because grace creates a different kind of world: where the weary find relief, the lonely find belonging, and Church looks less like an institution and more like a table again.

    To learn more about what this could like where you live, check out the series: This Is Not That.

  • Talk of grace is everywhere. People living free are rare.

    Because somewhere along the way, under the shadow of a conditional god, grace got twisted—into something you unlock with the right belief, or something you should need less of if you’re really committed.

    Progressive Christianity ties faith to how well you love. Conservative Christianity ties faith to how well you obey.
    Either way, freedom rides on you. Which is no freedom at all.

    Jesus knew our problem wasn’t a lack of effort. It was eyesight. Blind to the Father He revealed, we hustle to justify ourselves.

    So He didn’t hand us a list of improvements. He created space for self-justification addicts (that’s all of us). Open-ended conversations where people could bring their stories without condemnation and practice faith without expectations.

    Because when we see the Father the way Jesus does, we can trust the Father the way Jesus does.

    And that kind of that kind of faith—can only be practiced in conversations where grace means… what He meant.

  • Because so much of modern faith is centered on us—
    what we’re becoming,
    what we’re fixing,
    what we’re proving.

    But Scripture keeps pointing us to who Jesus already is for us.

    And that matters. Because to speak of Jesus, is never to speak of Him in isolation. It’s to speak of the Father and the Spirit who are one with Him—and all of humanity.

    “In Him was life.”
    The “one in whom we live and move and have our being.”
    (John 10, John 14, Acts 17).

    Which is why any version of “following Jesus” that makes faith about perfecting your story or society misses the point.

    It fails Him—because it undermines the reconciliation He already accomplished for everyone. (Colossians 1:15–20). And it fails the world—because it offers a false hope dependent on what we’re doing instead of who Jesus already is for us.

  • You’ve seen the signs: “You belong here.” You’ve heard the slogans: “Be part of something bigger.”

    But here’s the thing: Jesus already said you belong because you exist in Him—and you’re already part of the biggest thing there is: His Church, right where you are.

    So Lark isn’t a formalized church with programs and membership drives. We’re part of the Church Jesus started, helping you live it out the same way He did—around tables, in conversations, wherever you are.

    To learn more, click HERE.

  • We hold to the doctrines expressed in the Apostle's Creed in general, and specifically to the following:

    About Christ: Aware of humanity's perpetual love affair with performance, Jesus tells the most shocking stories of grace to level all our empires of progress. For both religious Pharisees with resumes and despondent tax-collecting outcasts, Jesus did the impossible. He reconciled all to God through His death and resurrection. This “Good News” is the invitation out of the exhausting madness of trying to hide the junk of our lives. We are free to be nothing in Christ.

    About Church: The mystery of the kingdom of God is like a dragnet being hauled to shore, catching everything in its path. It rejects nothing, Jesus said. One day this net will arrive on the beach, and the angels, not us, will determine what is and what is not. In the meantime, we are free to be what we are: a random sampling of the frail world that God has united himself to in Christ. To be the Church and pretend we are anything more would be false advertisement.

    About Change: We are conditional creatures. But only because we love the allure of control that lies with if-then transactions. We want a life of sight—not faith; a life that’s about here—not hope in a place to come; a life that offers lists to assure we’re okay—not a way of love that doesn’t compute. One is tidy, the other is messy. But only one is the life God has actually given us. Like branches on a Vine, we exist solely in the hands of a Vinedresser. Transformation is His work. Not ours.

  • Lark runs on generosity—no ads, no paywalls, no brand to sell. Just everyday people and businesses who want to help weary people find the relief faith was meant to bring—where they are.

    We’re a legit nonprofit (with a Board who keeps us honest), which means every gift to keep this movement going is tax-deductible.

    Click HERE to give today.

  • At Lark, we believe faith was never meant to be a project—it’s freedom in Jesus, shared through friendships. Discipleship isn’t a program; it’s people showing up for one another.

    If you want to jump in with what time you have—reach out to russ@larksite.com.

    If your interest is in raising support to have more time for relational discipleship—we’ve built a system that lets you raise tax-deductible gifts and keep 100% of what you raise.

    To inquire, shoot an email to russ@larksite.com.

  • A man with a beard and tattoos wearing a denim jacket and white t-shirt, sitting and gesturing with his hands as if talking or explaining something.

    Russ Johnson

    Russ lives in Southwest Florida with his high school sweetheart, their 7 year-old, and a revolving door of grown kids and two new grandsons. He’s an author and podcaster who traded pastoring for chasing unfiltered conversations, good food, and missing Legos.

  • Man with tattoos and sunglasses sitting at a wooden picnic table outdoors, holding a glass of beer toward the camera. Other people are sitting at a table in the background, surrounded by trees.

    Tony Sorci

    Tony hails from Northwest Indiana, where he and his wife, Pam, are raising four kids. He’s the founder and creative director of Katiko Creative and proud to be a Lark. In a former life, people called him “pastor,” but now he’s known for his enthusiasm for tacos al pastor.

  • A woman with wavy, shoulder-length hair smiling outdoors with a tree in the background. She has a nose piercing and tattoos on her arm, wears gold necklaces and a white top.

    Sarah Mezzera

    Sarah brings a unique perspective to the Larkcast, fueled by her passion for capturing and sharing people’s stories. She’s married to Chad, a mom of two, and the proud owner of Butterbee, a unique tattoo shop just outside of St. Louis.

  • A young woman with long blonde hair and a white shirt, smiling at the camera in a cozy, warmly lit room with patterned seating.

    Christa Johnson

    Christa is a rare sixth-generation Floridian, married to her high school sweetheart (Russ 😉). She’s a devoted mom of three, a new grandma, a sassy homemaker, and the owner of Down Home Vintage, an online shop for unique treasures.

  • A man in a green t-shirt sitting at a table, smiling and laughing in a restaurant or cafe setting.

    Josh Chevalier

    Josh is a husband to Cari, a father of four, and sports writer who offers people a safe place to land, and there…find freedom in who Jesus is. He emdowers movement from the music city of Austin, TX.

  • Black and white photo of smiling man with short tousled hair and beard, outdoors near water.

    Mike Jarrell

    Mike is a husband to Jackie, a father of three, a lover of Philly Cheesesteaks, the Eagles, and slowing down with people. In his past life he was a missional church guy. Today he helps people reimagine the Church.

  • A man in a dark shirt, glasses, and a baseball cap sitting and smiling indoors near a window, holding a phone.

    Jameson Allen

    Jameson brings language and insights to the resources of Lark. Hailing from Iowa, he is married to his hishschool sweetheart, a father of 4, and a theology junkie who loves the long versions of people’s stories.

  • A black and white photo of a couple taking a selfie behind a motorcycle on a street, with buildings and cars in the background.

    The Mayfield's

    Ryan is an entrepreneur and Cadrian is an executive assistant. Outside of work, their hope is to cultivate conversations in Tulsa —and beyond—that help ordinary people find the freedom to reimagine life in who Jesus already is for them.