Because faith in a lie will never lead to the life we crave.

After years of…

Leading churches—and achieving “success”—Russ and Tony found themselves exhausted. The system was built on people becoming someone God supposedly needs, not resting in who Jesus already is for us. They realized they couldn’t reveal what Jesus said and keep their jobs, so they resigned and started Lark.

With a heart to set faith free, the plan was simple: Instead of creating another form of church Jesus never started, why not do what He did? Be friends who help others see the God of grace, embrace the life of grace, and bring the conversation of grace wherever they are.

So we create undiluted resources, hold space for unhurried conversations, and throw some damn good parties—where people celebrate the gospel for what it is: a lark.

  • Lark is for those who are tired of trying to make faith work—and ready to see Jesus differently.

    For anyone who is tired of striving and sensing the system isn’t the solution.

    For anyone who is ready to unlearn the religious lies and relearn the gospel as grace.

    For anyone who doesn’t want to attend another church, but be the church—as friends—where they are.

    For those who can’t fake it anymore, and aren’t sure where to go next.

  • We mean helping people:

    Trust in who Jesus already is for them.

    Reclaim grace for what it is—the air we breathe.

    Trade the pressure to prove for the permission to rest.

    Step into the way of unplanned friendship over church systems.

    Learn to live like they already belong—right here, right now, in the middle of their actual life.

    We mean relief.

  • Because the tattered stories of our lives—and the shipwreck of human history—are the very places Jesus said He could be found. To speak of Him, as Scripture shows us, is never to speak of Him in isolation. It’s to speak of the Father and Spirit who are one with Him—and of all humanity. For in Him is “life” itself, our very existence, “the one in whom we live and move and have our being” (John 10; 14; Acts 17).

    This is why any version of “following Jesus” or “having real faith” that centers on perfecting your story or fixing society misses the point. It doesn’t just fail us; it fails Him. It fails Jesus because it undermines the reconciliation He already accomplished for everyone (Col 1:15-20). And it fails the world because it offers a false hope—a hope dependent on what we’re doing and who we’re becoming, instead of the freedom found in who Jesus already is for us.

  • When we look to Jesus, we don’t see a teacher handing out bullet points or leading a study group. We see someone who asks questions, shares meals, and tells stories—open-ended conversations that invite people to wrestle, wonder, and discover.

    Sermons and studies can tell you what the Scriptures say, but they can’t teach you to live free. Why? Because faith isn’t something you master—it’s something you practice. And that happens in conversations where you can be honest about who you are and where you’re at in life. It’s unhurried and unplanned, not pushed or programmed.

    It’s for this reason that we’re committed to the one thing we can do: bring the open-ended conversation of grace into real life, rather than straining to bring the change we believe is needed in others and within our control.

  • The Church, as described in Scripture, is not a place or an event but a people. Flawed, everyday people who are learning to trust Jesus. It’s not somewhere we go; it’s who we are as those who live and move in the "body" of Christ (Eph 1:22).

    When the Church gathered, Scripture describes it as an ekklesia—a cultural term that existed long before the Church for political, military, or civic meetings. It wasn’t a religious word; it was a word for gathering. In the early days of the Church, these gatherings happened in homes, around meals, and in unplanned spaces.

    Stating "Jesus is Lord," instead of Caesar, was illegal. So Rome wasn’t granting building permits, they were handing out arrest warrants. And declaring "Jesus is the Messiah" clashed with Judaism, leaving no space for rented synagogues on Sunday.

    This forced simplicity brought something needed instead: a Church marked by "unnamed friendships” where grace was unconditional, faith was unhurried, and growth was unplanned. The key is trusting Jesus enough to let it be that simple.

  • 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, and happens in his time. Not ours.

  • Yes, Lark is a licensed non-profit organization governed by a dedicated Board of Directors. Together, they are committed to helping people live the life of faith religion made impossible.

    As a recognized non-profit, all donations to Lark are tax-deductible.

Join the team?

If you want to make discipling others your life’s work—we’ve built a structure to help you raise support to do just that. Reach out to russ@larksite.com to learn more.