Carpenter's Home Church

Carpenter's Home Church was a prominent Assemblies of God megachurch in Lakeland, Florida. Opened in 1985, the church claimed 5,000 worshipers at its peak. The church closed amidst financial scandal and dwindling attendance. The remaining members became two separate congregations, one of which became prominent as the host of the Lakeland Revival in 2008. The property was purchased by Without Walls International Church of Tampa, Florida, and the facility became the home of their affiliate Without Walls Central Church. Without Walls experienced financial difficulties requiring them to sell their properties. The building was eventually acquired by developers and demolition commenced in March 2015.

The church was founded in 1921 as Lakeland First Assembly of God. However, its modern history began when Karl Strader became senior pastor in 1966. Strader's tenure saw a period of explosive growth. By 1980, the church had ballooned to 4,000 members, and had overgrown its 16-year-old facility.

Looking for a place to build a new, larger sanctuary, Strader found land originally owned by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, who built a retirement home for their members on it. The "Carpenters and Joiners Home" was dedicated in October 1928 and the first 36 retired carpenters and joiners moved in during March 1929. As many as 370 retirees stayed at one time. With the advent of Social Security, the number of retirees living in the home began to decline. By 1976, the home closed.

When First Assembly bought the plot in 1980, some of the land was sold off, and a 10,000 seat auditorium was built by Roe Messner. The new building opened in 1985, and First Assembly changed its name to Carpenter's Home Church.

Many Contemporary Christian and Gospel artists performed at the church, including Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Newsboys, Plus One, Reverend Milton Brunson & the Thompson Community Singers, The Florida Mass Choir, Skillet, Audio Adrenaline, OC Supertones, TobyMac, Petra, and Zoegirl, among others. While in operation, the church ran a FM radio station, WCIE, that served the Tampa Bay market; the station was sold to Moody Broadcasting in 1997.

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