Youth at Heritage
Seeing Students Savor Christ
The middle school and high school years are some of the most formative years in life, filled with great opportunities and challenges. We want to take a substantive role in the students’ lives as they solidify their beliefs and ask deep questions about their faith. We want to listen, love, instruct and cheer them on. Ours is a gospel-grounded, Word-centered approach to youth ministry that values the parent’s role as the main influence in their children’s lives. Our youth ministry is a component of a larger family-centered approach to discipleship.
Partnering with Parents
We see our job as supporting and supplementing the primary disciple-maker in a student’s life, their parents.
Life-changing Relationships
We cultivate and encourage student-student and leader-student friendships with a foundation of the Word of God.
Strengthening Students for a Stronger Church
We strengthen our students for their sake, and for the health and strength of the church.
Age Groups
Sigma: Middle School
We encourage middle school students to grow by equipping them with a fuller picture of the doctrines of Scripture and by helping them to find outlets to serve others. On Sunday mornings, we teach young people a systematic theology for students based on Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. We also regularly host service activities in which we try to serve our church with our strength and abilities.
We also encourage young people in Sigma to find their own avenues for meaningful connection and service within the church—for example, serving in our children’s puppet ministry or collecting cups after a communion service.
L3INC: High School
L3inC stands for “Living, loving, lasting in Christ.” That’s what we desire for our high school students. We long to see our students living to serve others as Christ served, loving unconditionally as Christ loved, and staying with him for a faith that endures.
We strive to help teens grow in several ways. Through the regular teaching of the Word, students are rooted in Scripture. Small groups allow the teens and the leaders a smaller, more comfortable gathering to share needs and concerns. Opportunities to serve the larger church body help develop a self-less approach to life within the church. The reward in this work is sometimes immediate, but often it comes in seeing the teens as adults, serving Christ and continuing to follow his will in their lives.
LINKS & RESOURCES
- “Why Youth Stay in Church When They Grow Up” by Jon Nielsen
- “Family First in Youth Discipleship and Evangelism” by Jon Nielsen
- “Youth Ministry Done Well for The Benefit of The Church” by Jon Nielsen
- Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne Grudem and Elliot Grudem
- Big Truths for Young Hearts by Bruce Ware
- The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask (With Answers) by Mark Mittelberg
- New City Catechism
Questions?
We would love to answer any questions you may have about our ministry or how to get involved.
Contact: Matt Jackson at matt@heritagegvl.com for SIGMA questions
Contact: Tom Mackintosh at tmackintosh@gmail.com for L3inC questions