On a single campus at 201 West Renner Road in Richardson, Texas, The Heights Church runs three Sunday morning services under one roof: an English-language traditional service at 9:30 in The Chapel led by a choir and classic instrumentation, an English-language contemporary service at 11:00 in the Worship Center with a worship band, and an 11:00 Spanish-language gathering of the Heights en Español congregation, also in The Chapel. Adult Life Groups meet at the same two hours, and Sunday programming for preschoolers, kids, and students fills the same morning. The shared vision behind that packed Sunday is short and stated plainly: wake the world up to Jesus by making disciples who make disciples. The work of that vision plays out across the rest of the week in Discipleship Groups, midweek classes for every age, marriage and care ministries, local outreach, and a missionary footprint that reaches from Richardson to Honduras, Guatemala, Uganda, and beyond.
The Chapel at 9:30: A Traditional Service with Choir and Hymns
The Classic Worship Service gathers each Sunday at 9:30 in The Chapel, a separate worship space within the main building. The service keeps a very traditional style, with worship led by a choir and classic instrumentation and a songbook built primarily on hymns. Teaching rotates across The Heights' teaching team, with Senior Pastor Dr. Gary Singleton, Executive Pastor of Ministries David Barrett, and Assimilation and Teaching Pastor Pierce Vanderslice carrying the largest share of the preaching. For those who cannot attend in person, the service is broadcast on Facebook. The Classic Service shares its musical DNA with the Worship Choir and Orchestra, both volunteer ensembles that rehearse on Wednesdays.
The Worship Center at 11:00: A Contemporary Sunday
An hour later, the larger Worship Center fills with the Sunday morning worship band, leading what the church describes as a contemporary service that occasionally mixes in multi-generational elements. Preaching follows the same teaching team rotation as the Classic Service. The 11:00 gathering is also the central weekly venue for baptisms, with baptism Sundays scheduled throughout the year at 11:00. Both the 11:00 service and the 9:30 Classic Service are livestreamed on Facebook Live and YouTube, in addition to being available on the church's livestream page. The current teaching series, along with full archives going back to 2022, is posted for on-demand viewing.
Heights en Español: A Parallel Congregation in Spanish
Heights en Español meets each Sunday at 11:00 in The Chapel, distinct from but alongside the English-speaking services. Led by Pastor Daniel Saéz and Worship Leader Jonathan Farelo, the congregation holds six Sunday morning Comunidades Bíblicas (Biblical Communities) at 9:30, including Amigos de Cristo, Primeros Pasos, El Caminar del Discípulo, Nueva Vida, Peregrinos y Extranjeros, and His Students, the last of which is a bilingual class for seventh through twelfth graders. The Spanish ministry maintains its own Facebook page and its own set of resources, calendars, and discipleship paths, while sharing a single pastoral staff and the same building with the rest of the church.
Life Groups: A Church Within the Church
Life Groups are the central small-group engine of The Heights. The church describes them as small groups designed to deepen a relationship with God, grow in relationship with others, and equip members to live on mission, calling them "a church within the church." Groups are organized by age and stage of life so that members can walk through life with peers. Adults meet in Life Groups at both 9:30 and 11:00 on Sundays, while student Life Groups for seventh through twelfth graders gather at 9:30 in The Brick, located in the basement. A Guest Connection counter in the Atrium on Sundays helps newcomers find a group; an online interest form is available for those who want to be matched.
Discipleship Groups: Smaller Still
Beneath the Life Group layer sit Discipleship Groups, closed groups of two to four people of the same gender who commit to meeting weekly for a set period, usually six to nine months, sometimes longer. Each group walks through a structured curriculum, and the church recommends the three-book Grow Series by Craig Etheridge, covering foundational theology, discipleship, and evangelism. The Heights publishes its own free Discipleship Group Guides for each of the three books, plus separate student guides designed for teenagers. Five training videos walk new leaders through launching and leading a group, covering topics from leader role to challenges they may encounter. The stated outcome of every group is to identify the people God is sending each member to make disciples who make disciples.
The 5Gs: A Discipleship Framework
The Heights teaches its people a five-part pattern for discipleship, called the 5Gs. Grace is "favor we didn't deserve and could not earn," grounded in Christ's atoning death. Gather is the conviction that "we're better together," lived out in worship services, Life Groups, and discipleship relationships and anchored in Hebrews 10:24-25. Grow holds that "healthy things grow" and is shaped by personal Bible study and prayer, encouraged through specific rhythms of choosing a time, a place, and a plan. Give teaches that generosity changes the giver and the recipient, with time, talents, and treasure offered to the kingdom. Go carries Matthew 28:18-20 as a marching order to make disciples of all nations. The same five words shape how The Heights describes its programs for Kids, Students, Marriage, and Missions.
Midweek Programming for Every Age
The Heights believes that "faith grows between Sundays," and Wednesdays carry a full slate of age- and stage-specific gatherings. Preschool Praisers (ages four and five) meets from 6:00 to 7:00 in the Clubhouse; Worship Kids for kindergarten through sixth grade runs the same hour in the Kids Hallway; The Brick, the student worship service for seventh through twelfth graders, runs from 7:00 to 8:30 (with a 6:30 hangout) in The Brick space; and The Chaos gives fifth and sixth graders their own 7:00 to 8:00 PM gathering in The Gym. Adults choose from Re|engage (marriage enrichment), Prodigal (a care ministry for parents of loved ones walking away from the faith), Celebrate Recovery, Alpha, Heights U (a rotating set of courses on Scripture, theology, and practical Christian living), Marriage U, Cultivate Motherhood, Brothers of the Cross, and ESL classes offered at both 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. The Cultivate Women's Bible Study is offered on both Tuesday mornings and Wednesday evenings during the school year.
Preschool, Kids, and Students
The Heights builds age-specific teaching around the same five-shaped framework from cradle through high school. The Preschool Ministry cares for children from birth through Pre-K on the first floor during both Sunday services, using trained teachers in clean, safe rooms. Kids at The Heights welcomes kindergarten through sixth graders to a 9:30 two-hour experience of Small Group and Large Group, covering Scripture from Creation to Revelation with weekly memory verses and monthly recitation challenges; a separate Lifelines program accommodates kids with special needs within the same hallway (described in its own section below). Fifth and sixth graders are released at 10:50 to join the 11:00 worship service with their parents. Heights Students, the ministry for seventh through twelfth graders, meets in The Brick on Sunday mornings for Life Groups and on Wednesday nights for The Brick worship service; the ministry runs international student mission trips and is supported by a roster of more than fifty vetted adult leaders.
Lifelines: A Special Needs Ministry
Lifelines Ministry exists to come alongside families of special-needs children and adults and to remind them that Jesus never meant for anyone to do life alone. On Sundays, the ministry offers developmentally appropriate preschool rooms for birth through age five, two structured settings for kids from five to thirteen (LIFE Outdoors, a sensory-focused room with calming music, swings, a ball pit, and manipulatives, and LIFE Adventure, a Bible Fellowship classroom with Lifeguard support), a Student track for ages thirteen to eighteen at 9:30 in The Brick, and a Circle of Friends class for adults promoted from the Student Ministry, meeting at 9:30 in Room 205 with Tuesday-evening socials during the school year. Parents complete a Parent Training Packet before their child is dropped off and receive pagers at the Kids Welcome Desk so they can be reached during their own Life Group. Lifeguards and LIFEcrew members go through instructional training, a background check, and two annual Special Needs Trainings.
Marriage, Family, and Pre-Marriage
Marriage ministry at The Heights is treated as a long-term investment rather than a one-time event. Re|engage meets on Wednesdays and walks couples through a fourteen-lesson curriculum combining large-group teaching with small-group discussion. Marriage U focuses each semester on a specific theme (the fall 2026 semester is on conflict). A Pre-Marriage Course prepares seriously dating and engaged couples through meetings with marriage mentors, a SYMBIS assessment, and a follow-up mentor relationship, with a $35 per-couple fee and the option to combine the course with the Twogether in Texas program for a $60 discount on a Texas marriage license. The church also refers couples to FamilyLife's Weekend to Remember getaway using a group code for a registration discount. A library of curated marriage podcasts, books, and devotionals is maintained on the marriage page, including Tim Keller's The Meaning of Marriage, Gary Thomas's Sacred Marriage, and Paul David Tripp's Marriage: 6 Gospel Commitments.
Men's Ministry
The men's ministry is dedicated to helping men become the godly men they are called to be in business, family, and community. The flagship gathering is Men's Breakfast, held on the first Thursday of each month from 6:30 to 8:00 AM in the Atrium, with a hot breakfast, a short lesson, table discussion, and a guest speaker who might be a pastor, business leader, author, or public voice. Other touchpoints include Brothers of the Cross, an eight-week Wednesday evening gathering that walks men through the first eight lessons of the Year 1 discipleship curriculum; an annual Dads Workshop; and a Journey of Paul Pilgrimage. Michael Warren serves as Men's Minister and Facilities Associate.
Women's Ministry and Cultivate Motherhood
The women's ministry runs year-round Discipleship Groups and Bible Studies on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday evenings from September through November and January through April, at no cost. Current studies include a study of Romans, Abide (a study of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John), and Heaven: When Faith Becomes Sight by Jennifer Rothschild. Motherhood Mornings meet every other Friday from 9:30 AM to noon on the Mezzanine, with breakfast, teachings, discussion, and childcare available by registration; a Cultivate Mother's Bible Study on Colossians and Philemon meets on Wednesday evenings during the school year while children are in their own programming. Heather Baab serves as Women's and Marriage Minister.
Senior Adults
Senior adult ministry offers weekly Life Groups at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 on Sundays, plus the Classic Worship Service in The Chapel at 9:30, and a busy calendar of weekly and monthly activities. Monday Funday brings fellowship, games, and lunch on the first Monday of each month. Singing Saints, the senior choir for ages 55 and up, rehearses Monday mornings and ministers in area retirement and assisted living facilities, homebound homes, the Classic Service, and on tour each year. A quarterly LLL (Live, Laugh, Love) event gathers seniors for fellowship, while hands-on groups include Cut-Ups (Wednesday helpers for children's ministry at 9:30 AM), Quilted Blessings (quilts donated to local and international ministries), and a Prayer Shawl Ministry that crochets and knits shawls for people in hospitals and in need. The ministry's information pages compile resources on retirement, hospital visits, hospice, funerals, and grief, with downloadable handbooks for funeral planning and bereavement.
Young Adults and College
Two distinct groups serve the young-adult season. LAUNCH is a community for college students, recent graduates, and young adults navigating early careers, meeting on Sundays at 9:30 in The Den; it has its own Instagram account and a texting line. A separate Young Adults Life Group meets at 9:30 in room 235, made up mostly of college graduates and early-career adults in their mid-twenties to early thirties. Both groups are led by Pastor Pierce Vanderslice alongside the Groups team.
Care Ministries: Re|engage, Prodigal, Car Care, and Celebrate Recovery
Care Ministries aim to answer a direct question: if The Heights ceased to exist, would the community around it notice? The Prodigal provides a safe, biblical community for parents and family members of loved ones walking away from the faith. Car Care offers free, hands-on basic automotive maintenance for widows, single moms, and single women of the church, on Saturdays in February, June, and October. Covenant Eyes is recommended as a resource for those seeking accountability around pornography. Celebrate Recovery meets on Wednesday nights at 6:30 in Room 203 with worship and teaching, followed at 7:30 by separate men's and women's open-share groups for life issues, addictions (men), and life issues/co-dependency or survivors of abuse (women), closing with fellowship and dessert at 8:30. The Heights also points members to a Grief Handbook and Grief Resources for those walking through loss.
Missions: Park Central, Global Partners, and Local Initiatives
Missions at The Heights focuses on three concentric goals: reach your one, reach your city, reach your world. The church supports a missionary family (Park Central) led by Olga Gonzalez, plus Global Partners including Dan and Agie Douglas in Uganda, who serve with Proclaim Ministries (the church's longest-running partner), Promise Home in Honduras, and Torre Fuerte Church in Guatemala. Each year, the church sends teams to each of these locations, and student mission trips extend the same vision to teenagers. Locally, Heights Missions Initiatives gather volunteers around named community projects with the goal of meeting felt needs so that the church can share the gospel. A twice-monthly email newsletter (text STORY to 45859) updates readers on initiatives and partners.
Baptism and Membership
Baptism at The Heights is reserved for believers and practiced by immersion, understood as a public proclamation of faith and a symbol of union with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection rather than a means of salvation. Baptism by immersion is part of the membership process. Those interested fill out a Baptism Interest Form, meet with a Heights minister, and then receive a scheduling link for one of several Baptism Sundays each year (the third step includes an explicit meeting with a minister before any date is locked in). Membership requires a profession of faith in Christ, baptism by immersion following salvation, and attendance at Membership Class, a 9:15 AM gathering in The Square that walks attendees through the church's beliefs, vision, and values, preceded by an optional Snapshot Lunch, a relaxed no-pressure introduction with a free meal and a quick tour of the building.
Core Beliefs in Brief
The Heights holds to a classic evangelical statement of faith. The Bible, the thirty-nine Old Testament and twenty-seven New Testament books, is "breathed out by God" and without error in its original forms, wholly centered on the Lord Jesus Christ. God exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; God the Father reigns with providential care; the Son, Jesus Christ, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, was crucified, buried, and raised on the third day, and now sits at the right hand of God awaiting his return; the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, gives life to the believer, and empowers for godly living and service. Humanity was created in God's image but rebelled through Adam, bringing sin and death into the race, and salvation is the free gift of God, received by grace through faith in Christ. The church is described as the local body of Spirit-indwelt, baptized believers who gather to observe baptism and the Lord's Supper, preach and teach God's Word, and spread the gospel; its biblical officers are pastors (to shepherd and teach) and deacons (to serve). Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the Lord's Supper is a symbolic memorial of the Redeemer's death in anticipation of his second coming. Marriage is defined as the sacred, lifelong union of one man and one woman; children, from conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.
The Teaching Team and Staff
Sr. Pastor Dr. Gary Singleton anchors the teaching team, joined in regular pulpit rotation by David Barrett (Executive Pastor of Ministries) and Pierce Vanderslice (Assimilation and Teaching Pastor). Richard Covington serves as Executive Pastor of Operations. The staff is structured into clear ministry areas: Preschool (Kathy Castleman), the Child Development Center (Katy Dorsey, Director), Kids (Ivy Lassiter, Kids Pastor, with Alex Lashley, Sarah Stone, Adrian Berkline, and Reagan Shearin), Students (Eric Dexter, Student Minister, with Reagan Sturges and Carter Perez), Groups (with Lesley Seale for senior adults, Heather Baab for women's and marriage, Michael Warren for men), Discipleship and Missions (Madison Bridges as Disciple Making and Missions Pastor, plus Grace Rodriguez Martinez, Karen Probasco, and Renee Turman), Worship and Creative Arts (Worship Pastor Jud Hardage, Creative Arts Director Russell McLaughlin, Production Director Ben Beazley, Technical Director Eric Rodriguez, Associate Worship Pastor Kristen Rodriguez, Associate Worship Director Angela Irby), Heights en Español (Daniel Saéz, Jonathan Farelo), and the Business Office under Finance and Operations Pastor Scott Dobbs.
The Building, Weddings, and Livestream
The Heights' campus at 201 W Renner Road houses the Worship Center, The Chapel, the Kids Hallway, the Gym (home of The Chaos), The Brick student space in the basement, the Atrium (where Sunday mornings welcome guests and host Men's Breakfast), The Square (where membership classes and Alpha meet), The District, the Choir Suite behind the Worship Center, the Mezzanine, the Upper Atrium (home to Snapshot Lunches), and an ESL suite with morning and evening class times. Weddings are held in The Chapel for both members and non-members, with pricing that includes a facility rental fee, a sound and lighting technician, use of inventory, a wedding coordinator, and a minister. Facility rentals are available on a space-available basis to non-profit organizations whose mission aligns with the church's beliefs, with rates starting at $100 and a six-month advance booking window. The Heights also runs The Heights Child Development Center, a weekday preschool program established in 1956 for children ages two months through Transitional Kindergarten, meeting Monday through Thursday from 9 AM to 2 PM (with an 8 AM to 5 PM extended option), and continues to livestream both the 9:30 and 11:00 services and the Heights en Español service on its livestream page, on Facebook Live, and on YouTube for those who cannot attend in person.