Loving People to the Kingdom on Lafayette Road
Lighthouse Church sits on Lafayette Road in Rossville, Georgia, a few miles south of Chattanooga and a familiar landmark in Walker County life. The congregation's mission is short enough to fit on a T-shirt: "to love people to the kingdom." That phrase is more than a slogan. Senior Pastor Heath Jones describes the church this way: "Our mission is very simple: to love people to the kingdom. That means we're not about a building or some complicated religious system, but about helping people from all backgrounds discover the joy that comes from knowing and serving Jesus Christ."
The welcome message is open and direct. "No matter where you are at on life's journey, you are welcome here." A long-standing policy in the congregation is "Come as you are," and the dress code is informal. "Freedom in worship and praise is vitally important to our ministry," the church explains, and the staff asks only that newcomers show up ready to be themselves. "When you enter our sanctuary, you will feel the overwhelming power of love and acceptance."
Music, teaching, and fellowship form the three streams of the church's life together. The services are contemporary in style, led by a praise and worship band, and the preaching is described as practical, biblical, and rooted in the Word of God. The church reaches beyond its own walls with a livestream on YouTube and Facebook, a sermon archive that reaches back several years, a partnership with RightNow Media, and online articles from Pastor Heath. The building itself is set up for family ministry, with a sanctuary, a Fellowship Hall, a Family Life Center, and a welcome center where parents can grab coffee between Sunday School and the main service.
Sunday Mornings at Lighthouse
Sunday is the heart of the week at Lighthouse. The day starts at 9:00 a.m. with a pre-service prayer breakfast in the Fellowship Hall, where members gather over a meal to pray for the morning's worship and to prepare their hearts for the preaching of God's Word. From 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., Sunday School meets for every age from preschool through high school, with classes held upstairs in the Family Life Center. Parents can enjoy coffee in the welcome center during that time.
The Sunday morning service begins at 10:25 a.m. in the sanctuary and runs until about 12:30 p.m. The order of service is contemporary, built around a praise and worship band that the church describes as "instrumental in assisting the work of the Holy Spirit." After a portion of the worship time, children are dismissed to their own age-appropriate classrooms, and the adults settle in for preaching that is meant to be practical, biblical, and life-applicable. The service is livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook for those who cannot be there in person.
The church has put together a brief overview of what newcomers can expect. The goal is for visitors to feel "relaxed and comfortable" the moment they walk in. Greeters meet people at the door, and the staff is intentional about helping new families find their way around the building. There is no expectation that anyone will be put on the spot. "When you come, you can participate or just sit back and observe," the staff explains.
Children's Ministry in the Family Life Center
Children's Ministry is led by Niki Burris, who oversees both the Sunday and Wednesday programs. The aim of the ministry is "to help children and their families discover God's life-changing grace" and to inspire the children of this generation to "Say YES to Jesus." Sunday School is offered for every age from preschool through high school, so a family with multiple children can drop them all off in the same place before the main service.
On Sunday mornings, children are dismissed after worship time and head to their own classrooms. Parents sign their child in when they arrive, and the church encourages parents to dress children in clothing that can handle "a little mess," since crafts, snacks, and active play are all part of the program. The Family Life Center is also home to a Wednesday night program for children that runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., parallel to the adult Bible study in the sanctuary.
The children's ministry welcomes practical support. Donations of snacks, craft supplies, games, and Bibles are appreciated and can be coordinated with Niki Burris directly. The church describes the program as "very active and sometimes messy," a healthy sign of a children's ministry that takes seriously the energy and curiosity of the kids in its care.
Youth Ministry
Donnie and Bailey Farmer lead the youth ministry at Lighthouse, working with middle school and high school students. The ministry is "grounded in The Word, teaching our young people to follow and worship the risen savior and challenging students to share their faith and show the love of Christ to those in need."
Students join the rest of the church for Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. and return on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. for the Midweek Service aimed at children, youth, and college-age students. The midweek gathering includes teaching, small-group time, and fellowship. Praise band practice, which meets at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, is another way for young musicians to develop their gifts alongside the worship team, and a number of the church's musicians have come up through the youth ministry over the years.
Men's and Women's Ministries
The men's and women's ministries at Lighthouse both meet on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. The men's ministry is committed to "encouraging the growth of our spiritual leaders through a balanced program of worship, biblical teaching, fellowship, and evangelism," and the men gather periodically for additional events like a men's breakfast and other special activities. The women's ministry, led by Jessica Dehart, is open to women who want to "grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and think through practical applications to everyday life."
Both groups lean on RightNow Media, the church's streaming library of Bible study resources. Jessica Dehart is the contact for women who want to know more about the women's ministry, and the men's ministry is supported through a leadership team that connects with men through study, fellowship, and mentoring relationships.
Wednesday at 6:30
Wednesday is its own weekly rhythm at Lighthouse, and it is designed to bring the whole family to the building at the same time. At 6:30 p.m., two parallel gatherings fill the building. In the sanctuary, adults gather for Adult Bible Study. In the Family Life Center, children, youth, and college-age students meet for the Midweek Service. Praise band practice follows at 7:30 p.m. for the worship team and any musicians wanting to serve.
The midweek schedule is built so a family can be together on the same campus at the same hour. Parents step into the sanctuary while their kids head to the Family Life Center, and everyone drives home at the same time. The church describes the design as "serving the whole family." The evening is intentionally relaxed, and many members treat it as the anchor of their week alongside Sunday morning. For newcomers, the Wednesday night is also one of the easiest ways to meet people in the church beyond the Sunday morning crowd.
What Lighthouse Believes
Lighthouse's Statement of Faith begins with the sovereignty of God as the pre-existent creator of heaven and earth and moves into the doctrine of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one Deity in three persons. The church holds firmly to the inerrancy of Scripture, affirming that the Bible is "the Holy Scripture, the true Word of God," written by men "inspired by the Holy Spirit," and that it is "the living word" and "infallible."
The church teaches that all people are sinful and in need of redemption, and that salvation from the judgment of sin is possible only through Jesus Christ. Jesus is described as the only begotten Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, who came "to seek and save the lost" and through His death on the cross made a way for all who believe to receive salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone. Water baptism by immersion is practiced as an outward confession of the inward work of God, in which a believer identifies with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The church teaches that Christ is the living head of the church, with pastors and elders as under-shepherds subject to His authority, and that the Holy Spirit indwells the believer at salvation and empowers the Christian life through the gifts He gives. On marriage and human life, the statement is clear: the church believes that marriage is a biblical institution between a man and a woman, and that all human life is sacred, created by God in His image, from conception through natural death. The congregation is therefore "called to defend, protect, and value all human life."
Reaching Beyond the Walls
Lighthouse takes seriously the idea of ministry that extends past the church's own zip code. The congregation livestreams Sunday morning services on both YouTube and Facebook, and a sermon archive reaches back several years. Most messages are preached by Pastor Heath Jones, with occasional sermons from Pastor Randy Crawford and other guests. The archive gives members and visitors a chance to revisit past messages or share a particular sermon with a friend.
Through RightNow Media, Lighthouse has given every family in the congregation free access to a streaming library of more than 20,000 Bible study videos. The library includes teaching from well-known pastors and Bible teachers such as Francis Chan, Jennie Allen, Matt Chandler, and Dr. Tony Evans, with series on books of the Bible, marriage, parenting, personal finances, and mental health. A separate kids' library offers more than 2,000 age-appropriate videos. The service is free, and a dedicated link lets Lighthouse members create their own account. The library is available on all major streaming devices, so families can take it on the road.
Pastor Heath writes regularly, exploring topics like the danger of false teaching, the sufficiency of grace, and the difference between knowing about God and the deep, transforming knowledge the New Testament calls epignōsis. His writing is a way for the church to extend pastoral teaching into the week, and the writing is conversational, devotional, and well-suited to small-group discussion or personal quiet time.
The Pastoral Team
Heath Jones serves as Senior Pastor. He and his wife Tracey are listed together as the church's pastoral couple, and Tracey partners with him in the life of the congregation. Chuck Womack leads worship as Worship Pastor, overseeing the praise band and the music ministry. Jessica Dehart leads the Women's Ministry and oversees the church's missions emphasis. Donnie and Bailey Farmer lead the youth ministry, and Niki Burris directs both the Children's Ministry and the church's online presence.
A team of board members, including Butch Womack, Jody Roach, Mike Jones, and Johnny Dehart, share the work of shepherding the congregation alongside the pastors. The church describes its leaders as people who are "truly dedicated to Christ and accomplishing His will," and the team's calling is to provide overall direction for the spiritual life of the congregation.
How to Give and How to Join
Lighthouse offers three ways to give. Members and friends can give online through the church's online giving, mail a check or money order to P.O. Box 656, or give in person at any of the weekly services. Online giving is processed through Tithe.ly.
Those interested in formal church membership are invited to fill out a membership application, available from the church. After the application is received, a staff member follows up to set up a meeting with the pastor. "Christian faith is about relationships," the church explains, "It is about our relationship with God and our relationships with each other." Becoming a member is one way to identify publicly with a community of fellow followers of Jesus, and the church sees it as a meaningful next step for someone ready to commit to a local body.
Plan Your Visit
Lighthouse Church is located at 1201 Lafayette Road in Rossville, Georgia. The church office can be reached at 706-861-2715, and general questions can be sent through the church's contact form. A What to Expect overview is available, and a Plan a Visit form can be filled out online so the staff can greet first-time guests.
Sunday mornings in Rossville begin with breakfast and prayer at 9:00 a.m., Sunday School at 9:30, and worship at 10:25. Wednesday nights bring the adults, the children, the youth, and the band back together at 6:30 p.m. Whether someone is just beginning to explore faith or has walked with Christ for years, the doors of Lighthouse are open, and the welcome is genuine.