We seek to transform a generation by His Word, with His People, for His Purpose. The world is determined to disciple our children, and far be it from us that the world might work harder at discipling them than we do. We have a passion & a calling for this generation. We desire to see their lives supernaturally changed by the Kingdom of God, for the Kingdom of God. Our hearts are wired for life-on-life discipleship that looks like corporate worship, individual investment, and outreach events. We often have events that are focused on bringing in those far from God, as well as events designed to disciple those who want to grow closer. We want to help sow, water, and cultivate relationships with the Lord that are built on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ and Him alone. We want to come alongside parents in the discipleship process of their homes, and be an encouragement, resource, and avenue for consistent exposure to the Gospel, deep Godly community, and continued life transformation.

We are a student ministry intentionally discipling the next generation. Alongside Heather & AJ, our Youth Pastors, who you can read more about below, we have a team of adult leaders, who have been background checked, and vetted through an extensive interview process. We take very seriously what adults have access to this impressionable generation, and only adults on our leadership team are allowed into the worship space throughout the service.

Each Tuesday night, we start at 6:30 p.m. with a pre-service hangout, playing games and building community between our students and our adult leaders. We then will head inside for announcements, followed by worship lead by our all-student team. Then, Heather,  AJ, or a member of our adult leadership team or pastoral staff will teach a message. Every other week we also will separate into age & gender specific small groups to discuss the message. We do everything we can to respect your time & the students by ending at 8:30.

The culture. The environment. The tone that's set.
Ultimately, we can't make someone choose Jesus. Nobody can. The Holy Spirit is the agent of change. And we all have to make a personal decision to follow Him. But what we can do & what we try to do is create an environment where obstacles are removed & culture is cultivated where this generation can be engaged exactly where they are. We build relationships to develop opportunities for life-on-life moments that lead to life-on-life discipleship. We speak the truth in love. We try to do everything we can with excellence, intentionality, and with your child's safety & growth in mind. The Forge is both Spirit-led & Biblically-saturated. We try to create an environment where every kind of teenager, regardless of their personalities, interests, & gifts can encounter Jesus, begin a relationship with Him, and meet & become a part of a community of their peers that wants the same thing for themselves & for them.

We don't want "Forge" to just be the name of our student ministry. We want to see students who are continually Forged into who God has called them to be. That, in a culture that focuses on looking inside one's self to find identity, meaning, and purpose, we choose to create a culture that looks up to the Lord, in to the Scriptures, around to the body of Christ, in order to pursue identity, meaning, and purpose that holds fast to the firm foundation of Jesus Christ. This is how we see that happening:

AJ & Heather Johnson are the Student Pastors at Cornerstone, and have been a part of our staff since January 2021. Heather is a graduate of Liberty University with a Bachelor’s in Youth Ministry and a Minor in Women’s Ministry. AJ is a graduate of the University of North Texas with Bachelors degrees in Spanish & Communication Studies. The Johnsons met while working at Crossroads Summer Camp, a ministry they both interned for after college, the same camp that the Forge now attends each summer. Heather & AJ have massive hearts for the next generation. They’re imperfect. They’re unpolished. But they strive to be authentic, genuine, intentional, do things with excellence, and speak the truth in love to a generation in desperate need of it. It would be their honor to be given the opportunity to serve your students.