Leadership

Matt joined the Heritage staff in January of 2012 as Adult Ministries Pastor. Before coming on staff, Matt and his wife Corey had been involved in several ministries throughout the church and served as leaders of one of the pilot community groups; which was key to transitioning into the small group ministry at Heritage. In May of 2015, Matt moved into a teaching role during a season of transition at Heritage. In January of 2017, Matt was voted in as Lead Pastor at Heritage Church.
Matt has a heart and passion for reaching the unchurched in our community, whether it is an unbeliever with no church experience or the disenfranchised person who had a bad church experience who is now unchurched. The ministry at Heritage is designed to point people to intimacy with God, community with insiders and influence with outsiders. Matt’s desire for Heritage is that we reach the lost and equip the saints for the work of ministry. Being Kingdom minded is close to Matt’s heart as well, as he desires to build a bridge between local churches to work together in serving the Texarkana area.
Prior to coming on staff, Matt spent 13 years as a football coach, both at the collegiate and high school level. In 2010, Matt and Corey started the organization Laces of Grace; their purpose through Laces of Grace is to share the gospel of Christ and give shoes to needy children. Matt and Corey have 3 children: Baylie, Drew and Casey.

Andrew joined our staff in March of 2020, after 14 years of ministry in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. While there, Andrew worked in various positions including worship director, student director, and art director. In each of these roles, Andrew’s greatest desire was to inspire the people of God to love and live for him. One of Andrew’s favorite ways to do this is through deep, personal relationships filled with “spurr[ing] one another on towards love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10.24)
Andrew and his wife Allison have been married for 15 years and have 3 children: Lydia, Abby, and Elias.

Gary joined our staff in June of 2020, coming from west Texas.  He is from Texarkana and so is his wife Mindy.  He has been in youth ministry for over 23 years serving all over Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. His vision is for students to really understand what following Christ is all about and share that with other students.
Gary and his wife Mindy have been married for 29 years and have 2 children, Carson who is 19 and a sophomore at Hardin-Simmons University, and Greer is 13 and in the 8th grade.

Bobbie Nell joined our team in August 2014. She is serving as the Children’s Pastor which is birth through fifth grade.
She is originally from Maud, TX and attended college at Texas A&M Texarkana where she graduated with both her Bachelors and Masters degrees. Bobbie Nell has lived in Texarkana, along with her husband Chris, since they married in 2010. They have two daughters, Allie, and Anna Gayle, and a son, Avery.
Bobbie Nell worked as a first grade teacher with TISD for 7 years. She has voluntarily served in various positions throughout the Children’s ministry at Heritage, as well as her hometown church, First Baptist Church of Maud.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, baking, camping and shopping, particularly estate sales.

David is native of Texarkana and has been involved with the ministry of Heritage since it’s inception. He has been engaged in the music ministry of the church since the early years, but took the role as Worship Pastor in 2020. David has also been an Elder of the church for several years. He is passionate about exporting the message of grace and our identity in Christ because of how it has changed his life personally. 
David and his wife Chase have two boys, Paul David and Able.

Libby and her husband, Brad, have been at Heritage for three years. They have four little boys, so every day is a whirlwind! When she’s not doing laundry, Libby enjoys connecting women together and helping them cultivate a love for the Word. She is passionate about helping women experience the freedom she has found in Jesus through relationship, not religion.

Shalena became a part of the Heritage staff in August of 2013.  She is a graduate of Texas A&M University-Texarkana, and holds a BBA with a major in accounting.  Shalena was born and raised in Bellville, TX, but has lived in Texarkana for most of her life.
Shalena loves spending time with her husband, Matt, and her two children, Alyssa and Austin.  She enjoys taking her children to their activities and watching them have fun.  Shalena loves to read, play games with friends, and above all else spend valuable time with her family.
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  Philippians 4:13

A native of Texarkana, TX, Craig has been a part of Heritage since 2010. He has a passion for making the church experience the best it can be. Craig heads our production department and oversees service flow on Sunday mornings. Craig has a background in live production and has been a part of several bands through the years. He and his wife Judy have two daughters, Allie, and Morgan.

Don grew up on Air Force bases all over the country – from rural Mississippi, to the interior of Alaska – with stops in between to California, Utah and Nebraska. His family settled down in White Oak, Texas (outside of Longview) and that’s where he considers “home”. He attended Texas A&M University (Gig Em!), and then served in the United States Army, working at the American Forces Network in Berlin, Germany, and the television studios at West Point.
After the Army he lived for 19 years in the Atlanta, GA. area. There he worked for the NBC affiliate – WXIA, CNN, and freelanced for the Weather Channel, In Touch Ministries, and many others. Don has always wanted to put his talents to work for the Lord, and Heritage is the third church in which he has served.
Don has been married for over 27 years to Candy, a former missionary to the Philippines.They have two boys, Christopher and Michael, and a daughter, Lynn.