7-12th graders are welcome.7th grade is defined by having turned 12 years old by August 31st of this current school year. Incoming 7th graders are officially invited into youth group beginning with Summer Camp attendance.

We are sorry that 5th and 6th graders are not welcome at our youth gathering. We do have an incredible ministry for this age which meets on Sunday's during church service and a monthly gathering called Kingdom Kids.

SCHOOL YEAR: We meet for youth group on Wednesday evenings from September - June; with a few exceptions for certain holidays. Our final youth group for '25/26 is June 10th. SUMMER BREAK: We pause from regular Wednesday weekly gatherings for June - August. In place, we host a series of events such as worship nights, movie nights, specialty ministry experiences, and summer camp.

If you are a new family/household who is exploring our youth ministry, then yes, parents/guardians are welcome to accompany their youth temporarily; we allow this for up to two weeks*.We ask that you check-in with our security guard to let them know you are an adult accompanying a youth who is considering our youth group. *Please note that we take security of our minors seriously. Therefore all regularly attending, onsite adults, are here to serve the youth ministry. They have been background screened, vetted through our onboarding process, and are in active fellowship with Church on the Rock.

We meet at the COTR church building in Battle Ground. Youth are welcome to arrive around 6:15 pm on a typical night. We gather in the lobby or outside (if the youth prefer). Our team begins fellowship and greeting around 6:15. We transition to the sanctuary around 6:30 or shortly thereafter.Occasionally play games and/or have icebreaker activities. Every couple months we will host a more intentional activity night full of fun, fellowship, and team building.Most nights, we follow a fairly standard ministry format; some fellowship and welcoming, praise and worship, biblical teaching/preaching, ministry time, and snacks. Our emphasis is on corporate worship and time in the word of God. Our worship is focus on God-centered lyrics and intimacy with the Lord. For youth who are not used to an extended time corporate worship, this can be a bit overwhelming at first. We have a no-pressure environment (come as you are). But most youth quickly discover the brilliance of praising King Jesus with their peers and begin to press in with us.We teach Biblical theology which aligns with COTR's statement of faith. We do have real-life conversations with the youth about many crucial topics. We are sensitive to having age appropriate discussions. However, it is our perspective that many youth are not getting enough biblical wisdom on crucial topics at an early enough age, therefore we likely push the envelope a bit.Ministry time may include personal and/or group prayer, personal and/or group reflection or processing, as well as times of responding to the Lord as the Holy Spirit moves. We do believe in the expression of the gifts referenced in the New Testament; however we do not chase after sensational experiences or hype that is not authentically of the Lord. We host small groups and/or what we refer to as pod-time occasionally. This is primarily where reflection or processing will occur.Please let us know if you have questions about any thing mentioned here.

We truly believe in the discipleship of youth. We will often say, 'our goal is not to simply raise up good church kids... but to see young ones discover the power of the gospel, the love of Father God, the glory of Jesus Christ, the intimacy of the Holy Spirit, and the truth of the Bible as central to every area of their lives.' I we see the fruit of this in many of our youth who have said yes to the Lord's pursuit after their lives. They are experiencing the Kingdom of God and the transformation Jesus has made available through his atoning work.Please see our Kingdom Culture pieces for more.

We have seven culture pieces we focus on. These fall under the vision and mission of COTR. 1) Worship - we highly value corporate time of praising God. We are constantly introducing the youth into what it looks like to be a worshipper in 'spirt and in truth'. 2) Honor - this looks like respect, but wrapped in love and truth. The most honorable thing we can do is to pursue each person as to who they are fully alive in Jesus Christ. To this end we speak life, invite, challenge, and engage with each other as best we are able. 3) Invitation - we are named after the parable of the great banquet in Luke 14. The master is invite any and all who will respond. Many have excuses, but the invite is always extended. We continually invite the youth to say "yes" to Jesus Christ in every category of life. 4) Inclusion - on one hand, the gospel is very exclusive; Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, it is a narrow gate. Yet his offer is open to all. We never know when someone's heart will be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, therefore we open the door for all to fellowship with us. That said, we acknowledge that true salvation and surrender to lordship looks like lives transformed with fruit unto repentance, and this is our aim. 5) Celebration - we want genuine and authentic life to be experienced here. Youth are surrounded by counterfeit via media and the world. We seek to allow the joy of the Lord to be our strength by challenging the youth to discover the goodness of God. 6) Vulnerability - if one thing sets us apart it is this, we create a safe space for young ones to be honest and real with the Lord and others. "Vulnerability feels like weakness to me, but it looks like strength to others." No one is required to share, but the invite is often there, and the breakthrough it provides is profound. 7) Engagement - this looks like the following invitation, "if you are coming to youth group, chose to prioritize the thing we are making available." If fellowship, engage with others. If worship, engage with God. If teaching, focus in. And so on. We choose to put away distraction as best we are able.