Sarah Thompson
Lifepoint Church, Richmond, Virginia
Alumna Sarah Thompson, class of 2020, leads worship at Lifepoint Church in Richmond, Virginia as the Worship Director.
During her time at Highlands College, Sarah Thompson, a 2020 graduate, learned valuable leadership skills that equipped her to answer the call on her life as a worship leader. Once Sarah became the Worship Director at Lifepoint Church in Richmond, Virginia, she put her skills into practice in a local church context, leading her team not only musically but spiritually.
Sarah’s role as Worship Director includes building and recruiting for the worship team, overseeing the development process for band members and vocalists, encouraging each person in their discipleship journey, directing musically on Sundays, and leading the teams for monthly Youth Nights and Lifepoint College chapel experiences. Her journey into worship ministry didn’t follow a straight line, but it was marked by trust and obedience.
Post graduation and worship internship, Sarah began seeking worship positions through the Office of Ministry Placement, a search that presented an unexpected role—serving as the family assistant to the founding pastors at Lifepoint Church. “I knew it wasn’t what I had gone to school for, but after praying, seeking the Lord, and interviewing, I felt like I was supposed to be in that role,” she said. “I trusted that the Lord would open the door in His timing within worship.”
Nearly two years later, as Sarah transitioned into a bookkeeping role, she began serving on the worship team and was coached and mentored closely by Lifepoint’s worship staff until, in 2023, she stepped into her first Worship Leader position at the Culpeper Campus. After two years of faithful leadership there, Sarah transitioned into her current director role in Richmond. Looking back, Sarah sees God’s hand in every step.
“Every role that you are in, every experience that you have, everything that you have gone through—God will use it all for His greatest glory and your greatest good. Nothing is wasted,” she shared. “You can trust the One who created you and is writing your story. Even if you are not where you want to be now, trust the journey the Lord has set before you.”
During her time on staff, Sarah has witnessed so many stories of life change—one of her favorites being a young adult who powerfully encountered the Lord during a moment of worship. “He ended up surrendering his life to the Lord and joining my team as a drummer! It’s been so amazing getting to watch him continue to grow in his love for the Lord and worship.”
Sarah Thompson and her team lead worship at the Richmond campus of Lifepoint Church.
Ministry has taught Sarah how to truly depend on the Lord. “Life happens, and you will endure pain, suffering, and loss, but in those moments, He is the only One who can get you through,” she shared. “In drawing near to Him, you discern what He wants to teach you. In those intimate moments of dependence, you can’t help but become more aware of the impact the cross has had and continues to have on your life.”
It’s those seasons that have deepened her awareness of grace and shaped how she leads others. “When you become aware of the grace and compassion you first received, you cannot help but then extend it to those around you.”
Some of Sarah’s most formative moments have happened off the stage while at Highlands College—Saturate, a student prayer and fasting retreat; 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting each spring and fall; and learning as a leader to look for potential in those around her and call it out of them—all helping her cultivate spiritual disciplines she had not practiced before. “I learned that I could do things consistently to honor the Lord, even when they were inconvenient and required intentionality,” she said.
At the core of Sarah’s calling is a deep compassion for people who don’t yet know Jesus.
“I choose ministry because I can’t help but want to create the experiences I had that pointed me to life in Jesus,” she shared. “Each worship song I lead, each small group I lead, and each conversation I have, I get to point someone to the hope and life found in Him. He gave me hope when I was lost and broken. He’s given me grace I didn’t deserve and purpose beyond what I could have imagined.”
As she settles into her new campus, Sarah is learning to be content in the season the Lord has her in. “I have dreams and desires for the future that haven’t yet come to pass, but I know the Lord is faithful,” she said. “I don’t want to miss what He’s doing now.” She invites the Highlands College community to pray as she continues to build relationships with her team in Richmond and grow together in unity and purpose—faithful to the journey God is writing, one obedient step at a time.
