Noel Heikkinen serves as the Lead Pastor at Riverview Church, where he spends most of his time preaching, shaping the teaching calendar, and casting vision for how to strategically live out the mission the elders have affirmed together. A gifted communicator and teacher, Noel has written two books (with more on the way) and often speaks at conferences around the world.

Beyond Riv, he devotes much of his energy to church planting efforts across the Midwest, East Asia, and Brazil.

Noel grew up in a home with parents who loved Jesus, but everything changed when he truly encountered Jesus through Scripture. He’s been stumbling after Him ever since, doing his best to point others in the same direction.

Noel and his wife first got connected to Riv in the early 1990s when they heard about a church meeting in the Kellogg Center on MSU’s campus. They’ve been part of the Riv family ever since.

In his free time, Noel enjoys riding motorcycles and perfecting his lawn care game. His favorite spot in Lansing? Anywhere he can ride. A verse that deeply resonates with him is Galatians 5:1: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” The idea that freedom is both the means and the goal of the Christian life continues to blow his mind.