Vision
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Universal Purpose Statement We believe the purpose of a New Testament church is to lead all persons to be growing into mature disciples of Jesus Christ, demonstrated by genuine worship, love for others, growth as believers, ministry to needs and extension of God's family. The Bible gives the purposes to the New Testament church. Though these can be expressed in different ways, we see these five purposes as appropriate summary statements. The church's purpose is expressed in the Great Commission to "make disciples of all nations." The overall purpose of the church is to help all persons to become fully mature disciples of Jesus Christ. This purpose is seen in five ways in the individual's life. "genuine worship" A true church leads persons into true worship. Genuine worship is the appropriate response to the self revelation of God. "love for others" A believer should whole heartedly fellowship with other believers. Fellowship is an essential purpose of the New Testament Church. "growth as believers" A believer should grow continually in character, knowledge of the Word of God, and Christian disciplines which lead to these qualities. Maturity is an essential purpose. "ministry to needs" Compassion and mercy are essential qualities for every believer. Growth in ministry to the needs of others is a foundational part of being a true New Testament church. "and extension of God's family." Evangelism is sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with the world around us so that they may accept Him and enter the family of God. Evangelism is an essential purpose of a true church. This universal purpose is focused locally for us in our Vision Statement: CrossRoads Vision Statement CrossRoads Fellowship exists to help unchurched new generations and non-traditional persons have their lives changed forever by knowing Christ as Savior and by growing as believers along with us. "exists to help" The purpose of CrossRoads Fellowship is to partner with the Holy Spirit to change unchurched persons through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We cannot cause this eternal change in people, we can only be faithful in assisting our Lord. He is the power, we are the servants. "unchurched" This is a radical statement which says that we will focus on those who are not believers or who do not attend any other church on a regular basis. Taken seriously, this will decide many of the priorities of our church life. What kind of worship do we do? If a typical answer is, "The kind that leads church members to God," this commitment would answer, "The kind that leads the unchurched to God." What kind of Bible study do we do? Rather than, "The kind that helps me grow," to "The kind that leads the unchurched to grow." We are dedicating ourselves to reaching the unchurched as our highest priority. Does this mean that nothing we do will be for us, the Christians? No. "Along with us..." is the final statement, and indicates that we also must be maturing in faith. We cannot do that if worship is totally irrelevant to us, or if Bible study does not help us to grow. We will continue to think of ways to bless and grow one another, however we will take seriously Philippians 1:3, Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves (NASB). We will make the needs of the unchurched a higher priority that our own needs. Many of the unchurched do not yet know Christ, and therefore, for them, eternity hangs in the balance, while our eternity is secure in Christ. Balance means that, as we seek to reach the unchurched, we will also find ways to bless and grow one another. "new generations" Probably the most controversial aspect of this statement. As this church was being born, the question was, "What is our unique emphasis?" No church can do it all. If we take that seriously, it means we must make decisions about what we are going to do, and what we are not going to do. What group of persons in Jackson needed to be reached? 2003 found the city of Jackson with many churches, and most of the churches were fine spiritual homes for median to older adults and all ages of those with traditional preferences. What seemed to be lacking were churches designed with younger generations in mind. New generations ministry will require attention to trends in the society and population, and a willingness to experiment, adjust and change. New generations worship must be prepared for new methods of communication. New generations structure has to take into account the lifestyles of young persons to find the ministries most likely to touch them where they are. "and non-traditional..." Our innovative, creative methods will not only be effective with new generations, but also with the non-traditional persons of all generations. As we adjust our methods to meet the needs of the young, we will find ourselves speaking powerfully to non-traditional persons of all generations. Many median and older adults thrive on the diversity of our culture, and live on the cutting edge of change. These persons will therefore be well suited to respond to our ministries. We are a "Contemporary Baptist Church." "Contemporary" means "in sync with what is now." Being contemporary means that we are committed to using whatever methods are appropriate for each new day in reaching new generations and non-traditional people. What about the older generations and traditional persons? We will minister to all generations, but in a region as diverse as ours is, no church can make equal priorities of all generations and all needs. We trust that God will strengthen the many traditional ministries in our region, so that these persons have viable, warm and faith affirming churches. Our calling, however, is to emphasize the young and non-traditional of all ages. This helps us make crucial decisions with far less controversy. For example, if money became available for one new staff person, the church could not hire both a Senior Adult Minister and a Children's Minister, we might have controversy if we were equally committed to all needs. CrossRoads, however, would be able to make this decision in advance by setting the new generation priority. This church will welcome and seek to meet the basic needs of all generations, yet it will focus it's energies upon a calling to reach non-traditional persons and each new generation as it emerges in this community. Our older adults, progressive and self-sacrificing in their mindsets, will be dedicated to helping us reach young and non-traditional persons. Our median aged adults will be dedicated to reaching these persons. Our young adults will be dedicated to reaching these persons. Should this statement focus on methods rather than on persons? The issue is giving this statement teeth, or the power to influence us in the future. The most challenging priority is to focus on people, rather than methods. Methods must come out of a dedication to reach a segment of the population. We need to study them, know them, listen to them and love them. Only a personal approach like this will consistently result in the correct, truly "contemporary" methods. Today's contemporary method is tomorrow's tradition. To keep up, we must study the new generations and non-traditional people in our community, and constantly allow the Holy Spirit to reinvent us and our ministries. "to have their lives changed forever" Our goal is not humanly possible. We might change someone's life for their time here on earth, but only God can change their life forever. "by knowing Christ as Savior" Salvation is the first step in an eternal life change. If we are serious about this priority, then evangelism is a prime responsibility. We cannot "grow" a person until he or she is saved! Everything we do needs to emphasize and be evaluated by it's eternity-changing result. "and by growing as a believers." Growing in worship, purity, compassion, justice and the like all are part of our God-given goal for one another. "along with us." Those whom we reach are not the only ones with the obligation to mature in faith. We are all called to do so. We are inviting them to grow with us, to join us in our journey. |