Genuine Community

Long, long ago, when my children were little, family trips were a constant refrain of “Are we there yet?” No matter what I would say, one of my daring children invariable would ask every five minutes this same question. It could have been the impatience of youth or the fact that we were packed tight in a car designed for less than five people.

Often I ask myself this question in regards to Crossroads and our progress towards making our vision a reality. Have we become a place of transforming grace in genuine community? Are we seeing lives being changed and transformed? What are the relationships that exist? Are we there yet?

I want to focus on the second half of that vision statement. Do we have “genuine community” at Crossroads? Keep in mind that community, in this sense, is not a geographical location. It is a relationship, and not just any relationship. It involves several critical aspects in order to be real community. Things like belonging, caring, and accountability are what make community unique and genuine.

Do members at Crossroads experience a real sense of belonging? I know when I visit our guests I hear about how they felt welcome and at home. The question is does this feeling continue and grow at they become a part of our congregation. I wonder if we let them know that they were missed when they are unable to attend. I also wonder if they miss us when they are not able to attend. Sometimes when I review the attendance of some of our members, I have my doubts.

On the other hand, I think we do very well on caring for each other. When there is a need within the congregation, it is encouraging to see how the Body cares for those who are hurting. From meals for those after surgery to counseling for those going through difficult times, we look after each very well. I am very pleased that much of this caring is being done by the small groups themselves. This is what we have been working toward. We are not there yet, but we are getting real close.

On the issue of accountability, I believe we still have lots of room for improvement. With our updated membership policy, the leadership team is working through contacting all of those who are “on the books” as members. Some of these individuals no longer come to church, so we will be removing them from the membership. We will be more intentional about helping our members work through the steps of our discipleship strategy. We need to be seeing movement from step one (attendance) to step four (active in mission and outreach). This is important because for us to grow as a community, we must grow in our individual relationships with the church.

When it comes to genuine community, are we there yet? No, but we are definitely moving in the right direction. We need to continue to pursue our mission and praying for our vision to become a reality.

See You Sunday,

Mike

Student Ministry Sunday

This week we will have the pleasure of the Student ministry taking over the worship service.  They will be serving in every aspect of the service. It will be a reminder to all of us that these young people are not the church of the future, but of the present.

Over the last decade, Crossroads has continually invested in both Student and Children’s ministry.  This has been done because we understand that our window of opportunity to reach their souls is greatest before they reach the age of eighteen (18). It is also a very critical time in their lives.  Often, a single mistake in judgment can lead to a lifetime of consequences.

Consider these statistics from the CDC about high school students:

●       47.4% have had sexual intercourse

●       33.7% had sex during the previous 3 months.

●       15.3% have had sex with four or more people.

Of course, we want to believe that these numbers do not represent our youth.  The reality is that not every young person in our student ministry is from a Christian home and not every student lives out their parent’s values.  Our youth live with tremendous cultural and peer pressure to compromise their godly morals and values.

This only adds to the other pressures they deal with.  They are constantly trying to balance school, work, social life, sports, and still find time to be involved in the Church.  Just recently, a couple young person in our community have been so overwhelmed, they have taken their own lives.  Nearly 1 in 6 high school students has seriously considered suicide, and 1 in 12 has attempted it according to the CDC.

While Student ministry is critical, it can only supplement the parenting a young person receives at home.  There is no replacement for godly parents walking with God and teaching their own family to do the same.  However, having a quality Student ministry and individuals of character and spiritual maturity serving in it does provide additional support.

I hope you will join me in praying for and encouraging Guy Louks, our student minister, and his staff of volunteers.  Maybe God has laid it on your heart to pour your life into the lives of students. If so, contact Guy, and I am sure he can use you in some capacity.  With everyone’s support, we can insure that our students will be lights in their schools for the Son of God.

See You Sunday,

Mike

Back to Basics

Vince Lombardi said, “Excellence is achieved by the mastery of the fundamentals”.  Last Sunday I began a short two sermon series on the two fundamental ordinances of the Lord’s Church.  We looked at what constituted Biblical baptism.  It has to be done in the way, for the right reason, to the right person, at the right time.  If you missed, the sermon is available on the website.  If you have any friends or family members who have questions about baptism, it would be a great resource to share with them.

In my message I stressed that those who wanted to accept Jesus Christ did it by being immersed into Him immediately upon making their confession of faith.  To my delight, immediately after the service, Ray and Janet Hassan came to me desiring to be immersed immediately.  I grabbed Guy Louks and Fred Townsend.  They did the baptisms.  It was a great event to witness.

This next Sunday, I am going to be preaching on communion.   While there is not as much confusion with the Lord’s Supper as there is with baptism, it is important for us to really understand it. I have decided that we will change up the service order a little bit and do communion AFTER my sermon.  It would both sermon and communion meditation in one.

I want to highlight one of our many ministries here, My Brother’s Keeper.  This is our benevolence ministry that helps to meet the needs of those in our community.  MBK pays for things like counseling, utilities, car repairs, food, rent, and medicine.  The funding comes from a few different sources.  One of our two annual special offerings is devoted solely MBK.  We also utilize a PayLess card program where we leverage our spending.  Through a special gift card, 3% of every dollar we spend is donated back to MBK.  The final funding stream for MBK is the two garage sales we do where all the profits go to the ministry.

Saturday, April 27^th is the date for the next garage sale.  Stacy Tilton is the person who organizing these sales for us.  She does a wonderful job, but needs lots of help.  On Sunday, April 21^st, we will need to rearrange the foyer so that the items can be laid out on tables and priced.  All that week, volunteers are needed to make sure everything is ready.  Trust me, the folks in our community will be lined up waiting for the doors to open on Saturday. More volunteers are needed to actual work the day of the sale.  We will need folks to run the register, restock the tables, and especially to clean up afterwards.  Whatever we do not sell, we will pack up and donate to Goodwill.

The great thing is that this ministry has become known in the community and our sales bring folks into our building.  It is an opportunity to show them who we are and what we are about.  Through this ministry, you are making a difference in the lives of those in need.  Thank you for caring as Jesus cares.

See You Sunday,

Mike

Not Just Another Sunday!

This coming Sunday is important.  Actually every Sunday is important. This is Sunday is significant because it is a day when many people go to church because it is Easter Sunday. A day when we remember that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead.  It is not a concept that I think we tend to forget, but I am not sure we celebrate enough. We often fail to appreciate the historical significance of this event at well.

In our current series, “Who Is This Man?”, we have examine a lot of the impact that Jesus had on our world.  It is an impact that continues even today.  The driving force behind that growing impact, I believe, is the resurrection.  This is by the intentional effort Jesus made to base all of his credibility and promises on this fact that HE would rise from the grave.  His resurrection proved all that he said about who he was and what he did for us.

Easter Sunday is a time when we will have a great number of new faces in the service.  Many will be our guests for the very first time.  They made be attending our habit or seeking to fill a need or void in their lives.  Some will be members coming back because it is expected that they show up on Easter.  We need to do all we can to make them feel welcome and comfortable. I know you will do your part, but let me make a couple of suggestions.

• Park your car as far away from the front doors as possible.  This allows our guests to get the spaces nearest the door.  Try to minimize the number of cars you bring to church.  Our lot is not very big.  Better to make a couple of trips and/or fill up the vehicle so that we have more spaces available.

• Come early and be friendly.  I realize that we are a friendly congregation but it is good to be reminded.  Don't just talk to your friends at church, but circulate around and introduce yourself.  You might just be surprised who the Lord has lead to church.

• Be prepared for worship and to serve.  While we plan as best we can for the service, we cannot anticipate every situation.  Someone might be sick and cannot serve as schedule. We may have more children to care for than expected.  We may even need to set up some chairs in the foyer to make room in the auditorium.  One can never know so we must be flexible and willing to step in where needed.

Finally, I want to touch on the special offering.  Our goal is $20,000.  We have committed half to go directly on the principle of our mortgage.  Our current mortgage balance is $466,205.  With a $10,000 principle payment, we would save significantly in interest and shorten the length of our loan.  This is not just for this year, but as a part of our overall stewardship strategy.  Going forward, we are committing 50% of EVERY EASTER OFFERING to this goal of paying off our debt.

I realize these are tough financial times for everyone.  With the rising prices of gas, healthcare, and even basic necessities, your faithful stewardship each week is greatly appreciated.  However, this offering is an opportunity for God to give through you in an outrageous way over and above your normal giving.  Only what is given in the offering plates on Sunday will go towards this goal.  Online giving will NOT be included.  God is going to do something great this Sunday. Don't be left out!

See You Sunday,

Mike

Hard Reset

Do you know what a “hard reset” is?  If you have a smart phone, you have probably done at least one of these.  This is when you get so much stuff on phone that it starts doing weird things.  It gets glitchy and starts dropping calls and even will just shut down for no reason at all.   The only way to fix this condition is called a hard reset. When you do it, it will erase everything on your phone and strips back to the original condition.  This provides you an opportunity to add stuff back slowly and find out what was causing the problem.

With Spring Break coming, I find myself considering the thought that I may need to do a “hard reset” on my life.  Commitments are filling up my schedule and my life is feeling a bit glitchy.  It is not that my life is bad.  It is just not working at well as it should.  Some of my priorities are being dropped consistently.  I do not feel I am being as effective as can be and should be.  This may mean I need to eliminate something in favor of adding others things.  The process will be difficult but I think very necessary.

How about you?  Are you accomplishing the important things in your life?  Should you consider doing a hard reset as well?  Whether or not you are going away for Spring Break, you have an opportunity to make some changes in your life.  Has attending worship been neglected in your schedule?  Have been missing that daily time in God’s Word?  Is your prayer life on the verge of being non-existent?  Do you need to restore some balance between work, home, family, and church?

I am not suggesting that you need to consider doing MORE.  In fact, when I do my hard reset, I going to do a brutal evaluation of EVERYTHING I am doing and how I use my time.  Each week we are given 168 hours to invest.  There is such thing as “saving time”, like we can money. When this day is gone, it will be gone for eternity.

One tool I am going to use it a simple goal setting worksheet I found at http://dotconnectorblog.com/wp-content/uploads/Weekly-Planner-Template.pdf.   Of course, I am adapting to my situation.  However, it does provide an opportunity to examine our various roles in life.  Easter is all about new life and new directions.  Why not let the power of resurrection to fuel some great and positive changes in your life?

See You Sunday,Mike

Change a life...invite someone to worship with YOU!

If you missed “I Love My Church” Sunday, then you really missed a great time of celebration. Guy Louks and Dave Nance shared great testimonies of why they love Crossroads. Sue Huff did a wonderful job of coordinating the fellowship dinner. It was such a success that I am planning on making an annual Crossroads tradition for the last Sunday in February.


Another Crossroads tradition is our annual special offering on Easter Sunday. This year we are doing things a little different than the normal. As part of our stewardship strategy, the leadership team has committed that half of the offering will be used for debt reduction. With a goal of $20,000, that would mean that we would pay $10,000 directly on the principal of our mortgage. The impact of such a payment would be tremendous in terms of both saving us interest and shortening the length of the loan.

The other half of the offering is committed to several items. The first $5,000 would be used to replenish our emergency fund. Having such a fund is critical to our financial structure. We don’t want to come to the congregation for funds to deal with an unexpected breakdown or repair expense. We will use the remaining funds to catch up some commitments from last year as well as make some investments in the worship ministry.

Last year, God blessed us outrageously through you and provided the funds to purchase and install the new sign. We have already seen results from that investment. Please pray that God works through His people again and we are able celebrate another great outpouring of generosity. I hope you have already decided on what you will “sacrifice” in order to give to this offering. These gifts need to be over and above your regular tithing and giving to Crossroads. Remember we will be actually “passing the plate” to receive this offering so you cannot give through the online method.

Finally, now is a great time to invite your neighbors, family, and friends to join us for Easter Sunday. We are planning a great time of worship and honoring our resurrected Savior and Lord. Share an invitation with someone today. You might just change their life!

See You Sunday,

Mike

Church Membership Matters

The leadership team and I have been studying and discussing prayerfully the Biblical concept of church membership. There are some, I know, who do not believe that there is a Scriptural basis for church membership. There was a time early in the Church’s history that membership was not really an issue. When there was only ONE CHURCH, everyone who was a believer would have been assumed a member of the local body of believers.


Today, the situation is quite different. Denominations number in the hundreds and even within those are hundreds of small groups and divisions. The term, “Christian” can mean various things. Many young people are refusing the label completely. Some congregations have abandoned the whole idea of membership. They simply consider anyone who attends to be a member.

We have always considered church membership at Crossroads Christian Church to be a covenant relationship between the congregation, as whole, and the member, as an individual. Those seeking membership have been required to sign a written membership covenant. We do this because we want there to be clarity about what we expect from members and what they can expect from us, as a congregation. We also realize that we are all imperfect sinners living in an imperfect world.

However, since it is our vision to be a place of genuine community, we must have a recognized body of believers with whom we are building community. Community requires that we hold each other accountable, develop a sense of belonging, and provide care for one another. This cannot be done unless we know who is a member.

It is important for the body of Christ to be a light in the community through the individual congregations. In order to properly shepherd the members of Christ’s Church, and maintain a God-honoring witness in our neighborhood, the elders and I are completely reviewing and rewriting our membership policy. This is not an easy task because it requires balancing the tension between grace and accountability.

The elders have also developed shepherding structure that assigns every member of the church an elder-shepherd. They will be contacting you over the next few weeks to discuss any concerns or ideas you may have. I hope you are all making plans to attend “I love my Church” Sunday on February 24th. This is going to be a great celebration of our church.

See You Sunday!
Mike

I Love My Church!

At a recent meeting of our ministry coordinators, I passed out index cards and ask them to respond to a question. Why do you love Crossroads? As you can imagine there was a variety of responses ranging from the relationships to the focus on the Word of God. The reason I did this is that February 24th is “I Love My Church” Sunday. We are devoting that entire service to celebrating Crossroads Christian Church and why we love her. We will preach on what it means to be a member of the church. We will be asking all of our members to sign the latest version of our membership covenant.

This will also be a great occasion for those who have been thinking about becoming members. We will be providing opportunities for those who need to be immersed to do so, either privately or with others. It will also be a great time for those who have been “missing in action” as members to get back involved. The elders are currently fine tuning our membership policy which we will also share on the day.

After the service, we are going to be sharing in an old fashion fellowship dinner. Fried chicken will be provided by the church. Everyone is asked to bring something to share at the meal. Sue Huff has graciously agreed to coordinate the dinner for us. Contact her to let her know what you would like to bring or find out what you could bring. (765-412-2409/huffbasket@yahoo.com).

If you have any questions, or would like to arrange a time to be immersed, feel free to contact me anytime (765-532-3996/mikejduff@crossroadschristianchurch.net). You can also speak to one of the elders as well.
See You Sunday,
Mike

Important Updates

I ran into someone the other day and they asked me how the church was doing. Without giving it much thought, I answered “We are healthy”. For me, that was the best description I could give. That is not to say that we still do not face some serious challenges, and struggles. I believe, though, we are healthier than we have ever been and better equipped to deal with them. As a church, we have an overall sense that God is doing something special in our congregation to reach lost people in our community.

Not all churches share this view. In a recent survey of 1,000 church attenders, respondents were asked, “Why does the church exist?” According to 89 percent, the church’s purpose was “to take care of my family’s and my spiritual needs.” Only 11 percent said the purpose of the church is “to win the world for Jesus Christ.” I believe that most of our members understand that we are here to connect lost people with God through Jesus Christ.

We do have our share of challenges. Even those challenges have provided more evidence of how health we are as a congregation. For example, we are able to handle changes without experiencing a lot of the emotional upheaval we once did. We no longer see change as an enemy but the natural result of accomplishing our mission. Just recently we had a change in our staff with the departure of Raf Caudillo and Guy Louks taking over as our part-time student minister. I could not have asked for a more seamless transition in the ministry, with no loss of enthusiasm.

Another challenge we face today is keeping up-to-date with current law in regard to churches. We are working with StartChurch to bring us into compliance. We have already accomplished the first step of being incorporated. It will not actually affect you, as members, but it will provide us the proper framework legally. The next step is to do a complete rewrite of our constitution and by-laws. Most of the changes are needed in order for us to be in compliance with government requirements and to protect us from being targeted by the government.

Take the case of gay marriage. With the President making it a priority of his final term, the likelihood of it becoming a reality nationwide is quite possible. We need to include in our constitution the authority for us to refuse any use of the facilities to anyone if it violates our established doctrines and values. Without it, we could be sued for discrimination under federal law.

I realize that this is a BIG undertaking. Making changes in this document is a process that needs to be well thought out and carefully worded. We are still in the preliminary stages of this process. Dave Nance and I are working with StartChurch on a draft that we will be submitting to the Leadership team for review. Once we have the document completed, we will have a series of meetings with members to review, discuss, and revise as needed. The final draft will have to be approved by a vote of the entire congregation.

A parallel process is the leadership team considering a new membership policy. Not only is one needed as a companion to the new constitution and by-laws, but we need to update it to address some situations. For example, what role does one’s attendance play in being a member of this congregation? The elders have divided up the membership into shepherding groups. They will be contacting those in their group to introduce themselves and discuss any concerns.

In closing, I would ask you to begin praying for our Easter offering this year. Our goal is $20,000. Regardless of how much we receive, half will go immediately on our mortgage. The other half will be used to replenish our emergency fund and general fund. As you are well aware, the economy continues to struggle. This has impacted our finances as well. We are operating week to week, offering to offering. These funds will allow us to regain a positive cash-flow and stability.

See You Sunday,
Mike

My Brother's Keeper Sunday

In the past election, the economy was a huge factor. We realize that things are difficult for everyone financially. This is why we deeply appreciate the financial support you share with Crossroads on a regular basis. It has always been our commitment to use your dollars in the most effective way possible. We watch the expenses closely and look to get the best value we can.


As most of you know, we provide Financial Peace University on a regular basis. I believe in the program and in the principles that Dave Ramsey teaches. The leadership team has based our stewardship strategy on those principles. We remain dedicated to that strategy. In keeping with that strategy, we have made the following decisions.

1) We have cut staff salaries by $120 per week. It is not something we wanted to do, but the circumstances demanded it. We appreciate the staff and all the hard work they do. They have always gone above and beyond what we have expected.

2) We have indefinitely suspended doing the 3% for debt reduction. Given the current economic situation, we felt that we should be focused on funding our current programing and making our regular mortgage payment. Over one thousand dollars ($1000) of each offering goes just to cover the mortgage payment. The leadership team is still dedicated to reducing our debt. We will be discussing and proposing some future changes to our stewardship strategy in regard to it.

As difficult and challenging as things are financially for us as a congregation, they are even more so for those in our community who are poor. While you and I can financially “tighten our belts”, those who are less fortunate struggle for food, paying basic utilities, and even having gas in their car to go to work. This is where our benevolence ministry “My Brother’s Keeper” is desperately needed.

MBK is funded in several ways. First, it is funded through the two garage sales we have every year. Many of you have generously donated of your time and items for the sales. We also fund it through using the PayLess gift cards. Three percent (3%) of what you put on the card before you shop is donated to the ministry. You can use the gift card to buy groceries and even pay for gas as well.

Another way you can help MBK is to utilize their other program for purchasing gift cards for many popular restaurants and retail stores. These make great Christmas gifts and a percentage of price is given back to help those in need. For example, if you purchase ten $5 Starbucks cards, 10% of your $50 would be given to MBK. See Becky Holladay or Stacy Tilton for a list of merchants that participate in the program or use this link https://www.glscrip.com/downloads/2012giftguides/holiday_gift_guide1.pdf

The final way that we fund My Brother’s Keeper is through the second of our two annual special offerings. On November 18th, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we will be taking up a special offering and ALL funds received will go to MBK. Remember this is a SPECIAL offering and should be “over and above” your regular tithing and giving to the church. It will NOT include any funds given online through our e-Give system. That means that you must come prepared to give either by a check or cash on that Sunday.

Please pray about this, and seek God’s direction. You folks blew my mind with the record special offering on Easter. I know that even in difficult times, God is still in control. Let your thankfulness and generosity be expressed as you consider how much you should give. As you do that, know this, that the funds you allow God to provide through you will make the difference in someone’s life. It will allow MBK to be the answer to a desperate person’s prayer for assistance.

See You Sunday,
Mike

Important Decisions

Here I am again, trying to establish the practice of blogging. If at first you don’t succeed, try again, again, and again I guess. I feel that the need to open up this important line of communication with members and friends of Crossroads. I hope that it can be an avenue for discussion and greater understanding.

 Things around here are moving fast. We are already in the midst of our Fall programing. This month is filled with lots of events for both families and individuals. I will not mention everything that is going on, so please check the church website for full list of what’s going on.

 We are really focusing on keep the website current. Sunday, we had our very first “official” meeting of our newly expanded eldership. I am really excited with the current make up of our leadership team. Each person brings a unique and valuable prospective to the table. As usually, we had some important decisions that we needed to make.

 Dave Nance and I reported on a seminar we attended in Indianapolis on church compliance with the legal requirements of government. It was, as I anticipated, an eye opening experience for both of us. Basically, we learned that the government at all levels is looking very closely a churches and non-profits to see if they can get some revenue. As far as the federal government, they have created lots of new laws that we need to comply with or face fines, assessments, and even possible revocation of our non-profit status. This could mean that our members would no longer be able to claim their tithes and offerings on their taxes. In other words, these matters are serious issues that must be properly addressed.

 In order to bring our congregation into full compliance with current law, the elders have made three important decisions I want you to be aware of. First off, the leadership unanimously decided to engage the services of StartChurch to assist us through this entire process of reviewing and updating our structure and processes. StartChurch is a company dedicated to helping churches deal with the increased scrutiny by the IRS. With over 12 years of extensively researching the laws that govern religious and non-profit organizations, they have compiled over 80 effective and user friendly manuals, using simple day-to-day language, and compliance software that makes church starts and management easier.

 We have contracted with them to help us do a full audit of all our internal and financial processes, to incorporate our congregation, to update our constitution and by-laws, and resubmit our non-profit and tax exempt status to the state and federal governments. It will take the better part of year to complete this process. We will do our best to keep you informed as it goes forward. It is an expensive, but absolutely necessary process.

 The second important decision dealt with our associate minister Dave Nance. Those of you who have been around here a while know the background. Dave has been an integral part of Crossroads for nearly a decade. He was our first paid student minister. A few years ago, Dave began internship with me preparing him for ordination. This included both practical coaching as well as intensive study program. We were extremely proud to ordain him as an evangelist and minister of the gospel.

 I cannot tell how much I appreciate Dave’s work as our associate minister. He has been my right hand in the ministry here. The only difficulty has been that there is no provision for an unpaid associate minister in our structure or leadership. Dave has always been a voice on the leadership team, without an official seat at the table. We needed to correct this.

 The leadership team unanimously decided to appoint Dave Nance to immediately begin serving as an elder of Crossroads until the December congregational meeting. At that meeting, we will vote on Dave as a congregation. I have no doubt that he will serve this congregation well in that capacity. Please keep him in your prayers as his responsibilities shift.

 The third decision that was made in the meeting was the selection of a chairman. In the past, our leadership team was not formally structured with an official chairman. One of the lessons learned from the StartChurch conference was legal importance of such a structure, and need for such a position. This position is even more important now as we move forward in this process.

 The leadership team unanimously determined that Dave Nance would be the best person to serve as our chairman this year. There were a number of reasons for this. One, he attended the seminar and is already up to speed on the process of review with StartChurch. Two, he is a detailed, high organized individual. Working through this process is going to require such person to keep it on track. Finally, Dave will have the time and availability to communicate and coordinate this process with StartChurch. He and I will continue to work closely with each other. The leadership team will also be greatly involved in this whole process as well.

 As members of Crossroads, your participation in this process is going to be vital. We will keep you updated as things progress. I am certain that we will have some special congregational meetings to properly approve any changes made to our existing structural documents. I am equally certain that this audit and review is going to make us a better church as well as legally compliant with current law.

 I want to close by encouraging you to consider your financial support of Crossroads. We are currently running nearly two hundred dollars behind our approved budget each week. Unless we see a significant increase in support these final months of the year, this shortfall will have to be reflected in next year’s budget.

 If you have not signed up for e-give yet, please do so. The link can be found at crossroadschristianchurch.net If you need any assistance, ask Stephanie Guinn. She will be happy to help you. Try it, and I think you will like it. Even if you only use it to give a onetime gift, it will be greatly appreciated at this time.

 I also ask for you to remember the leadership and the staff in your daily prayers. We live in exciting and challenging times. The key is going to be leaders guided by God's guidance and wisdom.

See You Sunday!
Mike

Discipleship Strategy 2012

Dear Members of Crossroads Christian Church,

Crossroads is being transformed by God into a more effective tool for His Kingdom. This process is going to require significant changes to the way we do things and how we define membership. We have determined that we need to better clarify our mission and align our discipleship strategy with it.

We need a simpler and more direct strategy for making fully developed disciples. Every member and every convert should know HOW Crossroads does discipleship. For example if you had a friend or family member accept Jesus Christ, what would you tell them to do FIRST after being baptized?

To that end, it has been decided that after Sunday, February 26th, Crossroads will no longer have traditional Sunday school. This decision was not made lightly. Back in 2006, the leadership team formed a group tasked with doing an in-depth study of small groups. It was the unanimous recommendation of that group that we transition to small groups. It is time to make that transition complete.

Beginning with the first Sunday in March we will be concentrating all our efforts on making our worship experience awesomely inspiring to believers and compelling the lost. It will begin with what we are calling "Open Connection" at 9:30am. This will be a time of open fellowship. There will be pastries and coffee. Our children's area will be open to provide fun childcare while their parents mingle and talk.

During the month of March, we will be retooling our small group structure and recruiting facilitators and/or host locations. Our intention is to launch our new groups on Easter Sunday. They will meet on a weekly basis. It will be important for every member to be a part of a small group. The curriculum will be carefully selected to challenge each of us to be transformed more like Christ.

Joining a small group will be the NEXT step in our discipleship strategy. When someone comes to Christ, they will be encouraged to commit to a small group. The group curriculum will help them grow in their spiritual walk. The relationships they develop will encourage them to remain strong.

One of the main objectives of each group will be to challenge members to serve. This is the NEXT step in our strategy. We want everyone to be involved in ministry. Our ministry teams are the critical element at this point in the process. It is through serving that we begin to find our purpose in the body of Christ.

The FINAL step in our discipleship strategy will be to develop a greater personal sense of God's Great Commission. Each of us is called to making disciples in our own way. Our intention is to facilitate members being involved in a variety of mission opportunities locally, nationally, and cross-culturally. This will hopefully sensitize their hearts for the lost and lead them to guide others to Jesus Christ.

There are many details yet to be worked out. However, we wanted to keep everyone informed as these changes develop. As always, your input is greatly appreciated, as is your prayers.

The leadership Team
Ron Holladay, Fred Townsend, Troy Yeoman, Dave Nance, Michael Duff

Thanksgiving Surprises

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. My wife and I were invited to the home of my son's new in-laws. They were were very gracious hosts and we felt quite welcome. We enjoyed getting to know them and had a great time.

The highlight was my son and his new bride announcing that she is pregnant. Having just been married in October, they obviously did not waste any time. They are going on their official honeymoon at the end of December. Please keep both Mitch and Melissa in your prayers and ask God for an uneventful pregnancy along with a healthy baby.

As most of you know, the Sunday before Thanksgiving is designed as My Brother's Keeper Sunday. On that day, we take up our special offering for our benevolence ministry. This year we received over $4400 to help those in need. Given the state of our economy and our own financial difficulties as a congregation, this is truly a testament to the graciousness of God working through His people.

This is just the beginning of what I know God is going to do through My Brother's Keeper. With a new team of people, the ministry will grow and touch even more lives than it already has.

Transformation or Degradation

My wife reminded me that Sunday (first Sunday in October)was my tenth anniversary as the preacher of Crossroads. Whether you see that as a good thing or a bad thing depends on your prospective I guess. For me personally, it has prompted some deep introspection. It is not that I don't have regrets because I do. If you have ever tried to do anything worthwhile for God, you will make your share of mistakes. The secret is to learn from them, not dwell in them. The source of my personal reflection is that I have been long enough to see the long term results of my labors.

I continue to be amazed by the transformation God has brought about in the lives of some of our members. I am equally concerned when I see that some people have not grown at all in nearly ten years. I wonder what can we do as a congregation to inspire more transformation in the lives of individuals. The business axiom "the system you have is perfectly designed to produce the results you are getting" keeps coming the mind.

I am researching this subject and praying that God will open my eyes to areas where we can improve. It may be that we need to totally rethink our whole structure. At this point, I am open to suggestions and invite your comments.

Changes Coming to My Brother's Keeper

In the month of November, we will be receiving our second special offering of the year for our benevolence ministry, My Brother's Keeper. We celebrate the ministry and receive the offering on the Sunday before Thanksgiving (November 20th). In its brief history, you have exceptionally embraced this ministry, as a congregation. Your contributions have helped many families in need. You have been faithfully using your PayLess gift cards, as well as participating in our two garage sales.

There are two important changes being made in the ministry. The first is that I will be turning over the primary responsibility for MBK to a team of members. The team will be headed up by Mark Gosney, who did an outstanding job serving on our management team. He will be working with Tonya Grimm, Becky Holladay, Stacy Tilton, and Jeff Parks.

I am excited by this change for a number of reasons. First and foremost, these folks are very connected to the community around our church. They know the needs of the families in our neighborhood. They are also very creative and resourceful individuals who will be able to grow the ministry.

The second change is that the ministry will now be handling all of our benevolence needs for members and non-members. It is more efficient to have one system dealing with this type of need than two separate systems. This will mean that MBK will need to develop additional revenue streams to cover its expanded responsibilities. Look for new opportunities to support this key ministry.

However, by far, our special Thanksgiving offering is the single greatest source of revenue for MBK. Please keep this offering in your prayers. I fully realize that these are challenging financial times for all of us. We need to remember that we serve a great God who is bigger than our present difficulties. Keep in mind that what you give needs to be over and above your weekly tithe or offering. I encourage you to think of something you can do or not do in order to give generously to this offering.

Our Stewardship Strategy

At Crossroads, we have a comprehensive strategy when it comes to stewardship. It is comprised of four (4) key elements. Each element is critical to the overall success of our congregation financially.

The first element is that we, as a congregation, tithe of our income. Ten percent (10%) of every dollar we receive in our general offerings goes into a separate checking account to be distributed by the missions team. The purpose for this is simply to honor God as the source of all our resources.

We also want encourage all of our members to be tithers as well. While this would obviously bless the church, the greater benefit would be to the individual member. If you are not currently tithing, it will take you to a whole new level spiritually speaking as well as financially.

The second element of our strategy is debt reduction. The wise leadership of the past has provided us wonderful facilities with a manageable amount of debt. Our current mortgage balance is around $480,000. While we have always made our payments, we feel strongly that we need to pay off this debt as quickly as financially feasible.

To that end, we have committed three percent (3%) of every general fund offering to reduce the principal balance of our mortgage. This might not seem to be a big amount, but every dollar paid now saves us a great amount of interest over the length of the loan. Coupled with that commitment is our pledge to never borrow money to pay operational expenses. This is why we have an emergency fund set aside to handle unexpected expenses.

The third element of our strategy is prioritized spending. Our annual budget is divided into two (2) sections. The first section is essential expenses. These are the basic necessary expenditures of the church. These include such things as insurance, mortgage, utilities, and staff salaries. These are fixed expenses that really must be paid.

The second section is what we call discretionary expenses. These are resources we give our ministry coordinators to carry out their individual ministry. While they are somewhat flexible and less time sensitive, they are important. For example, teaching materials are a discretionary expense. Our coordinators work hard to get the greatest value they can out of each and every dollar spent.

The final element of our stewardship strategy is radical generosity. Twice a year, we provide any opportunity to outrageously give to God through a special Sunday offering. Our first special offering of the year is taken on Easter Sunday. This is dedicated to special purpose or project. This year's offering was used to replace our outside playground equipment. We received over $12,000 on that day.

The second special offering is taken on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. All the funds received go into our benevolence ministry called "My Brother's Keeper". These funds are combined with proceeds from our garage sales and the Pay Less gift card program to help those with financial needs. We have expanded the program to provide assistance to both non-members and members of Crossroads.

Just like the legs of a table, these four elements provide a solid foundation for our stewardship. However every member of Crossroads has a critical role to play. Unless everyone does their best to become effective stewards of what God has given them, we will not have the proper amount of resources to operate effectively. We have provided tools to help you manage your giving to the church. One of those tools is online access to your giving record. Once you enroll, you can check your giving at anytime, print a statement, and even set up automatic drafting of your giving.

I especially like this feature of online giving and highly recommend it. Never again do I have to remember to write out a check before leaving for church. All I had to do was set up how much I wanted to give and how often I wanted to give it. Dave Ramsey calls this "automated discipline". It also benefits the church as well because there is no paper check to mess with and take to bank. My giving record is updated automatically and the funds instantly available to be used.

If you ever have a question about your giving, contact Stephanie Guinn. If you have any questions about our stewardship strategy, feel free to ask me or one of the elders.

Laying on of Hands

A few Sundays ago, I had the privilege of ordaining three men as elders of Crossroads Christian Church. To my knowledge, this is the first time any elders have been actually ordained by our church. Some of you may be wondering why this is. Fundamentally, the answer is this is what the Bible teaches we ought to do. God, in His wisdom, created a form of church government that provides a "check and balance" system between the elders and the evangelist. In His structure, the evangelist ordains the elders of the church. This insures that the elders are Biblically qualified and not just popular men in the church.

The evangelist is also the person to whom accusations against elders are taken. This is why Paul warns the evangelist Timothy, "Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning." (1 Timothy 5:19-20) This kind of accountability is vital to a healthy church.

We will be having another "first" here at Crossroads the last Sunday of this month. Our new elders will be ordaining David Nance as an evangelist. He has been working with me for last two years as well as doing in-depth Biblical studies. This is an important moment in development in a congregation.

Please be in prayer for all these men as God uses them to grow his kingdom.

What's happening!

I have often said that when I preach my sermon, it is as much for me as anyone. Lately I have been clinging to the concept that God is in control of everything. My life has been a bit crazy, to say the least.

Let me organize this by age. My oldest son, Mitchell, is getting married in October. His wife to be is a wonderful woman and we could not be happier for them. However, as those of you who have married off a child know, this event requires some planning. Even the father of the Groom has responsibilities.

My second son, Miles, decided back in July that life would be much happier living in Tennessee. When we went down for vacation, he stayed on. It has been difficult finding a job, but he has one now. The next step is finding an apartment he can afford that allows pets. His dog is starting to get on my nerves.

Our daughter, Megan, is going to graduate school in Connecticut. She is a brave independent soul. It is the best school for what she wants to study. Of course I have to make arrangements to get her home for the wedding next month.

If nothing else, this is going to be an interesting year both personally and professionally. I trust that God has a handle on it, even when I feel like I am losing my grip.

Congregational Meeting Results

Yesterday we had the first of our two annual meetings. All of the candidates for elder and ministry coordinator were approved. We will be doing the ordination of the elders on September 11th, rather than the next Sunday since it is a holiday weekend.

One thing that was mentioned by several of the ministry coordinators at the meeting was the need for more volunteers to serve in their ministries. From seniors to children, we need more people to get involved in ministry. There is always an opportunity to serve available at Crossroads. If you are not actively serving now, let me know, and I will give some suggestions.

I am hoping that we will see more folks in church now that summer is over and school is back in session. We have had a great number of guests each Sunday, but our some of our members have been missing. Some of this has been vacations and such. Some of it has been by neglect. If you have missed church, you have been missing some great stuff.

I want to commend Dawn Nance and the worship arts ministry for their dedication and hard work. I have really enjoyed the services, especially the new music blended with the old hymns. I continue to hear lots of compliments from guests about the quality of our services.

A few weeks ago, we highlighted our children’s ministries in the morning service. MaryAnne Duff is currently serving as our children’s minister. She oversees our Kidmo, Little K, and Special K programs as well as nursery. She is currently looking for someone to direct the nursery program. If you are interested in either serving in or leading the nursery ministry, contact her (maryanneduff@hotmail.com 532-1303).

Finally, on Sunday, September 25th, we will be ordaining our first “Timothy”. Dave Nance will have completed his formal internship with our congregation. He and I have been working closely both on his educational development as well as professional development. Scott Thatcher who served as an elder here, will be returning to participate in this important event.

Dave plans to continue serving as associate minister on a volunteer basis. We will be looking around though, for an opportunity for him to serve as an interim minister somewhere in community in order to get him some experience on his own. He has blessed our congregation immensely through his ministry as both Student minister and associate minister. Please make every effort to be there to support him in this important achievement.

What's been happpening!

It seems like forever since I posted a new blog. The reason is that it has been a very long time. I must confess that blogging has not been high on my priority list. Lots has been going and is still going on. Having said that, however, I have decided that I am going to post every Monday from now on. Lord willing!

I know the departure of Tyler from our staff in one subject that I have not really addressed. His reasons are his own so I won’t comment on them. What I will say is that Crossroads was blessed to have him serving with us. I can only hope that he and Torie have been equally blessed by their time ministry here. I know that we all pray that God uses them in whatever congregation they choose to serve.

With Tyler’s departure, the management team hired MaryAnne Duff to serve as our children’s minister and Raf Caudillo as our student minister. Both are part-time positions and cost us less than half of what we were planning on paying Tyler to continue with us. This is a needed savings since our offerings are still falling consistently below our projected budget.

I am really pleased that we are now able to offer our members both online access to their giving records, and the ability to give online. I have personally set up my tithing online. It helps me to more disciplined and consistent. I don’t have to think about writing a check.

I cannot encourage you enough to sign up for this service. It makes life a lot easier for our financial secretary, Stephanie Guinn. She would have less cash and checks to deal with on any given Sunday. Even if you don’t have internet access, you can still give online. Just fill out the form in the brochure and give it to Stephanie.

There are several very exciting events coming up in the next few months. First, we will be ordaining our new elders on Sunday, September 4th, along with our ministry team coordinators. It has been a while since we have had elders. It will be good to have them again. The three men who are nominated are Ron Holladay, Fred Townsend, and Troy Yeoman. They have my full support.

Another exciting event is opening of the film, “Courageous” here in Lafayette on Friday, September 30th. This is a great film that will both entertain and inspire you. We are planning on making an evening of it. We will be providing childcare at the church.

Finally, we will gathering with the Elmwood Church of Christ, First Christian Church, and West Lafayette Christian Church for a joint worship service at the Long Center. Ever since we began doing this with the Great Communion two years ago, it has been a tremendous time of sharing and worship. It is my honor to bring the message this year.

I am excited about where Crossroads is headed. We have a great staff, a new leadership, and a very engaged team of ministry coordinators. Please be praying that God will continue to bless our congregation as we seek to do His Will.