Creating new markets

We had a mini-invasion at Crossroads last Sunday: lots of white shirts advertising “65,000. I was one.” Here’s your official decoder ring solution. 65,000 is our estimate of the number of people within 30 minutes of Crossroads who either don’t know about Christ or do not attend church. The “I was one” part is pretty exciting decoding because each person baptized this last Sunday wore one of those shirts – 22 in all. We’re celebrating because the 65,000 dropped just a bit last week!

We also know there are still many, many people around us who don’t yet know what it’s like to live life with Christ. So we keep working on creating irresistable environments that will help people take a next step to Christ.

A new environment ready to launch at Crossroads next month is Kid Fusion and I think it is poised to create a new market. Kid Fusion is a shared family worship experience that is offered, not as a drop-off environment, but as a parents-and-children-together weekly event. We’re thinking that parents want to spend more time with their children. We’re also thinking that parents want to be better equipped to teach their children. Kid Fusion will help on both counts.

We’ve also looked around and don’t see much evidence that this type of strategy already exists in our community.  Launch is September 17. Stay tuned for the box scores shortly afterwards!

Sight unseen

We offered our CLASS 101 last Sunday – an introduction to Crossroads Church and an invitation to join. The predictable things were…predictably present:

• Over 50 people attended.
• 20 pizzas disappeared in less than 5 serving minutes (and not a teen to be seen).
• Scott Winstead, our Senior Pastor, co-led the sessions.
• We heard many emotional stories of life transformation.

One item really surprised me. Two people have been attending Crossroads Church for 3 weeks or less. That means they’ve never heard Scott teach on Sundays…maybe hadn’t even seen him until Sunday’s CLASS 101 since Scott is on a vacation and planning break until September.

I thought, “This really says lots about how well everyone serving and attending at Crossroads communicates our vision and our mission. These two are intrigued enough to find out more about our church and they don’t have a clue about our Senior Pastor.” It made me want to get up on the main stage this coming Sunday and cheer the whole church on. Great job!

Come in, go out, or both?

I received a great call from someone at Crossroads, wondering about a balance between inviting people in to Crossroads vs. taking Crossroads (and Christ) out to people.

It’s true that whenever one of us is out in the community, our neighborhood, at work, etc. that we’re taking Christ (and Crossroads) out with us. What my caller and I wonder about is the impact of Crossroads formally going out in Christ’s name beyond our Sunday front doors. Many church families do this on a routine basis. I like to call them community mission trips…events located close enough to be reached and finished in a day or less.

I’ll say this: as we explore more of the going out, I think we’ll enhance the coming in.

Sign me up for that first community mission trip!!!

It was an unexpected welcome!

It’s August, and for dads with university students that can only mean another day of father-daughter bonding as a new apartment lease is signed and we tackle the move.

We loaded things up from the old apartment and took a 10 minute drive from south East Lansing to north East Lansing. When we rounded the last corner to approach the new apartment complex drive I began to see just why this complex had such enthusiastic student recommendations. Several inflated “Sparties” pointed the way to the registration center (it is MSU, after all!). We parked under a large sign that announced “We Love Our Residents!” Two tents were shading a complementary hamburger/hot dog grilling buffet complete with all the sides and trimmings.

On our way to registration, we were offered cold bottled water, directions, and a promise of fresh fruit and donuts inside. Each staffer smiled, and seemed genuinely glad to help us.

Within 2 minutes of taking our first load into the apartment, another staffer came by, clip board in hand, asking us if anything needed attention in the apartment. She left, just after pointing out cold bottled water in the fridge and complementary snacks on the countertop.

I was impressed. I was ready to lease an apartment there after how they treated us. It was an unexpected welcome and one that we’re working hard to present to visitors, guests, and regular attenders alike when they come to Crossroads Community Church.