Articles for tag: Crossroads Christian Church

December 1, 2012

Christian Standard

ICOM 2012: Radical . . . Again

By Dave Butts “Radical . . . Again.” The theme for the 2012 International Conference on Missions (ICOM) November 15-18, was more than a clever title pulled from a popular Christian book. It was an apt description of a conference committed to challenging Christians to meet the needs of an increasingly desperate world in every way possible. Preaching, workshops, worship, exhibits, and service projects combined to call those thousands who attended to deeper levels of global impacting discipleship. It was appropriate the inaugural meeting of ICOM, formerly the National Missionary Convention, was in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Convention Center is always

September 25, 2012

Christian Standard

Don”t Ignore Your Debt, Eliminate It!

By Barry L. Cameron In December 1999, my family decided to do something about our finances. We were fed up with money problems and bothered by endless bills and perennial payments on stuff that was falling apart, in need of repair, or already in a landfill. We didn”t go to a financial planner, nor did we mine the endless array of financial resources available. We went back to the Word of God. We figured the One who created everything and owns everything could give us the guidance we needed to clear up our financial mess. Early on, I found a

August 8, 2012

Christian Standard

Church Outreach Extends to Self-Service Laundries

By Jennifer Taylor Once a month, volunteers from Crossroads Christian Church (Lexington, KY) serve others. But instead of washing feet, they”re washing clothes. Brent Barger, outward focus lead pastor at the church, started Crossroads” “Laundry Love” outreach after successfully implementing it at a church plant in northern Ohio. “It”s simple,” he says. “We visit a local self-service laundry on a Saturday morning and do people”s laundry for free.” Each volunteer has a specific assignment, from welcoming customers to keeping track of each person”s laundry to roaming the room with rolls of quarters. They don”t load laundry into the machines””most of

May 17, 2012

Christian Standard

A Call for Passionate Commitment

By Kent E. Fillinger Crossroads Christian Church (Corona, California), has grown from 5,400 to more than 8,400 in average worship attendance during Chuck Booher”s first four years, with annual growth rates of 17 to 21 percent. Beyond that, Crossroads has had the best baptism ratio among megachurches for three consecutive years. Last year, Crossroads baptized people at twice the rate of the average megachurch, based on the number of baptisms per 100 people in attendance. Booher quickly identified the biggest contributor to this recent growth surge as the conscious shift from a “seeker sensitive” approach to a call for passionate

May 15, 2012

Christian Standard

Megachurches: The 2011 List

Our annual megachurch chart is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s most popular features. This year there are more than 100 churches listed as megachurches (those with 2,000 or more in weekly attendance) or emerging megachurches (those with average attendance of 1,000 to 1,999). Click here to look at the chart of the 2011 Megachurches and Emerging Megachuches.

July 14, 2011

Christian Standard

Solomon Foundation Offering Church Loans

By Jennifer Taylor The Solomon Foundation, a new church extension fund for the Christian churches and churches of Christ, launched several months ago with headquarters in Englewood, CO. Doug Crozier, formerly president of Church Development Fund (Irvine, CA), serves as chief executive officer of the new organization. Crossroads Christian Church (Grand Prairie, TX) and Christ”s Church of the Valley (Peoria, AZ) worked with Crozier and his team to fund the development and launch of the foundation. Leaders from Mount Pleasant Christian Church (Greenwood, IN), Real Life Ministries (Post Falls, ID), The Crossing (Quincy, IL), and Churchill Meadows Christian Church (Toronto,

May 5, 2011

Christian Standard

Operation Weatherization

By Jennifer Taylor Since February, Crossroads Christian Church (Newburgh, Indiana) has worked with Habitat for Humanity and local organizations to pilot an energy conservation project for urban housing. The “mission” included weatherizing dozens of homes to reduce energy costs for low-income families. Volunteers caulked and foamed cracks, replaced furnace filters, added attic insulation, and more. CCC coordinated serving days from February through May and provided training for all participants. www.crossroadschristian.com ________________ Jennifer Taylor, one of Christian Standard’s contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Read her blog at www.christianstandard.com. Do you know of a church breaking new ground or leading innovative

December 30, 2010

Christian Standard

New Members Light Candles

This past Sunday, Crossroads Christian Church (Newburgh, IN) celebrated the year and encouraged new decisions for Christ. After covering the stage in the worship center with unlit candles, church leaders invited all those who had become a Christian or a CCC member over the last year to come forward and light one of the candles. At the end of his sermon, senior pastor Ken Idleman extended an invitation for anyone who wanted to make one of those decisions that morning to also come forward and light a candle.

December 13, 2010

Christian Standard

Church on Tour

By Jennifer Taylor Crossroads Christian Church (Newburgh, Indiana) encourages its thousands of members to participate in churchwide outreach events, volunteer with ministry partners like Habitat for Humanity, and attend seminars on generational poverty, evangelism, and more. But Eric Cummings, community outreach pastor at Crossroads, says the church”s “inner-city van tours” are the most valuable educational tool they”ve developed. Each month, 10-12 adults participate in the two-hour experience, seeing the reality of crime, poverty, and homelessness while also stopping at many of the schools, government agencies, and ministries working to help the city”s residents. “We don”t get out of the van,

November 24, 2010

Christian Standard

More Stories About “˜Just One” Sunday

Churches continue to share stories about their “Just One” Sunday. In addition to joining with other participating churches in praying for more laborers for the harvest, Crossroads Christian Church (Newburgh, IN) also used the three weekends before the Nov. 14 emphasis to challenge every Christ follower in the church body to identify “Just One” person with whom they would build a relationship, share Jesus, and include in some expression of Christian community. CCC plans to continue this emphasis on making disciples and raising up Christian leaders throughout 2011. During its services that Sunday, Greencastle (IN) Christian Church displayed pictures of

November 5, 2010

Christian Standard

Marks of a Successful Discipler

By Rick Lowry Personal Life “¢ Models servanthood before group members. “¢ Is in the Word daily, along with being in prayer and practicing other spiritual disciplines. “¢ Feels a sense of personal spiritual growth and passes on that challenge toward growth to members of group. “¢ A spiritual leader outside the group meeting. “¢ Accountable in life to another spiritual leader outside the group. Passing on the Faith “¢ Prays for individuals in the group. “¢ Places a high priority on the group and the people in it. “¢ Is spiritually, emotionally, and relationally open to group members. “¢

November 3, 2010

Christian Standard

From the Served to the Servant

By Chuck Booher Recently, God called a very popular pastor from our staff to start a new church. When it was announced, our people responded with excitement and cheers. I was sure his departure would cause our attendance to plunge, but it didn”t. I think I know the reason why, and that”s what I want to tell you in this article. Basic Training As I came to the office today, I walked by 10 young adults on our campus picking up trash, pulling weeds, and trimming trees. I could not help but smile because they exuded joy in the midst

October 5, 2010

Christian Standard

“Nondenominational” Wins the Day!

By Mark A. Taylor “We in the Christian churches are radicals,” Marshall Leggett told a group gathered for the daylong Congress of Elders hosted at Central Christian Church, Carmel, Indiana, October 2. “We are radically congregationally governed.” In his closing session message, he expounded on a long list of answers to the question, “What”s RIGHT with us?” The freedom enjoyed by independent congregations in our nondenominational family was one of them. Leggett said, “I don”t know anyone who wants to change that.” Indeed, it would seem that churches from many different backgrounds are walking away from denominational labels, if not

April 25, 2010

Christian Standard

The Integrity Mirror

By Chuck Booher Once upon a time there was a pastor on staff at a church who became disheartened by the behavior of the senior pastor and the leadership team. The senior leader demeaned his employees, led by intimidation, and lacked integrity. The staff followed his example and also treated one another disrespectfully. While standing in front of the congregation, these leaders were loving and kind, but among themselves, they were mean and malicious. The disheartened pastor finally confronted the senior pastor and told him his behavior and the staff”s behavior were not Christlike. But instead of improving things, this

April 11, 2010

Christian Standard

Megachurches: Mega See, Mega Do

By Kent Fillinger What do “kiddie” pools, black T-shirts, towels, plastic trash bags, preaching, and prayer all have in common? Each of these items was a key part of a recent trend among 50 megachurches and emerging megachurches that resulted in 7,705 baptisms in 2009. Our churches are often referred to as the independent Christian churches, but it is also fitting to describe them as interdependent Christian churches. For years now, the megachurches and emerging megachurches have networked with one another to share resources and assist one another through various levels of growth. Many of these megachurches have also served as sounding

April 11, 2010

Christian Standard

Megachurches: A Closer Look at the Numbers

By Kent Fillinger What is “Average”? The 54 megachurches” average worship attendance: 4,314 The 60 emerging megachurches” average worship attendance: 1,400 All 114 churches” average attendance: 2,781 Fastest-Growing Churches One-Year Growth Rate: Real Life Christian, Clermont, FL, 65% Generations Christian, Trinity, FL, 51% Eastside Christian, Fullerton, CA, 39% Five-Year Total Growth Rate: Parkview Christian, Orland Park, IL, 127% Central Christian, Henderson, NV, 118% Real Life Ministries, Post Falls, ID, 93% Fastest-Growing Churches of the Decade: Savannah (GA) Christian, 286% Christ”s Church of the Valley, Peoria, AZ, 234% Southeast Christian, Parker, CO, 227% Fastest-Growing Since the First List in 1997: Christ”s

November 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Developing the Leadership Culture

By Glen Schneiders READ THE SIDEBAR: “Keys to Cultivating Leaders” Leadership development never happens accidentally. I learned this important lesson in the early years of our new church. I had a very young, inexperienced staff, and I found myself increasingly frustrated that they were not more assertive leaders. They were tentative at times, and at other moments were like bulls in a china shop. “Why don”t they just step up and lead?” I kept asking myself. One day as a staff member and I were making a hospital visit, it hit me. Actually, I made the visit while he was

November 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Keys to Cultivating Leaders

By Glen Schneiders READ THE MAIN ARTICLE: “Developing the Leadership Culture“     Don”t Shortcut the Selection Process for Potential Leaders You will pay in the long run for shortsighted personnel decisions (paid and unpaid). In the early days of church planting, the tendency is to fill slots with “warm bodies,” and often we have to do that. But as you do, assess which people have the capacity to lead. Don”t hand over control too quickly; it is much harder to reclaim it. David Cottrell puts it this way, If you hire tough, it will be a whole lot easier

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