Articles for tag: The Crossing

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

Considering Robert Coleman

By Jerry Harris Some people we cross paths with in life leave an indelible mark. Robert Coleman is such a person for me. A few years ago, I was part of a group of leaders who were preparing the speaking lineup for that year’s Exponential conference. The focus that year was on discipleship and its relationship to church planting. Jim Putman, a preacher whose life and ministry have been devoted to relational discipleship, was chosen as a featured speaker and also selected to help write that year’s accompanying book. He and Bobby Harrington were looking for a third person to

June 22, 2019

Church Life

SPOTLIGHT: The Crossing, Milton, Del.

A Strategy to Reach a ‘Dry and Weary Land’ By Justin Horey Every three years, the leadership team at The Crossing in Milton, Delaware, asks itself this question: “If the Lord allows us to minister here for three more years, what does he want us to focus on?” That question is part of a three-day planning retreat in which staff, elders, and key leaders prayerfully consider a strategic plan that will guide the church’s ministry. Senior minister Mark Magee has led The Crossing since June 1993, when he was just 25 years old. There were 40 people in attendance on

April 10, 2019

News & Updates

Pastor Donates Kidney to Church Member (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman A Christian church pastor in Virginia donated a kidney to a member of his church. James “Beaver” Terry, pastor of Belmont Christian Church in Christiansburg, Va., gave his kidney to church member Eric Nowlin, whose health was failing after years on dialysis, according to the Roanoke Times. Terry first considered donating his kidney to Nowlin while reading Bob Goff’s Everybody Always, which challenges Christians to help those in need—even if it means giving up one of your kidneys. The more Terry looked into the idea, the more things fell into place. A key factor was his blood type—A

July 20, 2018

Christian Living

Whatever It Takes

By L. Mackenzie I gawked at the preacher, raised my eyebrows, and asked, “You want a what onstage for the sermon?” He calmly looked at me, fingers interlaced, and replied, “A scapegoat. Oh, and a Passover lamb before Easter. See what you can find.” What was I to do at T-minus-four weeks? What rancher would be willing to lend us valuable and tame animals for a live broadcast in front of 10,000 people? So many things could go terribly wrong: the goat could dive into the crowd, the lamb might pee on power cords; things could explode. Do we have

April 26, 2018

Church & Ministry Church Growth

Seven Reasons Why Reporting Numbers Is Important

By Jerry Harris I’ve asked a few fellow megachurch pastors why they no longer submit numbers to Christian Standard’s annual report. The most common reason I have heard is a concern that either pride or a spirit of competition is connected with reporting average attendance and baptisms. I can understand that, but I would like to share some reasons why I think it’s extremely important for all churches to submit their statistics. 1. No matter our location or size, we are all on the same team. When our numbers go up, the kingdom is growing, and that is worth celebrating.

October 26, 2017

Letter from the Publisher

By Jerry Harris Many years ago, I took my immediate family to visit extended family in Maryland. I”m something of a history nut, so I used the opportunity to take everyone to visit Annapolis and walk the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy; we watched the midshipmen walk in formation and toured museums. During that trip, I made an unexpected discovery. After touring the chapel, I noticed a small sign directing people to the “crypt of John Paul Jones.” My family and I proceeded down a stairway to an area directly beneath the chapel. A Marine in dress uniform was

October 12, 2017

Church & Ministry Leadership Development

Innovation Is Born Out of Constraint

By Chuck Dennie Why does Twitter have a 140-character limit? An article titled “Best Practices” at Twitter.com states, “Creativity loves constraints and simplicity is at our core. Tweets are limited to 140 characters so they can be consumed easily anywhere, even via mobile text messages.” Twitter users most likely will tell you that being limited to 140Â characters has forced them to be more focused, creative, and clear about what they”re trying to communicate. The multisite church is a beautiful example of innovating in response to constraint and limitations. We can now reach more people in more areas in our communities

September 22, 2017

Church & Ministry Church Planting

Rural Church Planting: A Conversation with Pastor Jerry Harris

By David Dummitt Last month I had the opportunity to speak with Eric Metcalf in Chicago about the unique opportunities and challenges of urban church planting. But across America, millions of people live outside of metropolitan areas, and so I wanted to explore similar questions from a rural perspective. As I considered who could speak candidly and with authority on the subject of rural church planting, Jerry Harris, senior pastor of The Crossing, a multisite church located in three states across the Midwest, immediately came to mind.Â Jerry, how do you measure the health and success of a rural

September 21, 2017

Church & Ministry

A Church for Forgotten Places

By Jerry Harris Forgottonia . . . would you believe it”s a real place? The place is real but the name was more of a publicity stunt. It was adopted by 14 counties in west-central Illinois that were intentionally neglected by the state and federal government with regard to interstates and rail service in the early 1970s. Without interstate highway access, the region was denied decent transportation for commerce as other towns and cities benefitted from them. Businesses and not-for-profit entities dried up or left the area and calls for fair treatment with tax dollars for infrastructure fell on deaf

September 10, 2017

Christian Living

#hustle vs #grace

By Chuck Dennie Snap a pic of you getting it done and make sure to include #hustle . . . We live in a world where we compare our lives with the highlight reels we see displayed on our social media channels. The latest buzzword #hustle has been elevated to rock-star status. #hustle has even become a platform on which some leaders are standing . . . at least until that platform crumbles. I have been that leader. I am an ENTJ with a top strength of competition on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality inventory. ENTJ + competition =Â hustle. I

September 6, 2017

Letter from the Publisher

By Jerry Harris My favorite thing about publishing Christian Standard is how much I am learning. In just a few short months, I have been exposed to stories and ministries that have challenged and inspired me greatly. But this issue has wrecked me the most. A sidebar to one of the articles describes a tree in North St. Louis. I was there on a nearly 100-degree day to speak with Lucas Rouggly and his family while we took pictures for the magazine. When we returned to the car to head home, I faced some hard reflection. For 19 years, I

August 27, 2017

Miscellaneous

The NACC: Identity, Inspiration, and Ideas

By Jerry Harris Three words describe the core of the mission of the North American Christian Convention: identity, inspiration, and ideas. The convention has been crucial to the unity and vibrancy of the independent Christian church since its inception in 1927. The 2017 NACC in Kansas City, Missouri, June 27-29, was the first time I was tasked with setting up and manning a booth instead of just attending the NACC as a pastor of a local church. Even before the convention started, I was surrounded by many people critical to our fellowship. Identity As my wife and I checked in

July 18, 2017

Letter from the Publisher

Letter from Jerry Harris, Publisher of Christian Standard.

June 13, 2017

What to Expect from CHRISTIAN STANDARD

By Jerry Harris Why is the survival of CHRISTIAN STANDARDÂ so important and what does it offerÂ that other magazines don”t?Â Other magazines like Relevant, Outreach, and Christianity Today offer lots of good commentary and resourcing for churches and leaders in general, but they represent no actual tribe. CHRISTIAN STANDARD is critical to the Restoration Movement because it serves a vital role unique to us. We are comprised of about 5,300 churches, all autonomous, without any denominational support to hold us together. It”s one of our greatest strengths, but without something connecting us regularly, we can lose much of the potential of

April 30, 2017

Ministries & Nonprofits Organizations & Events

Securing a Future

By Jerry Harris What”s going on with the CHRISTIAN STANDARD and The Lookout? As a pastor of a church and a founding board member of The Solomon Foundation, I was interested in the answer to that question. Both magazines have been staples of the Restoration Movement from early on, and I, like many, had assumed they would always be there. When I heard in our board meeting the CHRISTIAN STANDARD and The Lookout could be shut down because their owners had found no buyers for them, I was deeply troubled. The chairman of the Publishing Committee had informed Doug Crozier,

March 13, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Restoration Movement Media Announces Christian Standard Media Publisher Transition

PARKER, CO””The president of Restoration Movement Media, Doug Crozier, along with its board is very pleased to announce the next chapter of leadership for Christian Standard Media. Jerry Harris, senior pastor of The Crossing based in Quincy, Illinois, has been named the new publisher of CHRISTIAN STANDARD and The Lookout magazines. He will serve in this role while continuing his leadership at The Crossing. The transition coincides with the retirement of the current publisher, Mark A. Taylor, on June 30, 2017. “Mark Taylor has faithfully served in a variety of roles at Christian Standard Media, formerly Standard Publishing, for more

May 5, 2013

Church & Ministry Church Growth

A Church for People Who Don”t Go to Church

By Kent E. Fillinger The Crossing is a multisite megachurch. Its original campus is in Quincy, Illinois, a town of 40,000 people. Even though there are 85 churches in Quincy, 80 percent of the people there don”t attend any church, so Jerry Harris, senior pastor of The Crossing, decided to focus on being the church for people who don”t go to church. The Crossing was a small church of 230 people in 1998 when it decided to spend $2.5 million to buy a community college to serve as the church”s new home. As part of the deal, The Crossing shared

December 10, 2012

Restoration Movement History

Rediscovering the Sacred Stones

A church”s new multisite campus. A town steeped in history. The grave of a Restoration Movement pioneer”s wife. A reflection on what this frontier preacher stood for, and the message we still proclaim today. Â By Jerry Harris There she was. Her stone lying on its back, broken and weathered among scores of neglected reminders of lives long since past. The inscription was hard to read because of a combination of age, moss, and dirt, but careful examination gave witness to the precious soul long forgotten to so many. Celia W. Wife of Elder B.W. Stone Died Apr. 23, 1857

November 6, 2011