We are growing at Crossings Community Church. We have always been a growing church, but there have definitely been seasons in our church’s life when nearly all of the growth has been in regards to spiritual growth within our homes. Only because of God’s grace and work we are in a growing season in both number of homes in worship, and growing in the spiritual depth of those homes. It is an exciting time to watch God move in hearts and homes.
A conversation that I often have with people is around the church’s desire for numeric growth. People often ask for one of two reasons. They are usually wondering if we are intentionally trying to be a small church (in contrast to a mega-church), or if we are pursuing numeric growth. That may be a bit of an overgeneralization but give me a little wiggle room here…
We absolutely desire for more people to join what God is doing at Crossings Community Church
I love hearing the stories of people who come to Crossings Community. I love hearing those stories because they are God-stories of his hand working in their lives. I often hear stories about people who have been hurt by churches, both big and small. I often hear stories from people about a bad taste they have in their mouths from both mega-churches and celebrity pastors as well as small and motionless tiny churches. Each of us have unique stories about the church whether from personal involvement or from afar.
In a very short and simple handful of paragraphs, here is how we see these things at Crossings Community. Jesus Christ is the head of our church and everything we do is with the goal of seeing homes engaged, equipped, and empowered through gospel transformation. This mission speaks clearly of our desire for growth. We deeply desire to see new homes engaged with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Based on the stories and the geography of these engaged homes, we might suggest they attend one of the other great Bible teaching churches in our community. However, we will also be unashamed to tell people of the great things God is doing at Crossings Community Church.
We believe that God has created a very good thing at Crossings Community and we want other people to experience those things. We want others to experience the life changing power of biblical truth. We want others to experience authentic, biblical community. We want others walking on mission with us. As God has shown us over our short history, we are called to faithful obedience and then to resting in his sovereign work.
So, yes, we absolutely desire for more people to join what God is doing at Crossings Community Church. We are also thankful for what he is doing in the other gospel-centered churches around us and celebrate as people join God work there as well. We are a local church established by God to put his name on display for all to see; and regardless of how tirelessly we obediently serve that call, we will never be able to see our community transformed by our hands alone. I don’t believe God intends it to work that way.
May it be said of us that we deeply desire to engage, equip, and empower homes for gospel transformation and for every ounce of the attention and glory to be directed toward Jesus Christ alone.
Matt Powell serves as teaching pastor at Crossings Community Church, a body of believers whose mission is to engage, equip, and empower homes for gospel transformation in Katy, TX.