July 30th, 2010 by Tim Moore

Most everyone that comes to our church will see quickly that we put a major emphasis on our Weekend Experiences.  We recognize that in our culture, it is one of the best ways to reach people with the Gospel.  Our environment is darker, with moving lights, haze, videos and more.  Trying to reach an MTV generation is not easy.  Yet, it’s working and people are receiving Christ nearly every weekend at Crossroads.  That’s stinkin’ awesome.

But we are working to make it even better.  Here are few things we are working to help us create 5-star Weekend Experiences.

• We recently added a production manager that is responsible for the entire experience.  His job is to make sure everything runs well and is done with excellence.
• We have a short review after the 9am experience to see what needs changed or what can be made better for the other experiences.
• We are moving toward IMAG.  This would move us one step closer to stream our entire experience online as well as enable us to broadcast to future sites.
• We are training our Host Experience Team to do everything they can to remove distractions.  There may come a time when you walk out of our auditorium that you will be asked to stay somewhere else to watch the feed.  We aren’t trying to be difficult…we are trying to remove all distractions so people can clearly hear and receive the Gospel.  You can help us do this now by being courteous to those around you.
• We hope to get our construction going for tearing down the back stage wall and expanding the room by 2,000 sq ft which should let us add more seating and make the stage presence better!

We want everything we do to be 5-star quality.  Our hope is that by the time a guest makes it into the Weekend Experience, they have been greeted, seated and treated with excellence.  At that point, we will present the Gospel through a 5-star Weekend Experience and continue to trust God to lead people across the line of salvation.

July 29th, 2010 by Tim Moore

As many of you know, we have invested lots of $$ and hours into our new ccKids facility (The Boulevard).  We invested in our kids first because we believe in them and want them to know Christ.  It’s actually an outreach strategy.  Most statistics say about 80% of people who give their lives to Christ do it by the age 18.  So perhaps, they are worth investing in.  Here are some of the things we are doing to give every kid that comes to Crossroads a 5-star experience.

• We are finishing up The Loft (new space for Jr and Sr High groups).  We still need couches (good stuff) if you can donate any.
• We are investing big money in the kids space to reach people who never go to church or are disillusioned by it.    People who have an issue with this should read this post by Joe Miller.  Enough said.
• We want to double the number of people in our Impressions team and install the Concierge Team in the youth facility as well.
• We still have work to do to finish our ccKids Studio room.  We’re going to need help for this soon.
• Beth, our ccKids Director, is working to add more teachers and helpers to each room so individual kids can get more focus.  But to do this…we NEED you!
• We want to launch a 5-6 grade experience in The Loft and need leaders and teachers who are willing to invest in our kids at possibly the MOST important time of their lives.

Let’s just say, we care about our kids.  I care about my own kids and I want to do everything I can to build the most amazing Kids and Youth program I can.

It bothers me that nearly 80% of kids who are raised in the church walk away from it when they graduate.  I want to CHANGE that at Crossroads and I will do everything in my power to make that happen.  But I can’t do it alone.  I need your help.  Our kids need your help.

Listen, if you are a parent of kids who attend at Crossroads…YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING.  Don’t just drop them off every week and hope they learn about God.  Be part of it.  Be a helper, be a teacher, heck, be a bouncer.  Just get involved.

Are you ready?  If so, go here and fill out our volunteer application online!

Oh and you must have a background check before you can help out.  (And speeding tickets won’t disqualify you)

July 28th, 2010 by Tim Moore

One of the biggest questions we have wrestled with regarding new converts is, “How do we help them take their Next Step once they make a commitment to Christ?”  We have seen almost 170 people make commitments to Christ since launching here Lithopolis.  (That is only the people who have told us, I believe there are more)  We realized early on that we must be responsible to not only help them cross the line of faith but to take their next step as a Christ-follower.

One thing we implemented about a year ago was the creation of a Next Step to give anyone makes a commitment to Christ.  In this kit, we give them a Bible with simple reading plan to get them started, a DVD of a message I preached on Baptism, some cards talking about the essentials of The Bible, Jesus, a relationship with God and more, a journal, and a letter from me congratulating them and helping them take another step.

I think we have done a good job putting together something on a dime.  But we want to make this entire process a little more strategic.

Here are some of the things we want to do to make sure each new believer has every opportunity to make the Next Step.

• Revamping Guest Services to be more than just an information table, but rather people who call and follow-up with people who get a Next Step personally.
• We have plans to get a more professional looking box and materials to give out in this kit.  (This portion is very costly and we can’t do it yet)
• Creating Next Step small groups where people can attend for several weeks and begin to develop a good foundation for their faith.
• Trying to develop a process to help us capture their stories either on video or written shortly after the moment of salvation.
• Developing a process to help encourage them to take the next step toward baptism and joining a small group.

These are some of the ideas we have and are currently working on.  If anyone has any thoughts or things we could do to help new Christ-followers take that Next Step, I’d love to hear them.

July 27th, 2010 by Tim Moore

After last week’s strong message on volunteering, I thought I would take some time this week to unfold the vision more for all my subscribers. I hope the message was received with grace and that my church knows that I only want to see us DO what Jesus asked us to do. I love our church and plan to spend the rest of my life leading it to impact the world with the Gospel.

Our 5-Star Vision to treat people like VIP’s is going to shape how we do Guest Services. We recognize that we only get one chance to make a great first impression. We’ve done a great job making people feel welcome, but we now want to make people feel special. That is why we are working to adopt more of a concierge type mentality. Here are some of the things we are working through right now.

• We want to figure out how to find first time guests the moment they drive on our property. We want to give them the best parking spots and personally greet them
• We would love to have a golf-cart or two available for picking people up in the lot and driving them to the front doors (this one is expensive so if anyone wants to donate one…)
• We want to have so many people serving each experience on the Impressions team that we can offer individual concierge attention to our first time guests.
• Each trained concierge host will have a mission to make that person or family feel welcome and answer all their questions. They may offer to take them on a tour of the facility, help them get their kids checked in, offer to grab them coffee, help seat them and even leave a business card with them so they can remember their name and find them if they need anything.
• We are working on a new brochure to give first time guests that will tell them a little more about us and help answer any questions they may have after they leave.
• We are working on a follow-up procedure that will include a personal touch as well as possibly offer to deliver a pizza to their house or give them a gift card for a meal at some restaurant.

These are some of the ideas that we are discussing and working to implement. We did not think all of these up ourselves, some are inspired by some other great churches. You can see now why we have such a big need to double the number of volunteers.

If you have any thoughts or ideas to contribute, please leave comments. We are still developing all of this and welcome your input.  I will post more this week about what we are doing in other areas.

July 21st, 2010 by Tim Moore

Anyone who knows me well, knows I don’t like the word “Christian”. Especially when over 80% of our country at one point considered themselves Christians. I have an entire message series I’m going to preach on “How to NOT become a Christian”.

My problem is that our definition of Christianity doesn’t really fit well with what Jesus said. For most churched people in America, Christianity is a religion that defines where you attend church on Sunday. It is simply a label that when applied makes someone feel better about their chances of getting into heaven.

Jesus said… (I’m paraphrasing)

[Luke 9:23] If you want to follow me, pick up your cross daily. (Not many want to sacrifice their time or money to be used for God’s Kingdom)
[John 14:15] If you love me, you’ll do what I ask. (Most people ignore Jesus commands if they are hard to do)
[Luke 9:26] If you are embarrassed about me, I will be about you. (Many Christians never invite ANYONE to church)
[John 15:16] I have called you and appointed you to bear fruit. (Most are satisfied with simply attending church rather than being the church)

I’ll be honest…sometimes I wonder how many true Christ-followers there really are in the Church. As a pastor, it bothers me that I can’t make people or even convince them to TRULY give their lives to Jesus. Perhaps that’s because it can’t be faked. Either Christ has really done a new work in your life or it is all a show. And if it is…that won’t go well. [Matt 7:21]

I can promise you that I will always call for a higher level of commitment than what we have now. I want to stand before God at the end of my life and know that I did all I could to lead people to truly follow Jesus.

July 19th, 2010 by Tim Moore

Reality TV has become one of the hottest things to watch on TV in the past decade. Shows like Survivor, American Idol, The Bachelor and the countless others have redefined how we view TV. Before Reality TV, everything we watched was scripted and edited. Now, everything is off the cuff and raw.

To me, the most appealing aspect of Reality TV is that watching is real (for the most part). It’s not actors pretending to be a character…it is real people being themselves (good, bad and ugly). There is something raw and engaging about knowing what you are seeing is real.

I believe that perhaps the single biggest turn off that so many people have to the church is they feel like everyone is living scripted and edited lives. They don’t feel like it is real and don’t feel they can be around us. One of the greatest barriers that we have torn down at Crossroads Church is the fake church barrier. I am who I am off the stage and on the stage. What I have to say is real and sometimes comes across as offensive (although it is almost always the churched folks who get offended). This sometimes pushes people away, but honestly it is because they don’t know my heart and they don’t know me.

I could put filters on everything and edit out what I really want to say to make everyone happy. But isn’t that the problem? In the church, we have learned to relate to each other with masks on rather than by being authentic. We think we must act a certain way or say certain things around church people we don’t say or do around others. Umm…I think that’s called hypocrisy.

In the same way that Americans love watching reality TV, I believe the unchurched would love the church if it were more like reality church TV.

July 15th, 2010 by Tim Moore

Last night we celebrated the 130+ volunteers who serve at Crossroads Church. It was an incredible night. We gave away HUNDREDS of dollars in gift cards throughout the evening, offered free massages, food and even karaoke. The band led us in some incredible music and I got the honor of sharing my deep appreciation as well as the vision of where we are taking the volunteer ministry.

I told our people we must ditch a church mentality when it comes to volunteering. The church mentality says I’m JUST here because they need this job done or I JUST park cars or I JUST teach little kids. You don’t JUST do anything…you practically demonstrate the Gospel through what you do. We need to realize that every part of what we do reflects the God we worship. (Col 3:23)

I think its time we adopt a Restaurant Mentality in the Church. I truly believe that what the church is serving is the greatest meal around. Jesus said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” If we believe that, then we must recognize our responsibility in how we present the Gospel.

When you go to a nice restaurant, you are treated like a VIP. Everyone working there knows their main goal is to treat the guests to the best experience they can. When you find a restaurant with incredible food (which the Church is already serving) and incredible service, it creates a buzz. It causes people to want to come back. It’s the best way to evangelize. People tell other people.

I envisioned our volunteers to ditch the church mentality and to think 5-star restaurant. We want every guest who walks through our doors to feel like and be treated like a VIP. Why go to so much trouble? Because they are a VIP. In God’s eyes, each person is a Very Important Person. They matter to God and should matter to us!

We have much in the works to step everything up a notch this fall. We want to go from a 4-start to a 5-star restaurant. And we need more volunteers to do this. If you are not currently volunteering at Crossroads, why not? Be part of what God is doing here. Get off the bench and into the game. The lost world needs you.

Click here to get involved.

July 14th, 2010 by Tim Moore

I have found it is often hard to plan inspirational or creative moments. I have weekly creative meeting to do just this for our weekend experiences. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it seems you come away feeling you exhausted your time and efforts with little to show for it.

It’s odd, but sometimes the most inspiring and creative ideas come to me at the weirdest times. I could be mowing the grass or riding along in the car when a creative message idea pops into my brain. It stews around in my mind for a bit and I think, “This would be a great way to preach on…” or “This would be a great illustration to present this biblical concept.”

Unfortunately, what so many of us do, including myself, is we don’t capture the creative moment. We then get distracted by the next thought and a few hours later we struggle to remember what inspired us. I have forgotten so many thoughts or ways to communicate something perhaps God wanted me to express.

For the past few months, I have determined NOT to let those thoughts or creative sparks get away. I usually get out my phone and email myself my ideas or I write them down in a notebook I keep with me. I do what I can to capture the feeling and message I’m downloading.

Recently, I came across this post from Steven Furtick that really confirmed the need to capture these moments. What challenged me was the emphasis he put on the “responsibility” we have to God for what he inspires in us.

Do you have a plan to capture creative thoughts your Creator is giving you? It could be a business idea or something to share with your family. Keep some small notebooks around or use an electronic device to capture your creative moments.

July 13th, 2010 by Tim Moore

Another question I’ve been wrestling with in regards to this so called dichotomy between faith and responsibility is this:

Can you step out in faith in one area of your life and expect God to bless it when you are NOT being responsible in other areas?

I’m not so sure that God will bless one area of bold faith when you have other areas of your life or business that aren’t measuring up to His standard.

Let me explain.

Some people in the church continually ask God to bless their finances or their marriage, when they are continually living in sin. They might be addicted to alcohol, having an affair or engaging in online-pornography. Yet they still want God to bless their finances or be with them as they begin a new business. I’m not so sure that our obedience in one area compensates for our disobedience in another. In fact, I’m pretty sure it wont!!

When you look at Luke 16:10-11 from this vantage point it would seem that faith and responsibility work together.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

This is challenging to me as a church leader who wants to take bold steps of faith to reach people with the Gospel. It causes me to pause and make sure that in every area we are being RESPONSIBLE with what God has given us before we ask him to bless our steps of faith. If we can’t be trusted to be responsible with what God has given to us, how can we expect him to bless us with more?

For you this might mean?
…you need to balance your checkbook and get your finances in order before you take a new job that moves your family.
…you need to confess a sin in your life that may be indirectly affecting God working in your marriage.
…you need to deal with a relationship matter before you begin a new ministry venture.

Before you take your next step of faith, look to see if you are being responsible with what you currently manage.

July 8th, 2010 by Tim Moore

Where is the line between faith and responsibility drawn? Let me explain…

We should live our lives as Christ-followers filled with faith. Faith is when you ACT on something you believe will happen based on the evidence and character of God. When I went full time into ministry – it was a step of faith. I had never done it before and was leaving a great paying job with good benefits. When our church bought our 21+ acres and re-launched in Lithopolis – it was a huge step of faith. We invested every dime into this one step because we believed it was God’s plan. We have and will continue to take bold steps of faith as a church.

Sometimes those steps might look irresponsible to someone looking in from the outside. If they didn’t know the faith God put in my heart to do them, they would think those moves were crazy and maybe irresponsible.

With that being said, I didn’t do those things alone. There were others who through counsel and prayer also felt we should do those things. I think there is a level of irresponsibility we can have when it comes to “taking a step of faith” if we do not seek counsel from others.

Proverbs 11:14
Without wise leadership, a nation falls;
there is safety in having many advisers.

If you feel the urge to attempt something that requires faith…GREAT! That is probably a God size dream he is putting in you to chase. But, sometimes we have the urgency to act on the emotion of that feeling rather than the surety of the call.

Before you sell your house and leave your job, be responsible and invite godly men and women you trust into your life and plans. If it is really from God, they will stand with you and support you. If it is not, they may save you from making a horrible mistake!

More to come on this topic…