"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched -- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We procalaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowhip with us. And our fellowhip is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete."
Crossroads Chapel is a Southern Baptist Church located in North Colorado Springs. We currently meet in a semi-permanant structure on our property at 840 Northgate Road. We own approximately 10 acres at that site.
Crossroads Chapel began its life in 1992 as a mission of Chapel Hills Baptist Church. A group of CHBC members banded together to begin the work of bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the growing Gleneagle area of north Colorado Springs. Originally meeting in a home, the church became self supporting and independent, contracting with District 20 to use Antelope Trails Elementary school as a meeting place.
In March of 2003, Crossroads Chapel broke ground on a Sprung Instant Structure on our Northgate property. In August 2003, we held our first worship service in our new facility establishing a permanant presence in the heart of the 80921.
Crossroads Chapel strives to be a New Testament church with Christ Himself as our head. Structurally, we are an elder led democratic fellowship. That's a lot of words to say that we have a Pastor who is one of several elders who give guidance and instruction to our church family. In addition to elders, we have deacons who perform works of service. We also have committees that assist our elders in administrative tasks, but ultimately the church is governed democratically (i.e. we vote on stuff).
We greatly appreciate your interest in the ministry of Crossroads Chapel!
COMMON QUESTIONS:
Q -- Why Southern Baptist?
A -- In this day and age where every other church is dropping its denominational affiliation why do we confidently hold the name "SBC?" The answer is simple. The Southern Baptist Convention maintains three principles that we feel are both scriptural and critical to a church:
1) The Supremacy of the Scriptures.
Southern Baptist Churches believe that the Bible is the source document of our faith. Nothing else compares and everything is considered in light of God's written Word.
2) Support for the Great Commission.
Collectively, Southern Baptist Churches fund the largest evangelical mission apparatus in the entire world! Jesus left the church with a single task "Go and make disciples of all nations," (Matthew 28:19) a task which Southern Baptists have enthusiastically accepted and vowed to continue until the task is complete. Supporting this apparatus with money is the very least we can do.
3) Autonomy of the Local Body.
Unlike other denominations (and even some "non-denominational" churches), the SBC does not control it's member churches. Each SBC is completely autonomous. We band together for the express purpose of funding Great Commission work. So don't worry when you hear the news media say, "the Southern Baptist Convention says" because, even if they'd gotten the story right (which the news media rarely does), our Convention does not dictate what we do or say or believe. The head of our church is not the SBC, but Jesus Christ Himself!
Q -- What is the Doctrine of the Church?
A -- Crossroads Chapel maintains a doctrinal stance outlined in our "Statement of Faith" linked here. This document closely parallels the SBC statement of doctrine, the "Baptist Faith and Message," (but ours is shorter!).
Q -- Why the big deal about membership?
A -- Lots of churches these days have de-emphasized membership in the local church body. First, we must say that scripture does not require "membership" in the way we apply it. However, Crossroads Chapel encourages membership for two reasons, one spiritual and one practical:
1) Membership affirms that being part of a church body is both a responsibility and a privilege.
A church is a family. Being part of a family is a privilege. There is also significant commitment. Membership (like marriage) is an outward symbol of the commitment between Christian and Church.
2) Membership helps us determine who has voting rights in our democratic leadership process.
Churches of all types maintain a legal identity before the government. This identity is described in a legal document called "by-laws." Since we are democratically led (we vote on stuff) membership defines who has voting rights.
Q -- What is required for membership?
A -- Two things: A public profession of faith in Jesus Christ and following the example of Jesus in Believers Baptism.
Q -- If I have more questions, who do I talk to?
A -- If you have any other questions about Crossroads Chapel, please contact our pastor or elders. They will know the answer to your question or put you in touch with someone who does.
We greatly appreciate your interest in the ministry of Crossroads Chapel!
