| The Crossing Church | |
| Country | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | Non-denominational |
| Website | www.TheCrossing.net |
| Clergy | |
| Pastor(s) | Jerry Harris |
The Crossing is an independent, non-denominational church headquartered in Quincy, Illinois associated with the Christian Churches in the Restoration Movement.[1] The church oversees locations in Macomb, Illinois, Kirksville, Missouri and Pittsfield, Illinois. and maintains an online presence.
The church was founded in 1970 as a daughter church of Madison Park Christian Church. Weekend church attendance exceeds 3,500 across its campuses. The Crossing was listed as the 27th-fastest-growing church in the United States in 2009, and the fastest growing church in the U.S. state of Illinois.[2][3]
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As of 2011, the church maintains the following mission statement:
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The Crossing exists to develop and promote an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ by making and equipping disciples. We base our belief system solely on the Bible, because we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. [4]. |
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Madison Park Christian Church, then located at 25th and High streets in Quincy, Illinois, gave 78 members on March 3, 1974, to form Payson Road Christian Church meeting at 2901 Payson Road also in Quincy. The new church experienced stagnation until 1998 when leadership decided to find an environment that would ideally reduce intimidation for attendees not accostomed to church meetings. The church soon became a mobile congregation and later changed its name to The Crossing Church.
The church began discussions with John Wood Community College about acquiring parts of the property, which later turned into a lease-purchase agreement for the entire property once the college's new building at 48th and Harrison streets in Qunicy was finished. Members had a more permanent location to meet: The old college basketball gym. As the church’s attendance grew, The Crossing had to hold up to four services per weekend to accommodate the large number of worshipers in the small gym. In 2005, The Crossing completed a 2,000 seat auditorium designed to accommodate current attendees and future expansion.
The Crossing Church decided shortly after completing the new auditorium to open in multiple locations. Leadership wanted to focus on towns like Quincy -- areas with stagnant population trends and relatively few options for churches that focused on young people and families. The multi-site locations all have the same ministries that Quincy has. Each campus has their own live band and staff. Sermons are streamed live across a high-speed Internet connection to the sites.
On October 7, 2007, the first multi-site location was opened in Macomb, Illinois. The Crossing purchased and renovated an abandoned grocery store, which quickly housed the largest congregation in Macomb with an average attendance of 700 in 2010 with its two Sunday morning services at 9 AM and 10:45 AM.
On November 2, 2008, The Crossing opened another multi-site location in Kirksville, Missouri. An abandoned shoe factory was purchased and renovated much like Macomb’s campus. Kirksville's campus has over 400 in weekly attendance at the two Sunday morning services at 9 AM and 10:45 AM.
February, 2010, The Crossing introduced the "929 Campus." The campus, formerly owned by Unity Church and built in 1874 is located at 929 Monroe Street in Quincy. It's designed to be a location that accommodates those who rely on public transportation or who prefer a smaller, more traditional church over the large congregation at 48th and Maine streets. The site houses a food pantry and addiction recovery ministries. The site has a live band, however it plays a recording of the Saturday evening service to end in time for bus schedules. 929 averages about 300 per weekend.
February 20, 2011, the Pittsfield Campus launched. The first service witnessed about 350 attendees, some had to stand outside. Since launch, the weekly attendance has leveled off to about 75. Located in Pittsfield, Illinois in the Pike County Senior Center, this campus was designed to serve Crossing members located in the Pittsfield area and to attract new attendees who may not have had many choices for family friendly churches within reasonable drive. Unlike all previously started campuses, the church leadership decided to start this campus and future campuses as a portable church, meaning all equipment is set before service and removed from the rented venue after service, thus saving substantial amounts of money and allowing the location to grow before finding a permanent location. Due to the rental agreement, the Pittsfield campus only meets Sunday evening at 5 p.m.
The latest edition to The Crossing is the Hannibal, MO Campus, which meets Sundays at 10:45 AM at the Hannibal YMCA as a portable church. The launch service on May 1, 2011 witnessed about 400 people, and has since leveled off to about 350. Church leadership is already considering the addition of one more service due to the tight space.
Two former children's ministers went home to Mossel Bay, South Africa, in 2008 after serving at The Crossing in Quincy to open a Crossing location there. The location was considered the second Crossing campus; attendance averaged about 75. Sermons were preached by the Campus Pastor until Internet became available, then the Quincy sermons were streamed online. However, in October 2010, the elders for The Crossing received a letter from the pastor in Mossel Bay that the Mossel Bay campus no longer wished to be affiliated with The Crossing, and wanted to operate independently of The Crossing in America. The elders were not pleased with this decision, but decided that the best route to take was to simply pray for the new church plant.