J-F 2002 FM Conn

Michigan's Crossroads Community Church:
A Safe Place to Hear a Dangerous Message
(third in a series of seven articles)

Glenn Teal is involved in, as he describes it, a risky style of ministry. As pastor of Crossroads Community Church in Temperance, a Michigan suburb of Toledo, OH, he and his staff lead "seeker-targeted" services designed to reach lost people and more effectively share the gospel with them.

Why is it risky? Building the seeker-focused services can require three or more times as much preparation as more mainstream church services. With high-tech video clips, computer animation, broadcast-quality television cameras, image magnification screens and professional-quality dramas — not to mention the midweek service and children/youth programs — those responsible for planning and delivering the services each week are stretched to their creative limits.

But this wasn't always the case for Crossroads. In the mid-1980s, the church was experiencing a decline. Pastor Rob Nicholson, fresh out of seminary, began implementing a more contemporary outreach focus, using a live band and dramas to attract the unchurched.

Building on the momentum created by Nicholson, Teal arrived from Saskatoon, Canada, where he had helped to transition a church into a more outreach-focused role in the community. At Crossroads, the strategy became to adapt the "Willow Creek model" to the local church — not to clone it, but to determine what elements could best be used in Temperance to reach the surrounding community. While some seeker-focused churches use worship evangelism to reach the lost, Crossroads uses the arts. Teal explains, "We believe God uses beauty and excellence to get past people's barriers and negative preconceptions about God and the church. The music and drama sneak up on people as the Spirit of God softens their hearts for the message."
Concentrating on a professionally produced service doesn't mean the message is any less powerful. The conversion growth over the past 12 years has been phenomenal. In a congregation of 1,200, 40 to 60 new Christians are baptized each year —"our payday for the extra effort," says Teal.

In the "Kids' Street" program the children experience a kid-oriented version of what the adults see Sunday mornings. Older children lead live worship with their own band and worship singers, along with drama and media. In fact, the church recently installed a new media technology center just for the children. The youth also have their own programs — junior high on Sunday night, senior high on Thursday night — complete with a worship time, message and small-group interaction.

The midweek service, "New Community," is designed for the committed Christian to experience extended worship and deeper Bible teaching.

One unique outreach event in which the entire community can take part is the classic car show the church has hosted every September for six years. Cars are parked in the church parking lot so people can enjoy browsing between services. Later, dinner is provided. The first show featured a dozen cars while the most recent one boasted 300 automobiles, with more than 3,000 people attending. It's now the largest classic car show in Monroe County.

Teal recognizes that certain aspects of a "seeker-targeted" service are very attractive to many church leaders, but he warns against jumping into it without evaluating the church and community. The bottom line, says Teal, is that leaders truly have to be called to focusing Sundays on nonbelievers. He recommends, "Churches that dabble with elements of contemporary services need to step back and ask themselves why they're doing it. What is their focus? How can they best utilize the resources God has given them? You can't just copy what you see in larger churches and assume it will work."
As Crossroads continues to grow, the congregation looks forward to moving into a new building planned for the 30 acres the church has purchased. Though the move won't happen for three to five years, it's clear that Teal and his staff have plenty to keep them busy in the meantime, "creating a safe place to hear a dangerous message."

Creativity Blooms in Garden Grove, CA

"I just want to act ... to move ... to get in there with the kids and get life under my fingernails!" So says Buzzy Enniss, youth pastor extraordinaire at Garden Grove Free Methodist Church in California.

When Buzzy arrived late in 2000, he immediately set a new tone — both for the church youth group (which has grown from four to 100), and for the congregation as a whole. One early-on success was a fund-raiser that involved Buzzy's hairdo. Over $4,000 came in when he agreed to dye it blue with black polka dots.

And, speaking of art, Buzzy has introduced a new dimension to the church by demonstrating and emphasizing artistic creativity. "I just wanted to watch someone paint for half an hour because it's beautiful," Buzzy says, describing Bible studies he's led with a painter painting nearby. (Buzzy writes poetry and does a bit of painting himself.) During Advent 2000, senior pastor Jim McGhee preached four sermons while sharing the platform with an artist and easel. As Buzzy says, "We are creative because God is still creating, and He uses us as a tool in the creative process."

This January, Garden Grove is featuring the arts — painting, poetry, drama, video, music, etc. — during worship services and in an art show. And some of the artists — in Buzzy's creative agenda — will be non-Christians. "I want to show pagans who love art that we [Christians] value what they do. Whether or not they paint pictures of crosses or traditional religious symbols, it's creative. And if it's not sinful, it glorifies God."

After McGhee first spoke with Buzzy about the youth pastor position, Buzzy admits, "I didn't think they'd want to have me. I'm kind of strange and I have weird ideas about how I think church should be. I shared some of those ideas with him, and they hired me anyway!" And while there may be no accounting for taste, obviously McGhee knows a good thing when he sees it.

Another Greenville College Band Wins Gospel Music Association's Top Award

For All the Drifters, a Greenville College band (pictured clockwise from top: Josh Heiner, Andy Smith, Justin "J.T." Daly and Chad Howat; not pictured: Brian Lee), became the second Greenville band to win the Gospel Music Association's top award for unsigned musical acts. Multiplatinum GRAMMY and Dove Award-winning band Jars of Clay won the award in 1994.

The 2001 annual talent competition, which attracted hundreds of vocal, ensemble and instrumental music acts in six divisions, concluded at the Gospel Music Association's 27th Annual Seminar in the Rockies, held July 29-Aug. 4 in Estes Park, CO. Regional divisional competitions were held earlier in the year in Nashville, TN; Washington, D.C.; and Canada.

Along with significant recognition, For All the Drifters also received a $5,000 prize package that included a $3,000 Mackie sound system; Roland keyboard; complimentary recording time and accommodations at Eagle's Nest Studios in Denver, CO, and White Horse Studios in Nashville, TN; vocal coaching and products from Chris and Carole Beatty; and a performance consultation with Tom Jackson.

Project Barnabas Care Container Delivers Books to Hope Africa University

In August, Hope Africa University in Nairobi, Kenya (Free Methodism's newest institution of higher education), received a wonderful gift — a Care Container from Project Barnabas, a ministry sponsored by Women's Ministries International and Men's Ministries International that sends much-needed supplies to refugees, hospitals, schools and others the world over.

Bob and Sheila Couch spearhead the project from a large warehouse on their property in Sharpsville, IN. While Sheila organizes the lists of contents and handles the phone and computer work, volunteers from the Kokomo Free Methodist Church and others help Bob with the loading of the containers.

Number 17, the container destined for Hope Africa University, included books for their library — contributed by both Spring Arbor University and Greenville College — as well as furniture from the World Ministries Center in Indianapolis, paper supplies, used computers and athletic equipment.

Loaded on March 31, 2001, the container arrived at the university on Aug. 3, and librarian Karen Parson, along with retired librarian Ruth Stephenson, both of Spring Arbor, MI, began the huge task of cataloging and shelving the books. "When Ruth and I opened the first box that came off the truck," recalls Parsons, "it was a poignant moment for me as I realized the box we were opening was one I had packed at Spring Arbor University library a few months before. How amazing is our God!"

The university's chancellor, Bishop Elie Buconyori, said that the books would not have been available locally, and if they had, they would have cost a small fortune.

Project Barnabas' containers can certainly make a big difference to a fledgling institution like Kenya's Hope Africa University. All contributions are welcome, and collections are under way for a second container. To receive book criteria, contact Gerald E. Bates, 6715 Oak Lake Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46214 or by e-mail at nijewe@cs.com.




Here are a few excerpts from our popular FM Connection news section. Get all the great Free Methodist news each issue when you subscribe!

Michigan's Crossroads Community Church: A Safe Place to Hear a Dangerous Message (third in a series of seven articles) Glenn Teal is involved in, as he describes it, a risky style of ministry. As pastor of Crossroads Community Church in Temperance, a Michigan suburb of Toledo, OH, he and his staff lead "seeker-targeted" services designed to reach lost people and more effectively share the gospel with them. Why is it risky? Building the seeker-focused services can require three or more times as much preparation as more mainstream church services. With high-tech video clips, computer animation, broadcast-quality television cameras, image magnification screens and professional-quality dramas — not to mention the midweek service and children/youth programs — those responsible for planning and delivering the services each week are stretched to their creative limits. But this wasn't always the case for Crossroads. In the mid-1980s, the church was experiencing a decline. Pastor Rob Nicholson, fresh out of seminary, began implementing a more contemporary outreach focus, using a live band and dramas to attract the unchurched. Building on the momentum created by Nicholson, Teal arrived from Saskatoon, Canada, where he had helped to transition a church into a more outreach-focused role in the community. At Crossroads, the strategy became to adapt the "Willow Creek model" to the local church — not to clone it, but to determine what elements could best be used in Temperance to reach the surrounding community. While some seeker-focused churches use worship evangelism to reach the lost, Crossroads uses the arts. Teal explains, "We believe God uses beauty and excellence to get past people's barriers and negative preconceptions about God and the church. The music and drama sneak up on people as the Spirit of God softens their hearts for the message." Concentrating on a professionally produced service doesn't mean the message is any less powerful. The conversion growth over the past 12 years has been phenomenal. In a congregation of 1,200, 40 to 60 new Christians are baptized each year —"our payday for the extra effort," says Teal. In the "Kids' Street" program the children experience a kid-oriented version of what the adults see Sunday mornings. Older children lead live worship with their own band and worship singers, along with drama and media. In fact, the church recently installed a new media technology center just for the children. The youth also have their own programs — junior high on Sunday night, senior high on Thursday night — complete with a worship time, message and small-group interaction. The midweek service, "New Community," is designed for the committed Christian to experience extended worship and deeper Bible teaching. One unique outreach event in which the entire community can take part is the classic car show the church has hosted every September for six years. Cars are parked in the church parking lot so people can enjoy browsing between services. Later, dinner is provided. The first show featured a dozen cars while the most recent one boasted 300 automobiles, with more than 3,000 people attending. It's now the largest classic car show in Monroe County. Teal recognizes that certain aspects of a "seeker-targeted" service are very attractive to many church leaders, but he warns against jumping into it without evaluating the church and community. The bottom line, says Teal, is that leaders truly have to be called to focusing Sundays on nonbelievers. He recommends, "Churches that dabble with elements of contemporary services need to step back and ask themselves why they're doing it. What is their focus? How can they best utilize the resources God has given them? You can't just copy what you see in larger churches and assume it will work." As Crossroads continues to grow, the congregation looks forward to moving into a new building planned for the 30 acres the church has purchased. Though the move won't happen for three to five years, it's clear that Teal and his staff have plenty to keep them busy in the meantime, "creating a safe place to hear a dangerous message." Creativity Blooms in Garden Grove, CA "I just want to act ... to move ... to get in there with the kids and get life under my fingernails!" So says Buzzy Enniss, youth pastor extraordinaire at Garden Grove Free Methodist Church in California. When Buzzy arrived late in 2000, he immediately set a new tone — both for the church youth group (which has grown from four to 100), and for the congregation as a whole. One early-on success was a fund-raiser that involved Buzzy's hairdo. Over $4,000 came in when he agreed to dye it blue with black polka dots. And, speaking of art, Buzzy has introduced a new dimension to the church by demonstrating and emphasizing artistic creativity. "I just wanted to watch someone paint for half an hour because it's beautiful," Buzzy says, describing Bible studies he's led with a painter painting nearby. (Buzzy writes poetry and does a bit of painting himself.) During Advent 2000, senior pastor Jim McGhee preached four sermons while sharing the platform with an artist and easel. As Buzzy says, "We are creative because God is still creating, and He uses us as a tool in the creative process." This January, Garden Grove is featuring the arts — painting, poetry, drama, video, music, etc. — during worship services and in an art show. And some of the artists — in Buzzy's creative agenda — will be non-Christians. "I want to show pagans who love art that we [Christians] value what they do. Whether or not they paint pictures of crosses or traditional religious symbols, it's creative. And if it's not sinful, it glorifies God." After McGhee first spoke with Buzzy about the youth pastor position, Buzzy admits, "I didn't think they'd want to have me. I'm kind of strange and I have weird ideas about how I think church should be. I shared some of those ideas with him, and they hired me anyway!" And while there may be no accounting for taste, obviously McGhee knows a good thing when he sees it. Another Greenville College Band Wins Gospel Music Association's Top Award For All the Drifters, a Greenville College band (pictured clockwise from top: Josh Heiner, Andy Smith, Justin "J.T." Daly and Chad Howat; not pictured: Brian Lee), became the second Greenville band to win the Gospel Music Association's top award for unsigned musical acts. Multiplatinum GRAMMY and Dove Award-winning band Jars of Clay won the award in 1994. The 2001 annual talent competition, which attracted hundreds of vocal, ensemble and instrumental music acts in six divisions, concluded at the Gospel Music Association's 27th Annual Seminar in the Rockies, held July 29-Aug. 4 in Estes Park, CO. Regional divisional competitions were held earlier in the year in Nashville, TN; Washington, D.C.; and Canada. Along with significant recognition, For All the Drifters also received a $5,000 prize package that included a $3,000 Mackie sound system; Roland keyboard; complimentary recording time and accommodations at Eagle's Nest Studios in Denver, CO, and White Horse Studios in Nashville, TN; vocal coaching and products from Chris and Carole Beatty; and a performance consultation with Tom Jackson. Project Barnabas Care Container Delivers Books to Hope Africa University In August, Hope Africa University in Nairobi, Kenya (Free Methodism's newest institution of higher education), received a wonderful gift — a Care Container from Project Barnabas, a ministry sponsored by Women's Ministries International and Men's Ministries International that sends much-needed supplies to refugees, hospitals, schools and others the world over. Bob and Sheila Couch spearhead the project from a large warehouse on their property in Sharpsville, IN. While Sheila organizes the lists of contents and handles the phone and computer work, volunteers from the Kokomo Free Methodist Church and others help Bob with the loading of the containers. Number 17, the container destined for Hope Africa University, included books for their library — contributed by both Spring Arbor University and Greenville College — as well as furniture from the World Ministries Center in Indianapolis, paper supplies, used computers and athletic equipment. Loaded on March 31, 2001, the container arrived at the university on Aug. 3, and librarian Karen Parson, along with retired librarian Ruth Stephenson, both of Spring Arbor, MI, began the huge task of cataloging and shelving the books. "When Ruth and I opened the first box that came off the truck," recalls Parsons, "it was a poignant moment for me as I realized the box we were opening was one I had packed at Spring Arbor University library a few months before. How amazing is our God!" The university's chancellor, Bishop Elie Buconyori, said that the books would not have been available locally, and if they had, they would have cost a small fortune. Project Barnabas' containers can certainly make a big difference to a fledgling institution like Kenya's Hope Africa University. All contributions are welcome, and collections are under way for a second container. To receive book criteria, contact Gerald E. Bates, 6715 Oak Lake Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46214 or by e-mail at nijewe@cs.com.