Our Vision

Crossway Christian Church

Vision Statement

Mission Statement

Called by the grace of God to be His people, our mission is to glorify and enjoy God in all that we do as we seek to be a Christian community, joyfully obeying God’s will by reaching the lost with the Gospel and teaching believers to become committed disciples of Jesus Christ.

We will accomplish this mission through…

Worship

We seek to worship God by ascribing to Him all honor and worth that is due Him. This side of the Fall, proper worship of God is a response to the provision of salvation He has made through Jesus Christ. True worship is empowered by God’s Holy Spirit and is conducted according to the stipulations of the new covenant God has made with His people through His Son as found in the Scriptures. Such worship is manifested in both the adoration and action of his people.

We seek to accomplish this through life worship, private worship, and gathered worship. We seek to worship God with our lives by submitting to Him in all our words, thoughts, and deeds. We also seek out times of private worship of God whereby we may grow closer to God through private times of study, prayer, fasting, and song as individuals and families. We finally seek to gather together on a regular basis to worship God as a Christian community, engaging one another in exhortation, encouragement, and fellowship. These times of gathered worship will…

Magnify the worth of God and the redemption of Jesus Christ;
Be centered around the Scriptures (we will read the Bible, pray the Bible, sing the Bible, preach the Bible);
Engage both the mind and the heart;
Provide preaching that is faithful to the meaning of the Scriptures and relevant to modern life;
Be fueled by times of prayer that express a humble reliance on God alone;
Utilize music that is classic and contemporary, consistent with the teachings of Scripture, and designed to deepen our knowledge of God;
Be empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit.

1 Chronicles 16:8-36; Nehemiah 12:27-47; Psalm 29:1-2; 33:1-3, 34:3; 95:1-7, 100:1-5, 150:1-6; John 4:23-24; Romans 12:1; Colossians 3:16-17; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Hebrews 10:25; Revelation 4:6-5:14.

Prayer

We seek to make prayer the visible engine of all our efforts in ministry and worship. Prayer is a vital part of the growth and maturity of our church, serving as a test for the spiritual life of God’s people. We will emphasize prayer by…

A growing frequency, depth, and power in corporate, family, and private prayer.
Supporting the leadership of the church through consistent, loving, and tearful prayer;
Supporting the ministries of the church through consistent, loving, and tearful prayer;
Planning specific times to pray both privately and corporately;
Allowing God’s Word – as His revealed will – to be the controlling element that shapes the content of our prayers;
Seeking to pray in a manner that is consistent with our view of God’s sovereignty and majesty;
Beginning every planning session, meeting, or ministry with a time of prayer;
Uniting times of fasting with our prayers, so that we more greatly savor our Savior.

1 Samuel 12:23; Psalm 32:6; 107:17; Matthew 5:44; 6:5-18; 21:22; 26:41; Acts 1:14; 6:4; Romans 12:12; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6.

Ministry of the Word We seek to maintain a strong preaching ministry. This ministry is grounded in God’s inerrant Word which provides eternal truth explaining the way of salvation and instruction on every issue related to life and godliness. The preaching of the God’s Word will be presented and heard remembering that…

The authority of preaching lies not in the preacher, but in the Word itself;
The preaching will be expositional in nature;
The preaching will be Christ-centered;
The gospel is a transforming message, thus the goal of the preaching will be the salvation of sinners along with the comfort and correction of God’s people;
The preaching will seek to make known the whole counsel of God from the Scriptures and make it applicable to the lives of God’s people;
The preaching will not be bound by the culture, but will address the culture in which it is presented.

Nehemiah 8:5-8; Matthew 7:28-29; Luke 24:25-27; John 21:15-17; Acts 2:42, 17:1-4, 18:4; 1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 1:13-14, 2:1-2, 3:14-4:5; 2 Peter 1:3-4.

Discipleship

We seek to train and encourage all members to be disciples of Jesus Christ, equipping them to think and live a counter-cultural, Christian lifestyle, use their spiritual gifts for the good of God’s people, and serve as a witness of God’s grace to the world. This will be accomplished through…

Being people who are humble and teachable before the Word of God, always growing and being refined in our grasp of God’s truth and grace;
Radical obedience to Jesus in personal holiness and purity in public and in secret;
Learning and accountability in a small group setting;
Personal Bible reading, reflection, and memorization among all our people;
A strong attention to equipping parents to bring children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord;
Providing instruction in family leadership and family worship.
Being a place where single people can flourish with each other and in families;
Men’s and Women’s ministries that embrace the beautiful vision of how God designed men and women to complement each other, thus building strong marriages that model the relationship between Christ and the Church;

Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Psalm 119:9; Proverbs 22:6; Matthew 28:20; Romans 6:12-13; 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:11-13; James 4:4.

Missions

We seek to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all the peoples of the earth by being a city on a hill, giving light to those in spiritual darkness, believing that faith in God’s Son is the only way of salvation. We seek to do this through…

Holding fast to the biblical gospel and not allowing the culture to lessen or change the content of our message;
Cultivating a godly love for our city and a concern for its welfare;
Empowering lay people to be salt and light at all levels of society;
Specific, continuous efforts to personally share our faith through our natural web of relationships;
Organized efforts as a church to share our faith with the lost and make our presence known in the Bay City area;
Regularly and cheerfully supporting missions work through the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program through prayer and financial giving;
Cooperating with Bay Area and State Level Southern Baptist associations;
Partnering with other like-minded Churches in the Bay City area;
Cultivating a welcoming spirit for those who visit our services.

Genesis 22:17-18; Psalm 86:9; Matthew 24:9-14, 28:18-20; Luke 24:47; John 17:18; Acts 1:7-8; 8:4; 1 Corinthians 9:19-27; Revelation 7:9-17.

Fellowship

We seek to create an environment where biblical fellowship occurs among God’s people. True fellowship comes from us being a caring community formed around the Word and worship of God, where cultural barriers are surpassed by the gospel. This spirit of love and cooperation will be evident by…

Our commitment to live according to the Church Covenant;
Increasingly visible, authentic, practical ways of loving each other;
Considering the welfare of others before that of ourselves;
Having an eager openness to new people and the avoidance of cliquishness;
Personal and corporate efforts toward reconciling inter-racial relationships;
Building lasting friendships that strengthen our faith;
Understanding the value of team ministry;
A belief in the importance of small groups for building caring, faith-sustaining relationships;
Honoring and caring for the senior members of our congregation;
Embracing our freedom to relax and enjoy each other and God’s world in casual ways.

Acts 2:42-47; Romans 15:14; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Galatians 5:13, 6:2; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 John 1:3-7.

Ministries of Mercy

We seek to serve our church and community through ministries of mercy, which display God’s compassion and love as we meet practical and physical needs. We will accomplish this by…

Maintaining an attitude of sacrifice and service for others;
Regular and cheerful giving to a designated benevolence needs fund;
Participating in ministries designed to utilize our natural giftedness in meeting the needs of those within our own fellowship;
Reaching out through ministries of word and deed to those in trying and difficult circumstances;

Scriptural Basis: Psalms 72:12-13; Proverbs 19:17; Micah 6:8, Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 4:18-19, 14:12-14; Acts 6:1-7; Galatians 6:10; James 1:27, 2:14-26.

updated May 2007