Crossroads Community Church

Denomination: non-denominational

Date attended: September 20, 2009

Service times: 9am and 10:30am (I attended the 10:30)

Location: In a business shopping center like place. There were signs and so it was relatively easy to find.

Anonymity/visitor factor: Walked in and out without speaking to anyone. Programs were on a podium for you to pick up yourself. Shake hands and say hello after a few worship songs. The woman next to me said I had a nice singing voice. Yay. The congregation likes each other because they had a hard time quieting down even when the worship leader started talking again.

Worship: I really enjoyed it. I knew most of the songs and it reminded me of Westmont a little in that they sang a Keith Getty song and the worship leader took a old hymn and set it to new music. They made a big deal of announcing that the father and brother of the worship leader were visiting and playing with them that morning. I found that announcement to be very awkward.

Outreach: The website and program mention that they have outreach and ministries, but they didn't talk about it much or say what it is.

Orthodoxy: Pretty decent. See "sermon" heading for more.

Communion: not offered

Offering: Drop box by the door. They made a big deal out of an offering they will take in a couple of weeks that is to benefit meeting the needs of expansion.

Gender: One or two women on stage singing. Men singing and playing instruments. The only female leaders are heading up kids ministries and women's ministries.

Singles: There a young adults ministry that meets 3 times a month and a young marrieds that meets twice a month. I don't know if the young adults is focused just on college age or not.

Sermon: Text came from Ephesians and he talked about predestination. Not easy stuff to cover. The thing that stood out in my mind was when he told the story about someone he knew who had adopted a child and how he/she "always forgets that they're adopted" because they are so apart of the family that there is no distinction. And that God is like that when he chooses us to be in his family. He also made the point that because we are chosen, we must live differently, we are chosen to be holy. The emphasis was more on grace than on love. He told a lot of little stories throughout the sermons that felt more like quips than anything that helped bring his point across. Spoke very well to the middle aged family centered crowd.

Other things: Brownie points for the above mentioned woman for the compliment. There was a guy outside chatting about the seminars they offer. He had multiple tattoos and piercings. I thought this was hopeful. There was a mention that they order an In-N-Out truck after the 10:30 service. They also offer seminars on Sundays during the services. The seminars revolve around tough topics like end times, homosexuality, etc. I find this to be a very nice idea. I want to go to one sometime to see how they interpret these issues and to see if it is someone talking at you or if there is opportunity for discussion.
They have a ton of info available on their website for exactly what they believe.

Conclusion: 7/10 stars. For being theological sound. I would come back if I couldn't find a place where I think I belong better.