Where We Stand

As a church, we are attempting to separate the non-essential beliefs from the essential beliefs. With that in mind, we will not sacrifice biblical truth but will fight for the value of unity in non-salvation issues.

Predestination & Free Will, Eternal Security, and Original Sin

The Crossing’s position will be to preach and teach with the urgency of free will but with the peace that flows from a God Who is in control, emphasizing both God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. We will not let Satan use our foolish pride to drive a wedge between believers using our own interpretations against us. The church’s unity is far too sacred and valuable. If you feel this position is too vague, this probably isn’t the church for you.

There are two orthodox theologies that have been debated in the church for centuries. They are based on Scriptures that interpret other Scriptures: one group emphasizing God’s sovereignty, and one group emphasizing man’s responsibility. Some core issues of contention are predestination, eternal security, and original sin.

Hidden

Predestination

Predestination claims that God in His sovereignty has predetermined the course of all human events while not excusing human responsibility. Free will claims that within God’s sovereignty and predetermined course, humanity can make some choices including our own spiritual destiny. Both positions can find agreement in our doctrinal statements for the sake of unity. While we will share the gospel with the urgency of choice, we will not dispute the sovereignty of God and His indisputable right to make choices.

Eternal Security

Eternal security claims that once we are truly saved, it is impossible to lose or give away our salvation since it is based on God’s sovereign choice. Some who espouse free will claim that just as we can choose salvation, we can choose to reject it. These positions hold that one can have great confidence in their salvation, understanding that a relationship with Christ is much deeper than any given choice in the moment. Both positions can find unity in our doctrinal statements trusting in Christ for security and not our works.

Original Sin

Original sin claims that humanity is dead in sin and therefore incapable of doing anything to reverse it. The effect of inherited sin is therefore destructive. Those who espouse free will claim that sin’s effect was corruptive to humanity as compared to destructive. It holds that while we have inherited a sinful nature, we still have the capacity to make good choices. These positions both acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s key role in our regeneration and can find unity in our doctrinal statements as we trust in God who knows our nature better than we know our own.

Spiritual Gifts

The availability and use of spiritual gifting is a matter of great controversy in the church today. Christians believe that God gives gifts to people for the benefit of the church. Some claim that some specific New Testament gifts such as tongues, prophecy, and healing exist today. Others claim that these particular gifts were apostolic in nature and only necessary in the church’s infancy. Whether or not these gifts are apostolic is debatable.

Our position is that while the church will not dispute that there were apostolic gifts, we will not seek them out and will refrain from using them in public assembly or small groups for the sake of unity.

Gender Roles

Understanding gender roles in the church is another matter of great controversy. The main issue is whether or not women are allowed into the positions of elder or pastor. While we believe in the priesthood of all believers and equality with regards to oneness in Christ, our position as a church is to take a complementarian view. This view holds to males only in church government positions, specifically elder and pastor. This does not exclude women from teaching, leading, or serving in other areas.

Baptism & Communion

Baptism and communion are referred to as ordinances or sacraments in the church. Churches and denominations hold to various methods and traditions in the exercise of these practices. These differences can be a source of contention and division among believers.

Our position in baptism is that we are obeying Christ’s biblical command for all professing believers and are telling the world that we are submitting to Jesus Christ as the Lord of our lives. We practice baptism by immersion as a symbolic picture of the gospel, Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection applied to our lives. Christ modeled the practice by personal example and the early church confessed their faith in Christ and unified through it. Baptism is a primary step in our journey as a Christ-follower. Those desiring membership at The Crossing must be baptized by immersion – either previously at the time of your commitment to Christ, or when you desire membership at The Crossing.

Our position in communion, also called the Lord’s Supper, is that it is a biblically commanded memorial instituted to remind the church of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The bread and cup are symbols of His body broken and His blood spilled out for our salvation. It is an opportunity for personal examination and reflection as we remember the death of our Savior, Jesus Christ until His return. At The Crossing, we believe that communion is a Biblical mandate from Christ to His Church, and is only to be observed by those who have received Salvation through His blood sacrifice. As a part of our weekly gatherings, communion is offered on the basis of self-examination.

Stewardship

God is the source of all blessings, so all that we have we owe to Him. We are under an obligation to serve Him with our time, talents, and material possessions. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, proportionally, and liberally for the advancement of the Kingdom.

Our position in proportional giving is to practice tithing as a starting place, setting aside 10% of our income for the local church. We see it as the Scriptural standard for giving. As a lifestyle, we give offerings over and above the tithe as we practice liberal giving.

Family

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship is an exercise in mutual submission. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.

Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

Christians & The Social Order

All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in their own lives and in society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends, Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.

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