Crossroads Community Church- Parker, CO

Main Entrance

9900 Twenty Mile Road

Parker, CO 80134

crossroadschurchparker.org

Map

Date of visit: Sunday, December 28, 2014 9:30 a.m.

How we heard about the church: I think I just googled “churches in Parker, CO” and it came up there. It was some variation of an internet search engine.

Affiliation: As best as I can tell, Crossroads is non-denominational

Statement of Faith:

We Believe...

-       God’s priority is for us to develop a love for Him, ourselves and others (Matthew 22:34-40, John 13:34-35, Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 6:27, Ephesians 5:25).

-       The Bible is the true Word of God, without error and our guide for life (II Timothy 3:14-17, II Peter 1:20-21, Matthew 24:35, Luke 16:17, Hebrews 4:12).

-       In God as Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all one being (Romans 8:9-11, Ephesians 3:16-19, II Corinthians 3:17).

-       In Jesus Christ: His virgin birth (Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38), His death for all our sins because we could not pay the penalty ourselves (John 3:16, Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23, II Corinthians 5:21), in His burial, resurrection from the dead, ascension into heaven, and soon coming return for which we eagerly await (I Corinthians 15:1-4, I John 2:1-2, Philippians 2:5-11, John 14:1-3, I Thessalonians 4:13-18).

-       Each individual must decide if they will accept God’s gift of forgiveness and eternal life by receiving Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (John 1:12, Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9). 

-       The Holy Spirit convicts, guides and lives in believers, giving them spiritual gifts and empowering them to mature spiritually (John 16:8, 13, Romans 8:9, I Corinthians 12:7-12, Romans 8:9-16, Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 1:13-14).

-       In the Church: Jesus is the head of the Church (Ephesians 1:22-23, Colossians 1:18), Jesus established the Church to be made up of all those who have received Him as their Lord and Savior.(Matthew 16:16-18, Colossians 1:18, Acts 2:40-47, Ephesians 1:19-23), Jesus asked the Church to remember His death and resurrection by observing believer’s baptism and communion (Matthew 28:18-20, I Corinthians 11:23-26), God calls His followers to make disciples by telling others about His gift of forgiveness and eternal life that is offered through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:10, Acts 1:8, I Peter 3:15, II Corinthians 5:17-21).

-       God hears and answers prayers (Matthew 5:7, John 14:12-14, James 4:2-3, I Peter 5:7).

-       God is the only One worthy of worship (Matthew 4:10, Exodus 20:1-6).

-       Worship is an attitude of the heart that helps us honor God in all we do (John 4:23-24, I Corinthians 6:19-20, I Corinthians 10:31, II Corinthians 5:15).

-       God created angels to serve Him and His people (Hebrews 1:14, Psalm 34:7, Psalm 91:1-2, Matthew 18:10).

-       The devil and his demons are fallen angels and the enemy of God and all people (Revelation 12:9, II Corinthians 4:4, Luke 8:12, Ephesians 6:10-18).

-       Hell is a real place of punishment set aside for the devil and his demons, and a natural consequence for not receiving Jesus Christ as Savior (Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:10-15).

-       Heaven is the place where believers will spend eternity with God (John 3:3, John 14:1-3, I John 5:11-13, Revelation 21:1-22:5).

-       Every individual is incredibly important to God (II Peter 3:9, I Timothy 2:1-4, Ezekiel 33:11, Isaiah 30:18, John 3:16-17). - See more at: http://www.crossroadschurchparker.org/statement-of-faith#sthash.JJKEkJ1Z.dpuf

From the Crossroads Community Church website

Service Time(s): Saturdays 5:00 p.m., Sundays 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

Service Format: Crossroads uses the newer format of church services that I’ve experienced at churches like Red Rocks. The service starts with an opening song and moves into the greeting time. After the greeting time, a pastor leads corporate prayer. After that, the worship leader leads one song and then everyone settles in for the sermon. When we were there, the senior pastor was taking what sounded like a much deserved break. Joshua Clemons, the Youth/Teaching pastor, preached. His sermon followed the format of movie clip, sermon point, main Scripture, story, sermon point, Scripture, story, Scripture, sermon point, Scripture, story, Scripture, sermon point, Scripture, story, Scripture. After the sermon, Joshua led us in communion, and then the worship leader led us in a couple of songs. Joshua prayed a benediction prayer and then dismissed the service. The service lasted one hour.

Joshua Clemons preaching

Sui Generis*: A cool thing that I noticed on the website is a section about what to expect when you visit Crossroads. You can read that here. They have their children’s department at the very front of the church which is neat to see but makes the entrance busy. They also have designated parking spots for special needs.

SWAG: There wasn’t really a place that we saw for visitors to get information. There was a small counter just inside the door that had someone standing behind it. I think they were there to give information but she was talking to a couple of people and the counter wasn’t large enough for more than two people to stand at at a time. We couldn’t really see what was on the counter but we did manage to grab a booklet about the church that was sitting on the edge of the counter.

Benchmark Questions:

Did I feel welcomed? Sort of. The people we interacted with weren’t overly friendly but they weren’t cold, either. We were greeted at the door with a smile and a warm handshake. The sanctuary was pretty full (I recommend getting there early so you can find a seat). We passed by one row while looking for a seat and there was an older couple sitting just inside the row. They grabbed us and pointed to two empty seats in their row. When we sat down, the woman helped me take off my coat which I thought was adorable and very sweet.

Did I feel led in worship? Not really. Of course, I don’t doubt for a minute that the band and worship team believed in everything they sang- that much was evident. But I didn’t feel like I was ushered into the throne room of God and led in worship.

Did I leave feeling spiritually satisfied? Again, not really. There was so much information packed into the sermon that I wasn’t sure how it was all connected. The individual points of the sermon were good but it left me feeling a little confused.

What's the coffee situation? They have a coffee bar with yummy looking donuts. I’m not sure if they were complimentary or for purchase because there were so many people around that we weren’t able to get very close to the coffee bar.

Is there visitor parking? Yes, they have a whole circular parking lot at the very front just for visitors.

Is the church easily accessible? Yes, the church is just off Lincoln and Parker. It’s an old car dealership so there is plenty of parking.

Can I stream the service(s) online? Yes, you can stream the services here.

Do I feel the freedom to visit again? Yes. The type of service wasn’t exactly my cup of tea but I believe that is totally okay. Not all churches are for everyone. I didn’t hear anything that made me question their theology and their worship seemed genuine. There’s nothing theological that would keep me from visiting again.

*sui generis- Latin-  1. of his, her, its, or their own kind; unique.

Grace Chapel- Englewood, CO

Used with permission of Grace Chapel

8505 S. Valley Hwy
Englewood, CO 80112
(303) 799-4900
gracechapel.org
Map

Date of visit: Sunday, December 21, 2014; 9:00 a.m. service

How we heard about the church: I've been there several times for graduations, puppet festivals, etc. However, I have never been to a service there. I drove by the church yesterday and decided that I wanted to visit there today.

Affiliation: Non- denominational.

Statement of Faith:  The Bible—God’s love letter to man. To know it is to know the One who gave it. To love it is to love the One who shared His wonderful plan with humanity. Recognizing that the Bible is the very Word of the Living God and that God wants us to understand His Word so we may intelligently worship and serve Him, the Elders at Grace Chapel are deeply committed to being,

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

This doctrinal statement presents the primary doctrines of the Christian faith, and forms the heart of the theological foundation here at Grace Chapel. May God bless you.
- See more at: http://www.gracechapel.org/about-us/doctrinal-statement#sthash.14pGIxkd.dpuf

From the Grace Chapel Website

They have a more detailed doctrinal statement here.

Grace Chapel is also a missional church. You can read about Grace Chapel's missional community here or for a more general definition of the missional community, visit Wikipedia's article here. Basically, a missional church is all about living the Christian life together. The main idea is that the members of the community eat together, socialize together, worship together and do missions together.


Service Times: 9:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. As far as I can tell, the services are identical. The service lasts about a hour and a half.


Service Format: Grace Chapel uses the standard worship service format of announcements, greeting time, worship, offering, and sermon. The announcements at the beginning were mostly video announcements but there were a couple of live announcements as well. They called the video announcement time "The Download." After that comes the worship time led by a band and a small choir. The worship director plays the keyboard while leading worship along with a praise leader who stands more center stage. There are screens surrounding the platform that has the words to the songs on them.

Worship Time at Grace Chapel (9:00am)

We sang contemporary Christian arrangements of classic Christmas carols. They had sort of a Chris Tomlin/Casting Crowns/Paul Baloche feel to them. After worship time which includes a greeting time, an offering is taken. Ushers pass the plates while the choir sings an anthem. When we were there, they sang a medley of Christmas songs which included "All is Well" and "No Eye Had Seen." When we visited GC, it was during advent so a young couple went up to the front of the sanctuary and lit the advent wreath.

Once the offering is over, the sermon begins. The sermon lasts about 45 minutes- 1 hour. The gospel is presented at the end of the sermon and there are people at the front of the sanctuary at the end of the service who are available to pray with you.

Nick Berard preaching the sermon

Sui Generis*: Grace Chapel is unique in the fact that the senior pastor, John Zivojinovic, has recently announced his resignation. It was announced several times during the service that he is stepping away from the ministry; we spoke with a regular attendee who said that John will continue to attend Grace Chapel but will probably get a job in the secular workplace instead of remaining in the ministry. His transition will be a slow one as his last day isn't until the end of March. However, the transition has already started. Nick Berard (pictured above) who is an Elder and the Young Men's Director is taking turns preaching along with Ron Brenning (the Marriage and Family Pastor) and John. There will also be some guest speakers at times (pastors from around Denver).

SWAG: Like most churches, you have to work for your free goodies by filling out an information card and turning it in at the front desk. When I got my bag, I felt like Christmas had come early! They load you up with a ton of information on the church which includes a booklet called Connect at Grace which details every program in the church, a map of the campus, and a postcard with a greeting on it from the senior pastor. Also included in the bag is a mug with this cool design on it made from chalkboard paper. The mug has chalk in it so you're able to write a message or draw something or whatever on the mug. But that's not all! You also get two different kinds of tea (I got peppermint and caffeine free Earl Grey), and a pen and a magnet (both emblazoned with the Grace Chapel logo). Since it was Christmastime, I also got an advent devotional published by Denver Seminary. I'm not sure if there's a devotional the rest of the year.

SWAG

Benchmark Questions:

Did I feel welcomed? Yes, I did. There was someone just inside the door who welcomed us with a warm greeting. Another member said hello to us and showed us where the free coffee and donuts were.

Did I feel led in worship? Yes, I did. The choir didn't look bored or like they were performing. I wasn't sure if it would be a distraction to raise my hands in worship but as soon as I had the thought, I noticed that some people in the choir were raising their hands. When I saw that, I felt like I had the freedom to worship how I like.

Did I leave feeling spiritually satisfied? For the most part, yes. Nick gave us so much information in the sermon, it took me a while to sift through it in my mind. Of course, I'm the kind of person who has to process things before I come to a conclusion, though. One of the things that Nick did was ask us to keep in mind two things. His sermon was from Matthew 6:1-18 which is all about not making a show of your giving. He asked us to ask ourselves how we can give to someone without anyone knowing and to pray that God increases while we decrease (Psalm 139).

Should I bring my bible? You can. They have bibles in the pews for you to use but the sermon refers back to the Bible enough that I wouldn't have minded carrying it around.

What's the coffee situation? They have a little setup of FREE coffee and donuts.

Is there visitor parking? There are signs for visitor parking but Ryan and I didn't see designated spots, That doesn't mean that they weren't there- we just didn't see them.

Is the church easily accessible? Sort of. The Inverness area is a maze anyway but the cool thing about Grace Chapel is that it practically sits on the highway just off County Line. It's the lot next to the light rail station so if you get too lost, you can always park at the mall and use the walkway over the highway to walk to the church. The church was easy enough to find but we did almost miss the turn off Inverness because the street intersected Inverness at a weird angle.

Can I stream the services online? Yes, but only the 10:45 a.m. service. To view the service, click here.

Do I feel the freedom to visit again? Yes. It was a pleasant experience so I would feel comfortable returning.

*sui generis- Latin-  1. of his, her, its, or their own kind; unique.