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| Main Entrance |
9900 Twenty Mile Road
Parker, CO 80134
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
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.
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| 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.
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.
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