Our Vision
As people who have experienced refuge in God, we strive to be a place where broken and hurting people can find a safe space for healing, experience God’s transformative power, and respond to the invitation to partner with Him in loving the world.
We want to be a church that…
MAJORS ON THE MAJORS AND MINORS ON THE MINORS
Everything starts with Jesus. He is the hero of our stories, not us.
STEPS INTO OUR CALL TO “GO”
We have a human responsibility to partner with Jesus in His mission to share His message of love in our everyday lives.
DOESN’T TRY TO BE THE SMARTEST IN THE ROOM
We believe our preaching needs to be accessible and relatable.
PRACTICES WHAT WE PREACH
Not to be too cliche, but if the Word hasn’t transformed us, how can we expect it to transform anyone else?
IS UNASHAMEDLY REAL
We are not interested in a shiny, polished production, but rather we value authenticity and transparency. We want to be as invitational and as disarming as possible.
STEWARDS HIS CHURCH WELL
The Church belongs to Jesus, not us. He doesn’t have to partner with us, but He chooses to anyway, and that’s pretty amazing!
UNDERSTANDS THAT DISCIPLESHIP IS A PROCESS
Discipleship is the journey we’re all on, and it’s the process of growing in the character and competency of Jesus. We learn to follow His words, ways, and works. He is the one we want to model our lives after, so the journey between now and Heaven is mostly about how we can continue to become more like Him.
DOESN’T SIMPLY APPEAL TO INTELLECT
We want to be sure that we’re not just passing on information about who Jesus is, but conveying how the Gospel is actually capable of changing human hearts. If it’s just knowledge or new information we’re passing along, then we’re doing something wrong.
VALUES INTERGENERATIONAL LEADERS AND RELATIONSHIPS
We know that God can use anyone at any age, and our heart is to create opportunities for everyone to respond in obedience. In doing so, we hope to cultivate a culture that builds up young leaders.
TWO CHURCHES. ONE VISION.
Over the years, we have experimented with multiple church planting models between our Caldwell and Nampa locations to have a greater impact in the Treasure Valley area. While there are countless ways to plant churches, below is a framework we have used to eventually (through prayer, collaboration, and even trial and error) decide on becoming a connectional church.
Dependent Church
- Requires a healthy, sending church to provide all of the necessary resources to launch
- Carefully follows the policies and procedures outlined by the sending church
- Highly centralized; dependent on a central services team from the sending church—usually, this dependence is intended to be permanent
- Led by Campus Pastor(s) installed by the sending church, usually with careful limitations on both authority and autonomy
- The sending church drives Sermons, curriculum, and ministry activities; sermon delivery via video is not uncommon
CONNECTIONAL CHURCH
- Requires a healthy sending church to provide most of the necessary resources to launch
- Develops its own policies and procedures but initially adopts those used by the sending church
- Less centralized while working in cooperation with the sending church towards the goal of connectional independence
- Functions like administration, technology, finance, and communications may be shared by multiple connectional churches
- Led by Lead Pastor(s) who are commissioned by the sending church often along with a key leadership team
Independent Church
- Does not require a connection to an existing church
- Must develop its own policies and procedures, as well as its own governing board
- Decentralized operation; autonomous and independent
- All functions are completed by pastoral and ministry staff (and in many cases, volunteers)
- Led by Senior/Lead Pastor(s), with additional staff onboarded as the church grows
WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT…
GOD
- In the eternally existing Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- In God the Father who concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of man.
- In Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, teachings, His atoning death, resurrection, ascension into heaven, and promise of His personal, visible return to earth and the establishing of His kingdom.
- In the Holy Spirit and His present ministry of rebirth and renewal as well as the giving of spiritual gifts to each follower of Christ.
HUMANS
- That both men and women are created in God’s image and are qualified to lead as enabled by the Holy Spirit.
- That all people have sinned yet are made in the image of God. Only repentance and faith in Christ can restore us into fellowship with God.
- In the global Church and the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members.
FAITH
- In the Bible as the fully inspired Word of God, the only infallible rule for faith and practice.
- In Water Baptism and Communion as a means of grace from God to us.
- In the “Apostles’ Creed” as the fundamental facts of Christian faith and the historic orthodox creeds of the church.
Meet the Crossroads team
A NOTE ON LEADERSHIP
Before introducing you to our team, we want you to know we believe leadership is about everyday people using their gifts and calling to make an impact on people’s lives in both small and large group settings inside and outside the church. Men and women lead in every aspect of ministry at Crossroads, and we do so through a team approach, collaborating in concert with one another’s unique gifting in accordance with Ephesians 4:11-13 (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, Teacher).
Additionally, some of our staff leaders submit to a process of ordination resulting in a role of spiritual oversight that focuses on ensuring the overall health of the body of Christ.
Michael Ansley
Creative Arts Assistant
Niki Black
Facilities Director
Jim Bridgeman
Maintenance Director
Julia Buendia
Communications Director
Krystal Burke
Office Coordinator
Jordan Freiburghaus
Associate Pastor
Rebecca Freiburghaus
Operations Director
Dori Halbert
Associate Pastor, Director of Refuge Counseling and Wellness Center
Jim Halbert
Founding Pastor
Nathan Hunter
Middle School Youth Pastor
Gary Keeler
Connections Director
Georgette Keeler
Assistant to the Leadership Team
Chad Kmiecik
Technical Director
Anna McGarrah
Lead Pastor
Barry McGarrah
Lead Pastor
Kyle Nelson
Connections Pastor
Lauren Nelson
Elementary Coordinator
Felicia Presler
Preschool Ministries Director
Elizabeth Seward
Administrative Assistant
Dawne Smith
Bookkeeper
Howard Smith
Associate Pastor, Pastoral Care
Marika Springer
High School & Young Adults Pastor
Gwin Steele
Next Gen. Pastor
Brian Taylor
Executive Pastor
Jamie Taylor
Creative Pastor
BOARD OF STEWARDS
Each member is elected by the congregation and serves a three-year term. The role of the Board is to provide accountability to the pastoral leadership team, help set strategic direction, and give oversight to the financial decisions of the organization.
- Jim Halbert – President of the Corporation
- Chris Jensen – Chairman
- Dan DeCloss – Secretary
- David Stout – Treasurer
- Natali Elliston – Director
- Michele Powell – Director
- Phil Schreffler – Director
