We’re continuing our series of Mythbusters:  Crosspoint edition.  Last fall, we began including these into our Discover Crosspoint membership class.  Here is the next myth that needs to be busted…

At Crosspoint, we have a culture of caring for, praying for, loving, and supporting our pastors.  The New Testament speaks of the care and support needed for those who are involved in teaching the Word (1 Timothy 5:17-18).  Such a culture is required in a healthy church, as it helps encourage pastors in their ministry and communicates love to them and their families.

And yet a church having a culture of supporting and loving their pastors, does not mean the pastors then sit at the center of the church’s ministry.  As if all ministry originates with the pastor or is built on his gifts or abilities.  Imagine a bicycle wheel…where the axle sits in the middle and then all the spokes come out from that axle toward the rim.  In many churches, unfortunately, that is a picture of how the church’s ministry operates, where the pastor does everything from hospital visits, to preaching, to mowing the yard.  We don’t believe that is a healthy model for the pastor and his family, nor for the church.  It leads to burn-out of the pastor, and ineffective and sidelined believers in the church.

When the pastor remains at the center, then frankly ministry, outreach, and eternal impact are limited because the center of the ministry is a finite man.  For example, the pastor is working with only certain spiritual gifts and limited time.  So instead of the Pastor at the center, or instead of Crosspoint being all about the pastor, Crosspoint is all about Jesus.  Jesus is who sits at the center of all we do, and who we are.  Jesus is our Chief Shepherd and who we ultimately follow as a church.  Jesus is who unites us, and it is His mission that we are a part of.

We believe the Body of Christ is most effective when it ministers to the Body of Christ, not necessarily when the pastor is the one who does all the ministry.  Ephesians 4 gives us this picture of how the church leaders are called to equip and prepare God’s people for works of service.  1 Corinthians 12 gives us the picture of the church being the Body of Christ, and how each member of the body has a part to play.

We are so encouraged at how Crosspointers are stepping up to serve and do their part in the Body.  That has been the case at Crosspoint from day 1, and that culture remains and continues to grow.  People are stepping into ministries such as First Impressions, or to invest into children in SonChasers, to serve in worship, or to serve in front or behind the scenes.  People are preparing meals, inviting friends, discipling students, praying for others, sending encouraging notes, meeting needs, and being the Body of Christ.  it is beautiful and it is all vital and all important to the Kingdom.

At Crosspoint, our heart is to see God’s people equipped and released to do ministry, and to be the hands and feet of the Body of Christ.  When that happens, ministry expands, grows, and the Gospel continues to impact and change lives.  And ultimately, the Lord gets the glory!