Archive for the 'School of Ministry' Category
What Is Before Our Immediate Future At Cross Church?
I do hope you will take a couple of minutes to read as I share some upcoming events:
Our Financial Opportunities
The Lord gave us a great first quarter in our budget, and now we are in the final month of our second quarter. While God is faithful to take care of His church, He always uses His people to give.
Therefore, I appeal to you: Be faithful to honor God with the first-tenth of all He has given to you and do so through our Ministry Budget. This is the financial PRIORITY of our lives personally and is the bread and butter of all we do here at Cross Church. Be faithful to complete your pledge to GREATER THINGS and if you are new to Cross Church, join us in giving above the Ministry Budget, to GREATER THINGS. GREATER THINGS is a three-year program (March finishes year two) that provides resources for great missional opportunities like church planting, church ministry expansion like we have done in Fayetteville, the Compassion Center, greater missionary support, the Cross Church School of Ministry kick-off, strengthening our financial posture as a church, and so much more. This has been one of the greatest programs ever done here in our church. If you were one of the hundreds of families that made commitments, we are now entering month 24 of a 36-month commitment . . . Let’s finish well. If you want to join us, give a gift weekly or monthly to GREATER THINGS in our final 13 months of this campaign.
BE FAITHFUL to these areas of giving when you are here and even when you are away. You can do so by sending in gifts prior to your departure or you can give online by clicking here
Thanks for all you are doing through our church. We are grateful for your giving.
Our Cross Church School Of Ministry
As you know, Dr. Jeff Crawford is our first President of the Cross Church School of Ministry. Students will report on August 15, we are now accepting students. It is amazing what the Lord has done and is going to do. Please go here and look at what has happened already.
As well, our #1 need is for students! Please pray God sends us students from all over the world! They can enroll here
This past Sunday, I was talking to a prospective student. He is about to graduate from one of our Baptist universities and knows God has called him to ministry. He plans to attend seminary, but is also considering coming to us first. Why? He can earn at least 18 Masters-level hours by coming to the Cross Church School of Ministry. So this one-year ministry residency experience can set him apart for the rest of his ministry. Pray . . . pray . . . pray for God to send us men and women who have been called to ministry!
Highlights of the Passion Week: The Final Week in the Life of Jesus Christ
I want to assure you that these eight days will be extremely powerful and unique, like NOTHING we have ever done in the last 26-years. It will all begin on Sunday morning, March 24, and closeout on Sunday, March 31, which is Easter Sunday.
In the coming days you will begin to see more information, but know that during Passion Week you can go on a walk through the final days of Jesus’ life. You can go through His death, His burial, and His resurrection with us.
I am releasing the dates, the titles, and the experiences today, so read below.
Sunday, March 24: Worship services at each campus, “The Lord’s Supper: Remembering the Gospel of Jesus Christ” from Matthew 26:17-30
Monday, March 25 – Friday, March 29: Passion Week Luncheons at our Pinnacle Hills campus. Join us from noon – 1 p.m. for lunch, worship, and a message that will highlight a key moment in the final week of Christ. Each day will hold a new message, so please attend as many luncheons as you can.
Monday, March 25: “The Garden of Gethsemane: Jesus Christ Preparing to Die” from Matthew 26:36-46
Tuesday, March 26: “The Betrayal of Judas and the Kiss of Death” from Matthew 26:17-25, 46-56; 27:3-10
Wednesday, March 27: “The Denials of Peter and his Deep Regret” from Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75
Thursday, March 28: “The Scourging of Jesus Christ and the Final Hours Before His Death” from Matthew 26:57-68; 27:1-2, 11-32
Friday, March 29: “The Crucifixion and The Death of Jesus Christ” from Matthew 27:33-56
Friday Night, March 29: “The Death and Burial of Jesus Christ.” This will be a powerful evening of music, worship, and reflection at Cross Church Pinnacle Hills with special guest music from the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. Admission is free.
Saturday Night, March 30, and Sunday Morning, March 31: “The Resurrection of Jesus Christ From The Dead” from Matthew 27:62-65; 28:1-15.
Blessings and prayers as we look to a fabulous March together, beginning with Sunday, March 3!
Ronnie Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
15 Days – The Cross Church School of Ministry
ronniefloyd.com welcomes guest writer Dr. Jeff Crawford. Dr. Crawford is the President of the Cross Church School of Ministry, which launches in August 2013, and he also serves as a Teaching Pastor of Cross Church Northwest Arkansas.
Fifteen days ago I left a thriving pastorate of seven years at my home church in Fort Smith, Ark. Grand Avenue Baptist Church is where I was saved. It is where I was baptized. It is where I was called to the ministry. And it is where I preached my first sermon while on a youth mission trip. Last year at Grand we baptized over 100 people (for the first time in over 20 years), had one of the largest giving years in our 78 year history, ended the year $200,000 ahead of budget, were a top 200 church in giving to Lottie Moon, and sent over 10% of our people on a mission trip somewhere around the world. Grand is going and blowing. So why would I leave such a church? Some have wondered if there was a problem. There wasn’t. Some have probably (and privately) wondered if there was a scandal. Nope. I am sure some people just think I am crazy. Perhaps, that’s debatable:) The gut honest truth is that it’s all about the call. In fact it’s always been about the call for me.
Answering God’s Call And Preparation
The call of God is a powerful thing. I was called when I was 14 years old. I made up my mind to make the most of my call and that included the best preparation I could find. I graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in philosophy. I went on to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for my masters of divinity in biblical languages and then to The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for my doctor of education degree, writing a dissertation on biblical literacy. That was my “formal” preparation. Formal preparation is important. But it’s not the only preparation. The informal preparation comes when the rubber meets the road. It comes in the local church. Along the way of my formal preparation I was fortunate to pass through many great churches in various capacities – youth, discipleship, singles, etc. I also passed through some bad churches. Not that the church in itself was bad, but the situation was not healthy. There was one point early on that could have ended my ministry had I allowed myself to become disillusioned by the experience. Let’s face it. Some churches just aren’t nice. And some church people and some pastors don’t really give a new college or seminary graduate much slack when it comes to learning HOW to actually DO ministry.
So How Do You Learn Ministry?
Enter the Cross Church School of Ministry. There is a need. A huge need. Needs tend to arise from holes. Something is missing. Something is not getting done. There’s a gap. A hole. A need. I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it. And so have most all my friends in the ministry. In fact, since coming to lead the Cross Church School of Ministry I have had many conversations with pastors and colleagues in ministry. I can tell you that without exception they all identify with this hole of which I speak. They’ve seen it too…and lived it. In fact, it seems to be the elephant in the room that we all try to not talk about. Well, now we are talking. And not just talking, we are doing.
The Cross Church School of Ministry is for the called. The call of God is too awesome and too precious to not handle with great care. God’s called deserve the best preparation for the ministry to God’s people that is available. It is time for the informal to become formal. Because I am called, and because I understand this call, and because I have a heart for that next generation of the called, I have answered a new call – The Cross Church School of Ministry. It really does not get any more complicated than that.
And that brings me to the Church. I believe that the Church should own the preparation of those called by God. YES, there is a place for colleges. YES, there is a place for seminaries. That place is to come along side the Church and to assist the Church as it seeks to prepare the called – not replace the Church. Our problem has been this: the Church has passed off its role of preparing the called to the college and the seminary alone. They have owned none of it. And so we have what we have. Graduates who have excellent theological education and preparation but don’t have a clue how to actually do ministry. The answer to this problem is not in the college or seminary but in the Church.
Let’s Roll
And so Cross Church has begun a School of Ministry. We are officially 15 days old today. And my goodness what a 15 days it has been. If there was any doubt that God is in the Cross Church School of Ministry, these first 15 days should wash that away. I have had numerous young people, called by God, seeking me out via Twitter, email, phone, and even in person. They want to know more. And they are serious about preparing for their call. The Cross Church School of Ministry does not compete with our colleges and seminaries but complements them. In these first 15 days I have communicated directly with the presidents of all six Southern Baptist seminaries and various others. I have communicated with major regional universities. And after just 15 days, we have secured partnership agreements with The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Boyce College, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the College at Southwestern, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and the College at Southeastern, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Union University, and doors have been opened wide for the development of similar partnerships with Oklahoma Baptist University, Ouachita Baptist University, Southwest Baptist University, Criswell College, Liberty University and Liberty Seminary. And we have also secured a tremendously exciting partnership with the North American Mission Board whereby we will become a major training center for church planters. Listen, if God is calling you to plant a church, you need to come to the Cross Church School of Ministry this coming fall!
So the stage is set. In just 15 days. We are ready to roll. We are ready for God called men and women to come to the Cross Church School of Ministry in August of 2013 to be a part of our first cohort of students. To experience our unique one-year residential ministry preparatory experience. And then to go out and change the world for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
For more information on the Cross Church School of Ministry, contact Dr. Jeff Crawford at jeffc@crosschurch.com
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.