As a valued member of the Partner Family, Cross Church commits to coming along- side you and your ministry in two key ways—relationship and resources!
RELATIONSHIP
The core belief that drives the Cross Church Partner Family is that pastors and churches are better together! One of our primary desires is to help facilitate deeper relationships between you, Cross Church, and the other pastors/churches within the Partner Family. Toward that end, Cross Church will make the following opportunities available to members of the Partner Family:
Personal Connection to Cross Church Staff Members
Once part of the Partner Family, you will be connected to a Cross Church Staff Member (known as a Peer Guide) who will serve as your primary point of contact for any needs that you may have. For instance, if you have a question about preschool curriculum, your Peer Guide can connect you to one of our preschool directors. If you have a question about a technology or finance issue, the Peer guide can connect you to our Director of Communications or a team member in the finance office. Cross Church team members are our greatest asset and we desire to leverage their knowledge and experience to assist you when needed.
Partner Family “Advance Weekend”
Cross Church will provide a yearly weekend experience for pastors and spouses to join with other partner family churches at our “Advance Weekend.” The goal of these weekends is to encourage you and help advance the mission of your church reaching people in your community and beyond. These weekends will involve opportunities for fellowship, rest, round table discussion on ministry topics, ministry observation at Cross Church, and a lot of fun surprises along the way. While partner churches are welcome to come each year, one Advance Weekend during their commitment period will be fully covered at our expense for a pastor and his spouse.
Partner Family Virtual Calls
Cross Church will facilitate regular virtual “co-hort” calls that will include equipping, peer discussion, fellowship, and prayer. Each “co-hort” will be made up of a Cross Church staff member and a small group of other pastors in the Partner Family.
Mission Opportunities
Partner Family churches are welcome to join Cross Church on mission trips both nationally and around the world. The Cross Church missions staff cares deeply about establishing gospel-focused partnerships with church planters and missionaries and facilitating opportunities to join them in the work they are doing. As a Partner Family member, you can jump on board with us as we seek to reach America and the World for Jesus Christ.
Emotional Health Support
Cross Church desires to provide a safe and caring environment for pastors and their spouses to discover Christ-centered answers to personal struggles and relational challenges. As a member of the Partner Family, we offer you church-based counseling as an extension of our ministry to you. Our Director of Counseling Ministry, or various members of our ministry team can meet with you informally either virtually or in person as you seek biblical guidance and direction. If you desire a formal relationship with a professional counselor in your local area to walk alongside you for an extended period of time, our Director of Counseling Ministry can help you find the resources and information you need to make an informed decision.
RESOURCES
PARTNER FAMILY PORTAL
Through our online partner family portal, Cross Church will provide partners with free resources that can be easily customized to fit your church and ministry context. These resources include sermon manuscripts, media graphics, small group material, preschool/kids, student material, leadership training, business/personnel policies, and more! We will update these resources regularly and will also include content that other Partner Family churches make available.
CONFERENCES
Partner Family members will receive free admission to any in-person or online conferences provided by Cross Church. These include our Called to Lead Church Leadership Conference, men’s and women’s conferences, marriage conferences, and more.
Three-Year Partnership
True partnership does not happen overnight. We believe a three-year commitment provides the necessary amount of time to relationally invest in one another and work together to advance the mission of reaching more people with the gospel. At the end of each three-year commitment, both parties will determine if the partnership should be extended for another three years.
Affirmation of Cross Church Beliefs
While Partner Family churches are not required to affiliate with the Southern Baptist Convention, we do believe partnerships are stronger when they are like-minded in doctrine. In light of this, we ask all partner family members to affirm the doctrinal positions of Cross Church. These beliefs can be found at crosschurch.com/beliefs.
Gospel Advancement
Since the primary purpose of the Cross Church Partner Family is to reach more people for Jesus Christ, each Partner Family church must be committed to owning this mission in their community and beyond in tangible ways.
Prayer
God can do more in a moment than we can do in a lifetime! Without His presence and power, the work we do is in vain. Partner Family members are committed to prayer personally and to leading their churches to be praying churches for the sake of the mission.
Relationship-Building
Partner Family members are committed to building relationships with Cross Church and other Partner Family pastors and churches. Two primary ways this will occur are through a commitment to regular participation in the Partner Family virtual calls and attendance at no less than one “Advance Weekend” during the three-year commitment period.
Feedback
Cross Church will send an annual feedback survey that we ask each Partner Family member to reply to in a prompt matter. This survey will inform changes and additions that need to be made to the Partner Family and help us assess how we may better serve you.
Unity
Partner Family members are committed to unity and cooperation both in word and action. Where differences or issues arise, we will handle them in a Christ-like and biblical way.
If you desire to become part of the Cross Church Partner Family, please click the Apply Now button below.