Our Structure

Crossroads Community Church is part of the Evangelical Methodist Church. The Methodist church has always embodied aspects of Episcopalian government (from its roots in the Church of England). Episcopal government has some advantages and disadvantages. Authority is essentially top-down which makes decision-making less complicated. However, it can at times be the most prone to abuses of power. For this reason, many churches have a modified form of Episcopal government.

The EMC is organized with a congregational-connectional government. It is connectional in that the local churches are connected with one another by the Discipline and Constitution of the EMC and submitted to the authority of the bishops (superintendents) elected to serve the churches. It is congregational in regard to two things – (1) property rights (the local churches own and control their own buildings and grounds) & (2) calling a senior pastor.

In a sense then, our church is organized with a mixture of Episcopal, Presbyterian and Congregational aspects of government. Here’s how this works at Crossroads.

1. Jesus is the Head of the Church
   Christ is the only true head of our church, ruling over us by His Holy Spirit and His Word.
2. General Superintendent, District Superintendents
   The Superintendents of the EMC assist in matters of church conflict and discipline; approval of the senior pastor; and provide spiritual accountability for the senior pastor and staff.
3. Local Church Government
   Under normal circumstances (when denominational assistance is not required), the local church operates under the leadership of the Pastoral Staff working in conjunction with the Board of Stewards. The phrase we use to describe this is “pastor-led, board accountable.” The division of labor is similar to the early churches distinction between the roles of elder and deacon.
   1. Pastoral Staff (Elders)
      1. Lead Elders (Teaching Elders)
         The Lead Elders are given the responsibility for the spiritual leadership of the work of the ministry at Crossroads. They have various foci of ministry but are all set aside to the ministry of the Word and prayer as their primary means of leadership. This group leads as a “team” and recognizes the Senior Pastor as the ”first among equals.”
      2. Supporting Elders
         Supporting Elders are ordained or licensed servants who perform various ministries under the direction of the Senior Pastor.
   2. Board of Stewards (Deacons)
      The Board of Stewards (Board of Trustees) is comprised of partners nominated by the congregation, approved by the lead elders and existing board members, and elected to a term of three years. The Board of Stewards oversees the finances and material business of the church in association with the Executive Pastor and Bookkeeper. The Senior Pastor is an ex-officio member of the Board of Stewards. The Board of Stewards also works in conjunction with the Lead Elders and superintendents in matters of church discipline.
   3. Ministry and Other Staff
      At the discretion of the Senior Pastor, various individuals serve in various capacities ministry and otherwise on the staff of Crossroads. All ministry staff serve under the Senior Pastor and Executive Pastor and all Support Staff serve under the Executive Pastor.
   4. Partners (Members)
      Partners of Crossroads sign annual partnership renewal agreements and in our annual meeting elect new members to the Board of Stewards, approve the budget recommended by the Board of Stewards, and vote on any issues as outlined in the Discipline of the EMC.

Why is this important?

In America, we have a democratic republican form of government that assures that we all have a voice. The power in our governmental system in the US rests with “we the people.” Many churches take this idea into their church government and think of leaders in the church like elected leaders in our nation. The problem with the overemphasizing of the idea that the leaders serve the people is that leaders in the church have taken vows to serve Christ and His interests in the lives of the flock. Leaders that are controlled by those they serve are identified as “hirelings” in the Bible as opposed to “true shepherds.” Our model for government attempts to provide an answer to this all too common problem by recognizing that the leadership of the church (pastors & board) are primarily accountable to Christ, to make decisions in unison that glorify Him and pursue His ends in the life of the congregation, secondly accountable to our denominational oversight as Christ’s representatives, and thirdly accountable to the congregation for leading them to the best of our ability in the paths of righteousness.