A new campus? Why not a new service?
March 31, 2010
Why are you adding a new campus when you have not even out grown your current facilities? That’s one popular questions I’ve been getting from people (especially those who are not from Crossbridge) trying to understand why we are launching this new campus downtown Miami.
I frankly think it’s a great question because it all goes back to our DNA as a church.
Here’s how we see this.
1. There’s a missional reason. If Crossbridge had a corporate approach to church (meaning, our main interest were to become a large mega-church), then we could not afford this new campus move. In fact, it would be stupid because it will take more money, more time and more volunteers to add a new campus than to add a second service at our main Pinecrest campus. But, since this is not the case, I believe we’re on the right track.
From the beginning we have said that Crossbridge would be a missionally minded church. Our vision from the get go has been to help Miami become a better city rather than become a great church (borrowed from our mother church here). As a church we have been active in promoting the arts (19|one), in partnering with serveral social justice 501c-3s and, have dreamed to take the Gospel to the unchurched areas of the city. And because this is true, we cannot afford not to add this new Brickell location. Brickell desperately needs the Gospel. Brickell is a vibrant area of Miami with a mix of businesses and residences with nearly 25000 residents and only 2 protestant churches with less than 100 people combined in them. The Lord has placed this area of the city in my heart and I have committed myself in the past year to go to Brickell once a week and pray over it. Recently, we were presented with an opportunity that we could not turn down because we discerned it was coming from God.
2. There’s a practical reason. Another reason besides the missional one is that; to add a campus costs more than to add a service but it’s way cheaper than planting a church from scratch.
We are aware that this will be a great challenge for us. We will be stretched in every direction. Frankly, we don’t even know where God wants to take us in the end, but we are trusting him in this first step hoping that the best days of Brickell, Crossbridge and, his Kingdom in Miami are still to come.
Hope to see you there Sunday night. If not, pray hard for us.
