Crossroads’ journey to a new, purpose-built facility has been long and some-times painful.
The church, midway between Auckland, Thames and Hamilton, sold off several of its smaller worship centres, raising the ire of some communities and generating some negative publicity.
But the Rev Steve Millward says Crossroads, like other churches in the same situation, “needed to be smart”.
“If we don’t rationalise, we face extinction”.
For 30 years, the church’s largest congregation has been meeting in Mangatangi’s community hall, where a lack of permanent signage makes it invisible to the community, Steve says.
Work on the new facility, also in Mangatangi, started in October 2009, with completion due in June.
Prior to construction, the church went through a significant consultation process, meeting with neighbours and groups that the district council saw as interested parties.
Session clerk Bill Millar says it gave them a chance to sit down and explain the church’s vision.
Bill’s son David, who’s been monitoring the project for the church, says the construction has generated significant interest in the community. “The site manager says there’s not a day goes by when there isn’t someone having a good look.”
The project had ambitious beginnings: when planning and fundraising work started, the congregation was only 50 people.
Bill says initially they were looking at a $400,000 building and a massive mortgage. Instead they have ended up funding a $2 million project without huge debt. Press Go has granted Crossroads a loan of $300,000, to be repaid over 6-10 years.
The new facility is on a 12-acre site and will seat 200 people, with expansion space for another 50, and includes a café and dedicated areas for other ministries.
“The question has been asked, ‘do we really need something as flash as that?’”, Steve says. But the building sends a potent message: “Before anything is said, they’ll say ‘wow, you guys did this, and you aren’t that big - maybe we can do it.’”
While the church described itself as evangelical, he says, “that wasn’t growing us”. So after thinking more deeply about their environment, they brought in couches, pot plants and a coffee machine.
“If people don’t apply their theology to building, music and dress, then they stay placed in the 20th century and become irrelevant very quickly. It’s amazing how those things help people.”
And then Crossroads started to grow. “For eight years, it was virtually the same people every week. In the last four years, we’re getting a trickle of people every week checking us out.”
Attendance at services grew to an average of 80 people in June 2009, and 90 in December. About 120 people are involved in the church altogether, Steve says.
The carpark is nearly full at 10am, with people coming for coffee before the 10.30am service; a stark contrast to several years ago when Steve struggled to start on time because of latecomers.
Elder Catherine Bentley says the Sunday coffee and gathering has become a much-needed focal point for the community.
At the moment, about 25 children come along every week, meeting in a very small space, with as much time setting up and packing down as with the children. At one point, Sunday school was being held in a van outside the church.
Youth church meets on a Friday night, and includes worship and a message as well as games and food. It has been held jointly with St James’ Presbyterian in Pukekohe, attracting about 70 young people in total, half from each church.
Part of Crossroads’ vision is to help other small churches grow.
The church is also planning conferences and youth events, such as its successful youth music festival Faith Fest, and to offer training such as parents’ courses.
Steve says events at Crossroads attract a big turn out “because we’re within an hour
of Auckland”.
A “Global Positioning” prayer lunch held in late 2009 attracted 55 people from about 15 churches, and Crossroads’ goal is to get 100 people attending twice a year.