Our Mission
The CrossWay International Baptist Church exists to gather people from various nations in worship of God, instruction from the Bible, and fellowship with one another in order to scatter in evangelism in Berlin and throughout the world.
Our Vision
To build up disciples in Christ, who present Him to the nations.
Our Values
To gather people from various nations . . .
We long to get a little taste of heaven down on earth as we gather together those “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). The nations have come to Berlin! Our name, “CrossWay” reflects the uniqueness of Berlin, a city at a crossway or crossroads for people from all around the world. People from over 180 nations make their home in Berlin. More internationals move to Berlin everyday and nearly one-third of Berliners come from an immigrant background. We want CrossWay to be an international church that reflects the city of Berlin.
We want to follow the model of the church at Antioch in Acts 11 & 13. The church consisted of Jews and a mix of people from Asia, Europe, & Africa (expatriates) as well as Greeks (local nationals). We are a church that desires to “gather together” internationals as well as locals.
In worship of God . . .
We long to see the words of Psalm 117:1 fulfilled at CrossWay: “Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol Him, all you peoples!” through multi-lingual, multi-cultural, passionate, yet reverent expressions of God’s superior worth both in word and in song.
We want CrossWay to be a church where we “worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). We strive to be a “house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17) as we emphasize prayer in our small groups, services, and ministries.
In instruction from the Bible . . .
We’re committed to remain a Bible-based church, because we believe that “all Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). We desire that our preaching in Sunday services and teaching in classes, small groups and ministries balance exposition with application. Our instruction from the Bible must lead to obedience (Matthew 28:20).
We have the vision to train leaders (2 Timothy 2:2), both internationals and locals, to serve in and through our church, and in other churches in Berlin, and throughout the world, upon perhaps leaving Berlin.
In fellowship with one another . . .
We want to emphasize koinonia at CrossWay, that is, participation in ministry (Philippians 1:5). We desire to be a church family that uses our spiritual gifts to serve others (1 Peter 4:10) both inside and outside of the congregation. We desire to be a church that lives out the many “one another”s found in Scripture.
In order to scatter in evangelism in Berlin and throughout the world . . .
We want to follow the example of the church in Antioch as a missional church. It was the church God used as a launching pad to send forth the Gospel to the nations. Like the Antioch church, we are uniquely positioned to be used to spread the Gospel as people “scatter,” both in Berlin and to various places in the world, upon leaving Berlin.
We desire to reproduce ourselves, by sending individuals from CrossWay to help plant and/or strengthen German churches in Berlin. We welcome the opportunity to host qualified short-term mission teams coming from America and elsewhere to help us with evangelistic efforts in Berlin.
We’re committed to look beyond Berlin (our Jerusalem) to our “Judea, Samaria, and uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) and be a sending church: sending our people to sites in Germany and Europe for short-term mission trips as well as Supporting and sending missionaries who take the Gospel to fields locally and globally. When those from our church family must leave Berlin and move on to the next field to which the Lord has assigned them, we hope to have equipped them while they were here and to send them forth as effective ambassadors of Christ.
We desire to evangelize not only with our words but also through our actions (Colossians 4:5-6). We want CrossWay to be a church that cares for those in need (Matt. 25:31-46), and seeks to establish justice among those within our sphere of influence (Micah 6:8).
The name “CrossWay” brings to mind the words of Jesus in John 5:24 in which He proclaims, “Whoever hears my words and believes … has crossed over from death to life.” As the old hymn says, the “way of the cross leads home.” Spreading this message is the thrust of our mission at CrossWay. We are committed to “presenting Christ to the nations in Berlin.”