What to expect?
We don’t necessarily want to spell it all out for you. But if you’re not a regular church goer, you might want to know beforehand what you’re getting in to when you come to the church service in Crossroads Basel.
What’s the atmosphere like ?
Expect a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Come as you are; you don’t have to dress up formally to come to church. Do come expecting that we talk about the very issues of life, love, career, family and all the other things life is made up from. That is because we believe that faith and all the ordinary things in life have everything to do with each other.
When you arrive in the church building, someone from the Welcome Team will welcome you, and if necessary, answer your questions, point you the way and hand you any information you would like.
There might be a collection during the service. Don’t feel obliged to give if you don’t feel like it. We are not after your money. We hope you can engage with what is going on in the service in the first and foremost place. There will be many more that don’t give in the money collection baskets, as many give through the bank. You won’t stand out if you let the basket pass by.
Because Crossroads as an international church is a transient place with many people coming in and going out, we want to make sure that we welcome you. Either we ask for you to introduce yourself with one or two sentences or we ask you to fill in a Welcome Card. Nothing obligatory, it is just to make sure that you are being heard and seen. But if you’d rather not want this, just lay low and nobody will bother you.
During the service we sing a lot. “Singing is double praying,” is what an old Christian hero once said and that is what we take to heart. Singing may come in a variety of styles, but mostly it is quite contemporary and rhythmic, so don’t expect a big organ and stiffness.
Almost always there is preaching in which a topic is highlighted from a Biblical angle or a Bible passage is explained and its relevance to our every day life. You can bring a Bible to church, but it’s not necessary. The Bible portions we look at are projected on the screen and there are Bibles available to read along. The preaching is 30 minutes tops.
Our obligation to you is that the preaching will provide you with a thought-provoking experience. And to be frank: we hope and pray it will make a difference in your life, both on the shorter and longer run.
At the end of the service, there is an opportunity to pray with someone if you want in the ‘prayer corner’ on the left front side of the auditorium. Maybe about something that came up in the church service, maybe there’s a need that you want to lift up in prayer with someone else, perhaps something you want to be thankful for with someone else. Our prayer partners are available for you after each service. But again… no pressure whatsoever!
After the service, you are invited to a cup of coffee or tea with some little snacks in our Amici Coffee Bar. It is our intention that it will do what it is called: making many amici over coffee and tea.
While you are in the ‘big’ service, your kids from 0 to 15 are taken care of in the crèche, Sunday school classes or in Fuel, where they engage with faith and the Bible in their own way.
Children and youth can make their way to their groups when it is announced during the church service, somewhere 10 or 15 minutes into our time together.
During the ‘early’ service on Sunday Morning (9:30) there will be the following children and youth gatherings:
- Creche (child care) ages 0-3
- Pre-School and Kindergarten, ages 3-6
- Green and Blue Groups, ages 7-10, grades 2-5
- Fuel, younger youth, ages 11-14 or 15
During the ‘late’ service on Sunday Morning (11:15) there will be the following children and youth groups:
- Creche (child care) ages 0-3
- Pre-School, ages 3+4
- Kindergarten, ages 5+6
- Green Group, ages 7+8, grades 2+3
- Blue Group, ages 9+10, grades 4+5
- Fuel, younger youth, ages 11-14
- 180, older youth, ages 15-18 or 19, once every two weeks
The Sunday school classes use a curriculum from Scripture Union in the UK.
The youth groups use a curriculum called ‘Grow’ from the US.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Mission
Crossroads exists to make disciples among the English speaking community of the greater Basel area.
Vision
Our vision is to go deeper in our relationship with God and one another, while we find ways to share the good news to a wider part of our community in Basel.
Experiencing an authentic relationship with God
Being a supportive and loving church community
Being an engaged and transforming presence in the community outside the church
The expansion of the Kingdom of God
The authority of God’s word as revealed in the Bible
- In one God in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Who is the Creator and Final Judge of all things.
- That Jesus Christ is the eternal and unique Son of God, fully human and divine, born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, resurrected bodily from the dead and ascended to God the Father. He is the only way to salvation for all humanity.
- That we are called to confession, repentance and forgiveness in order to live a life of Christ-likeness in holiness and purity (as defined by the New Testament’s injunctions regarding morals and ethics), empowered by the Holy Spirit. By baptism we are incorporated into the church, the body of Christ, and nurtured through regular participation in the Lord’s Supper.
- The Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God and our final authority for faith and practice.
- That we are called to be the people of God in the world to declare in word and deed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations.
- That following the return of Christ to earth and the final judgment, God will create a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness alone dwells and in which all redeemed humanity will live with God forever.
- Finally, as God’s people we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
People who are involved in church leadership and teaching are expected to aspire to the qualities required of Overseers and Deacons, as stated in 1 Timothy 3. Anyone who is a teacher or leader at Crossroads represents the church to others and is viewed as a community role model. Therefore, any leaders or teachers in all the ministries of the church are expected to be living in a way that is, and is perceived by others, as a biblically correct way. This expectation applies, for example, to small group leaders, worship team members, Sunday School teachers, and youth leaders.
All of us, whether we profess to be Christian or not, are fallen and broken people, who are only made whole in Christ. This policy does not imply that leaders and teachers at Crossroads are perfect people, but rather that certain standards should be evident in their lives. For this reason, the church holds certain expectations for them.
Specifically, the Elders and Pastors at Crossroads may consider that someone is not eligible for a particular role because they are living in particular circumstances or in a specific way. This is a sensitive issue, but the church holds a clear view on it because of the responsibility that comes with leadership in the Body of Christ. A person who has been serving in a leadership role may also be asked to step down from their position for a period of time if they are in a situation where the Elders or Pastors consider this an appropriate action.
Crossroads International Church of Basel is an Elder-led church (Crossroads Statutes section 4 i). The Senior Pastor is a permanent member of the Board of Elders (BoE). Those taking on a teaching or leadership position in the church do so in agreement that they will abide by the decisions and authority of the Board of Elders.
Crossroads International Church of Basel is a congregation of diverse nationalities, cultures, and theological backgrounds. Our Statement of Faith outlines the core essentials around which we have built our community. From the beginning, Crossroads has had female Elders as part of the team that leads and guides the direction of the church. It is felt that the general disposition of the congregation leans towards an ‘egalitarian’ view and appreciates having women in leadership positions. We acknowledge nonetheless that there may also be members who are more ‘complementarian’ in their position.
We believe that the issue of women serving in leadership positions in the local church, while important, is not one of the essentials of Christian faith. It is clear that many godly and wise believers worldwide, both men and women, hold divergent views on this subject. Since this is not a primary indisputable doctrine, we seek to respect those who hold differing views and at the same time strive for unity in the Body of believers.
We express this conviction in the following way:
- In essential beliefs we have unity (Ephesians 4:4-6)
- In non-essential beliefs we have diversity (Romans 14:1-22)
- In all our beliefs we show charity (1 Corinthians 13:2)
It is important, however, to clearly communicate our commitment at Crossroads to empower both men and women in leadership. After a review of our position, we reaffirm our commitment to women in leadership and wish to outline the key premises under which we currently operate.
- All people in the Body of Christ are called to ministry
- Men and women receive spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit and are to exercise and develop these gifts to their full potential
- We want to fully equip and enable both men and women for fruitful and fulfilling ministry in the Church and in the Kingdom of God
- Both men and women, whether single or married, may:
- Lead ministries
- Lead small groups
- Teach and preach to other men and women
- Serve as elders
- Serve on the pastoral staff
- In keeping with our belief that we need to be aware of different convictions and want to proceed with caution on issues where members of the Body disagree over the interpretation of Scripture, we reserve the role of Senior Pastor for men.
Click here to see our Safeguarding Policy
https://crossroadsbasel.ch/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Safeguarding-Policy-definite-June-2021.pdf