Strengthen
Stenghen your churchSaturate Indiana with the Gospel
Acts 1:8 • Our Shared Mission
A simple pathway to help every Crossroads church connect well, strengthen leaders, and multiply ministry so that every Hoosier can hear the good news of Jesus.
Our Mission
In Acts 1:8, Jesus gave His church its marching orders, which haven’t changed. Our pathway helps churches move from Connect → Strengthen → Multiply. As pastors thrive, leaders are equipped, and congregations mobilize, churches become sending churches—releasing lay leaders, missionaries, and pastors across Indiana and beyond.
Step 2: STRENGTHEN — Develop Leaders
Healthy churches need strong, equipped leaders at every level—pastors, elders, and ministry teams. The Strengthen step is designed to give leaders the tools, training, and ongoing support they need to create a lasting disciple-making culture.
What We Learned from the Malphurs Group
In 2025, we partnered with the Malphurs Group to conduct a Church Ministry Analysis across our fellowship. This revealed:
- Leadership development is a growth opportunity — many churches lacked intentional systems for identifying and equipping future leaders.
- Clear vision drives health — churches with defined mission and strategy scored higher in engagement and ministry effectiveness.
- Volunteer teams need focused training — especially in areas like discipleship, communication, and leadership alignment.
These insights confirmed the need for a structured approach to leadership development, which is now the foundation of the Strengthen pathway.
Leadership Summits for Pastors
Held during the week, these one-day events bring pastors together for targeted training in areas such as:
- Casting vision and aligning the church around it
- Strategic planning for ministry growth
- Building a healthy leadership culture
- Navigating change and leading through challenges
Summits are practical, interactive, and immediately applicable. Each is followed by six to nine months of online mentoring cohort meetings, where pastors receive coaching, encouragement, and accountability as they implement what they’ve learned.
Leadership Cohorts for Church Leaders
Strong churches don’t depend solely on their pastor—they multiply leadership throughout the congregation. That’s why we also host Leadership Cohorts for lay-leaders, typically on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. These cohorts cover essential ministry areas such as:
- Lay elders and deacons
- Children’s ministry workers
- Small group leaders
- Financial teams
- Outreach and hospitality teams
To facilitate participation, these gatherings are duplicated in two or three regions across the state, providing multiple dates and location options to minimize travel and scheduling conflicts.
The Goal
Investing in pastoral and lay leadership, the Strengthen step creates healthy churches that are ready to send leaders—whether into other ministries, church plants, or missionary service—when the time comes.