“as a congregation located in south minneapolis, we understand that God is calling us into a transforming relationship with the dynamic urban mosaic that is the twin cities.”

- Pastor John Jacobi

the following statements represent the core of what we believe here at crosstown.

the Word of God (the Bible): Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” we understand that the Bible is the way in which we come to know and experience the dynamic, life-changing power of God! it informs and challenges our faith, our beliefs, and ultimately the way in which we live our lives.

cultivating a relationship with Jesus Christ: in Revelation 3:20 Jesus exclaimed, “here I am! I stand at the door and knock. if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with me.” we believe that Jesus Christ desires to have an authentic relationship with absolutely everyone, and desires to be an active, transformational, life-changing part of your life every day. as we see in the Bible (John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life. no one comes to the Father except through me.”), we don’t view Jesus as one of many ways to God, but instead as THE WAY to God.

we hold strongly onto grace: as seen in Romans 5:8, “...God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” we seek to be a community that reflects the compassion of Jesus to a broken, fractured, and hurting world. As once stipulated by the great christian author C.S. Lewis, grace is what makes the christian faith unique and we hope to demonstrate that unique grace with everyone we encounter.

we exist to be serve God and others: we believe that as followers of Jesus we are to live out a specific, God-given mission - that is to convey the love of Christ through our words and actions. we see in Ephesians 4:16 that, “from him the whole body” is “joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” you are an important and integral part of God’s work in the world. we are committed to supporting you as you serve in and outside of the church. in John 20:21, Jesus said, “...as the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” william temple once said, “the church is the only organization that exists for the benefit of those who are not a part of it,” and dietrich bonhoeffer (letters and papers from prison, p. 203) stipulated that, “the church is the church ONLY when it exists for others.” Jesus has called each and every one of us to serve. we dare you to step out and serve both God and others!

we rely on the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit: Ephesians 6:18 states, “...pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” led by God’s Spirit, we desire to move beyond “dabbling” in prayer, and seek to be a praying church! this means that we endeavor to rely on the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and direct all that we are about and do.