From an Office Upstairs to a Cabarrus Hub
Crossroads Church in Concord, North Carolina, traces its story back to 1995, when a small core group of thirty-five people gathered in the upstairs of an office building for the church's first official meeting. Within weeks the room was too small, and the congregation began a migration that would carry them through a delicatessen, a Boy Scout hut, a poolside, a roller rink, and finally a rented warehouse. Along the way they purchased sixteen acres of land and were given, as the church describes it through an amazing miracle, an additional six acres on which the current building now stands at 220 George W. Liles Parkway NW, at the entrance to the Laurel Park subdivision.
That journey through borrowed spaces has shaped the church's self-understanding. Crossroads teaches that the church is not a location or a building but a group of faithful believers gathered to love God, love people, and reach the world for Christ. The conviction that they will always do whatever is necessary to reach one more person for the Lord - and always join God for the next adventure - is part of the congregation's DNA.
A Community Where People Are Welcomed Home, Built Up, and Sent Out
The church's three-fold motto - welcomed home, built up, and sent out - frames everything at Crossroads. "Welcomed home" means that whoever walks through the doors is treated as family, regardless of past or background. "Built up" describes the discipleship pathway that walks believers from a first visit through baptism, group life, and serving. "Sent out" is the conviction that every Christian has a purpose, lived out in the everyday spaces of work, neighborhood, and family.
Crossroads anchors this vision in ten core values, beginning with "We were created to love, worship and serve God forever" and ending with "Salvation is by faith through Jesus alone." Other values affirm the reliability of Scripture, the importance of reaching lost people, welcome for every culture and background, growth in Christ, present-day healing, the power of prayer, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and the truth that the church is a family, and better together.
What to Expect on Sunday Morning
Crossroads holds two Sunday worship services, at 9:30 am and 11:11 am, in the Worship Center. Each gathering runs about sixty minutes and features a full band leading contemporary worship, Bible teaching, and a time of prayer and reflection. The dress code is intentionally casual - jeans, shorts, dresses, and business-casual attire all appear in the pews. "We are more excited about you being here than what you are wearing."
Visitors who enter through the main front doors are greeted at the Information Center by a Guest Services representative. After the service, anyone interested in next steps can stop by "Starting Point," a corner at the back of the Worship Center marked by a flag, to meet a pastor or one of the church's Navigators. Visitor parking sits just to the left of the main drive after entering the subdivision; signage directs first-time guests to designated spots.
For families with children, a separate entrance on the south side of the building leads directly to Crossroads Kids, where secure check-in, name tags, and pickup tags are issued before children are escorted to their classrooms. The Kids Ministry serves nursery through fifth grade during both Sunday services. Middle and high school students gather for "Youth Collective" during the 11:11 am service in Katie's Cafe', where the hour combines games, worship, and a teaching in a large-group format.
Crossroads Kids and STARS Preschool
Crossroads Kids partners with parents to lay a foundation of truth for children from nursery through fifth grade. Safety is a central concern: every volunteer who works with children completes safety training and a current background check, and a secure check-in system gives parents peace of mind. Children who show signs of illness - fever, rash, runny nose, cough, or diarrhea within the last twenty-four hours - are asked to stay home for the protection of the other children and volunteers.
For younger children, the church operates STARS Preschool - "Seeking Together And Reaching Success." Open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 12:45 pm, the preschool uses WEE Curriculum alongside the Bible, with the Itty Bitty Bookworm Literacy Program for two- and three-year-olds and Get Set For School for fours and transitional kindergarten. The philosophy is straightforward: scripture is the authority, and Jesus is the model. STARS seeks to develop the whole child - mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and social - from a biblical perspective. Families can reach the preschool at 704.707.1172.
Wednesday Nights: Discipleship Community Night
Wednesday is the church's midweek hub. Discipleship Community Night begins at 6:45 pm and offers classes for adults, the Hispanic Ministry, middle school students, and kids. The format blends teaching, discussion, and prayer, and newcomers are welcome to jump in at any point in the semester. Many adults also participate in the women's One Heart Bible Study, which gathers in the Worship Center at 6:45 pm on Wednesdays, with a parallel morning option on Thursdays at 9:30 am at The Foundation Coffee House. Both groups cover the same topic each week, with time for fellowship, study, discussion, and prayer.
On the fourth Monday of each month, women who knit or crochet can join Stitching Souls at 6:30 pm in Room 124 to make prayer shawls and prayer cloths for those in the church community who are hurting.
Young Adults, Men, and Women
Young adults between eighteen and twenty-five meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm in Katie's Cafe' for a community oriented around pursuing Jesus, embracing discipleship, and understanding identity and purpose. Updates arrive by texting "YAC" to 833.455.0638.
The Men's Ministry exists to connect men to each other in the pursuit of God together, offering regular events and small groups that help men discover who they are in Christ and walk in that identity daily. A private Facebook group keeps men in the loop between gatherings.
The Women's Ministry gathers around the Jeremiah 32:39 vision of "one heart and one purpose," with Bible studies, groups, and special events throughout the year. Beyond One Heart and Stitching Souls, women can sign up for text reminders by texting "ohgroup" to 833.455.0638.
Worship and the Arts
Crossroads describes its worship community as a body of disciples who have surrendered their hearts to Jesus and who use the gifts of dance, voice, music, play-acting, and technology to lift high the name of Christ. The team includes instrumentalists, vocalists, a choir, technical artists, and drama performers. Membership in the Worship & Arts Community requires a relationship with Jesus Christ, an application, and an audition or interview.
Both Sunday services and Wednesday Discipleship Community Night are livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person, with archives available on YouTube and Vimeo. Online viewers can share prayer requests, give, and download the church's app.
Crossroads Cares: Walking Through Hard Seasons
Care ministry at Crossroads is described as the heartbeat of the community, with structured resources for grief, divorce, and one-to-one support.
- GriefShare is a thirteen-week, video-based support group for people navigating the unpredictable emotions of grief.
- DivorceCare offers a thirteen-week, video-based path toward recovery after separation or divorce.
- Stephen Ministry pairs each participant with a trained Stephen Minister for confidential one-to-one emotional and spiritual support during hospitalizations, loss, loneliness, spiritual struggles, job loss, terminal illness, miscarriage or infertility, chronic illness, relocation, and many other life transitions.
The care team can be reached at info@mycrossroads.co.
Hispanic Ministry
Crossroads' Hispanic Ministry, or Ministerio Hispano, exists to teach the truth of Scripture in Spanish and to walk together in worship, prayer, and community. The ministry meets on Sundays for a translated united service from 11:00 am to 12:15 pm in the church sanctuary, and on Wednesdays at 6:45 pm for a discipleship class conducted entirely in Spanish. The group's conviction is that through continual study of the scriptures, praise, prayer, and fellowship, believers grow in spiritual maturity and bear witness to the love of Jesus.
Local Outreach and Global Mission Partners
Crossroads organizes its mission work around two fronts: local outreach in the Cabarrus area and a network of global missionary partners.
Locally, the church points volunteers toward ministries such as the Backpack Buddy program, which sends weekend food home with children at Weddington Hills and Carl A Furr elementary schools; Cooperative Christian Ministry; the Cabarrus Women's Center; CVAN, which supports women and children fleeing abuse; Elder Orphan Care; Gate Pregnancy Resource Center; Habitat for Humanity; Present Age Ministries, which works against the sexual exploitation of teen girls; SEAkers Aquatic Adventures; Wings of Eagles Ranch, serving children and adults with special needs; the Opportunity House, which ministers to people experiencing homelessness; and the Salvation Army Center of Hope, where Crossroads provides dinners two weeks a year. A team of quilters also sews quilts for local ministries and families in need.
Globally, Crossroads supports roughly two dozen missionaries and ministries, including partners in Germany, Papua New Guinea, Venezuela, Peru, Ukraine, Kenya, Nicaragua, the United States, Mexico, Asia, Ethiopia, Romania, and Uganda, as well as campus ministries at UNC Charlotte, Davidson, and UNC Chapel Hill.
What Crossroads Believes
The church confesses belief in one God, eternally existent in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father created humanity for fellowship and, after the fall, sent the Son to restore that fellowship. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life, died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for sin, and rose again on the third day, conquering death. The Holy Spirit comforts believers, empowers them for service and witness, and conforms them to the image of Christ; the baptism in the Holy Spirit releases the Spirit's fullness and is evidenced by the fruits and gifts described in Scripture.
Crossroads holds that the Bible is the infallible, inspired Word of God and the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction, and reproof. The church teaches that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory, and that salvation is a free gift received through Jesus Christ alone - not earned by self-improvement or good works. The Christian life, in response to that gift, is one of intimacy with God through worship, prayer, Bible study, community, and service to others.
Connecting and Giving
Visitors can fill out a hello card online or in person, and the church keeps a steady stream of communication open through a text-based system at 833.455.0638, where keywords such as "hello," "baptism," "station," "kids," "middleschool," "highschool," "ohgroup," "grow," or "YAC" connect newcomers to the relevant ministry or update list. The Church Center app, available on iOS and Android, provides another channel for events, groups, registrations, and giving.
Giving is supported in three ways: online through the Church Center app or the giving page, by mail or bill pay to the church's address, or by texting "GIVE $[amount]" to 855.490.6196. Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, with a lunch break from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. The main office number is 704.795.0423.