Crossway Baptist Church
Encyclopedia
Crossway Baptist Church is Australia’s largest Baptist
church and is located in Melbourne
’s eastern suburbs. Regular attendance at Sunday services is over 3,500 people.
The church was founded by the Reverend J.H. Newnham in 1954 and then followed over the years by other senior pastors, the Reverend George Ashworth, the Reverend David Griffiths, the Reverend Rowland Croucher
and the Reverend Stuart Robinson.
The church then relocated to its current position at 2 Vision Drive, Burwood East in September 1995. Shortly after this relocation, the church changed its name to Crossway Baptist Church in order to reflect the congregation's regional nature. The church now enjoys a site of 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) in the centre of Melbourne's expansive eastern suburbs.
Robinson, a former missionary, founded the church at its current location and is now regarded as the founding pastor of Crossway. He has written three books including Mosques and Miracles, a book about Islam
written from a Christian perspective and two books on prayer. Pastor Dale Stephenson, formerly from New Peninsula Baptist Church, replaced Stuart Robinson as senior pastor in February 2008. Stephenson leads a large team of approximately 60 staff and many hundreds of volunteers.
The annual Crossway Conference attracts about 600 delegates, mainly comprising pastors and teams from across Australia. Crossway has planted daughter churches in Craigieburn
, Cranbourne
, Moreland and Stonnington
as well as a number of other smaller experimental church plants. Crossway also has language-based congregations with Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian and Korean services.
Since 2006, Crossway has also co-organised "Unite" - a creative arts conference featuring Australian musicians such as Roma Waterman and Michael Paynter
. The conference is organised together with Gateway Church, Careforce Church and Christian City Church Whitehorse.
As of April 2009, Crossway is undertaking a building extension program. A coffee shop and larger meeting areas will occupy the site of the former bookshop and small grassed area on Vision Drive. At the rear of the church a large elevator will be constructed to increase access for members. Additional storage will also be a part of the redevelopment project.
On 13 December 2009 the new extensions were formally opened by the senior pastor, Dale Stephenson. The bookshop has not yet re-opened and will be part of the new coffee shop area, both are scheduled to open early 2010.
Copies of services on CD and or DVD can still be purchased from Crossway after each Sunday service, from the church and the website during the redevelopment phase.
37.8594554°N 145.167954°W
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church and is located in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
’s eastern suburbs. Regular attendance at Sunday services is over 3,500 people.
History
Crossway is regarded as a contemporary evangelical church, with Bible-based preaching. Previously known as Blackburn Baptist, the church is now on its third site. It originally met in a small hall as a Sunday school class on the corner of Holland and Canterbury Roads in Blackburn South. The church then relocated to 19 Holland Road, Blackburn South, following large-scale growth (which is now the headquarters of the Evangelical Chinese Church Melbourne).The church was founded by the Reverend J.H. Newnham in 1954 and then followed over the years by other senior pastors, the Reverend George Ashworth, the Reverend David Griffiths, the Reverend Rowland Croucher
Rowland Croucher
Rowland Croucher is an Australian pastor, counsellor and author.Brought up in the Open Brethren in Sydney, following a five-year career as a high-school teacher, Croucher began training in 1964 for the Baptist ministry in New South Wales...
and the Reverend Stuart Robinson.
The church then relocated to its current position at 2 Vision Drive, Burwood East in September 1995. Shortly after this relocation, the church changed its name to Crossway Baptist Church in order to reflect the congregation's regional nature. The church now enjoys a site of 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) in the centre of Melbourne's expansive eastern suburbs.
Robinson, a former missionary, founded the church at its current location and is now regarded as the founding pastor of Crossway. He has written three books including Mosques and Miracles, a book about Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
written from a Christian perspective and two books on prayer. Pastor Dale Stephenson, formerly from New Peninsula Baptist Church, replaced Stuart Robinson as senior pastor in February 2008. Stephenson leads a large team of approximately 60 staff and many hundreds of volunteers.
Present
Crossway has a large number of ministries for all ages including a children's ministry called "KidSpace", a youth ministry called "Surge", a young adults ministry called "Vive" and ministries for the elderly with a "50+" service. It also has a wide range of community services with its community care ministry, "Heartbeat Project" and "Mothers of Preschoolers Program" (MOPS).The annual Crossway Conference attracts about 600 delegates, mainly comprising pastors and teams from across Australia. Crossway has planted daughter churches in Craigieburn
Craigieburn, Victoria
Craigieburn is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 26 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hume. At the 2006 Census, Craigieburn had a population of 20,784....
, Cranbourne
Cranbourne, Victoria
Cranbourne is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 43 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey. At the 2006 Census, Cranbourne had a population of 14,750....
, Moreland and Stonnington
City of Stonnington
The City of Stonnington is a Local Government Area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the inner south-eastern suburbs, between 3 and 13 kilometres from the Melbourne CBD...
as well as a number of other smaller experimental church plants. Crossway also has language-based congregations with Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian and Korean services.
Since 2006, Crossway has also co-organised "Unite" - a creative arts conference featuring Australian musicians such as Roma Waterman and Michael Paynter
Michael Paynter
Michael Paynter , is an Australian singer-songwriter. Paynter has released four singles, "Closer", "A Victim Song", "Love the Fall" and "How Sweet It Is", from his upcoming debut studio album, This Welcome Diversion is set for a release in 2011.-Early life:Paynter began playing instruments from a...
. The conference is organised together with Gateway Church, Careforce Church and Christian City Church Whitehorse.
As of April 2009, Crossway is undertaking a building extension program. A coffee shop and larger meeting areas will occupy the site of the former bookshop and small grassed area on Vision Drive. At the rear of the church a large elevator will be constructed to increase access for members. Additional storage will also be a part of the redevelopment project.
On 13 December 2009 the new extensions were formally opened by the senior pastor, Dale Stephenson. The bookshop has not yet re-opened and will be part of the new coffee shop area, both are scheduled to open early 2010.
Copies of services on CD and or DVD can still be purchased from Crossway after each Sunday service, from the church and the website during the redevelopment phase.
External links
- Crossway website
- Counting our blessings: faith’s demographics The Age, 17 July 2004
- Crossway Baptist Conference 2009
- The Bulletin article
- Mosques & Miracles Sight Magazine
- Vive - Crossway's young adult community
- Crossway North Baptist Church - Crossway's Craigieburn church plant
See also
37.8594554°N 145.167954°W