Every week we see God’s hand at work in our church. Worship services are full, kids’ classrooms are buzzing, students and young adults are gathering in record numbers, and new faces are joining our family week after week. In so many ways, our church is truly “busting at the seams.” What a wonderful problem to have because it’s evidence of the hunger people have for God’s presence, truth, and grace.
That’s why we are stepping forward with a new, God-sized idea: Greater Things: A Place for Generations. This is not just about a building—it’s about making room for so many of the friends, neighbors, and family members that you have invited to come and see what God is doing at Crossroads Christian Fellowship. They will have a space to continue to meet the life-changing presence of Jesus.
This building is simply a tool in God’s hands: a tool for reaching children, strengthening students, gathering families, and sending disciples, not just for this moment in history, but for the ages to come. As a church of generations, we are building not only for ourselves, but for our children, our grandchildren, and those who haven’t even walked through our doors yet.
Let me take a second to pause and thank you. Through your faithfulness and generosity, nearly $1.8 million has already been set aside toward this project. That is nothing short of remarkable! Your giving has already built a foundation of faith, and together we are trusting God to carry this vision forward.
We believe the future of our church is not defined by our limitations, but by the limitless power of God. “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…” We know that God is calling us into greater faith, greater impact, and greater transformation in our community and beyond. It can be a bit of a scary place to be, but we know this is exactly where God wants us: fully dependent on Him.
In the weeks ahead, you’ll hear more about this vision and how you can be part of it. For now, we simply ask you to pray—for God’s guidance, provision, and unity as we take this next step of faith. Let’s believe together for greater things—for all generations.
With love and gratitude,
~paul
JUMP TO SECTION
BUILDING FOR
GREATER THINGS
As we look toward Greater Things, these images provide a glimpse of what God is calling us to build together. More than walls and windows, this vision represents a place where lives will be transformed, faith will be strengthened, and the next generation will encounter Christ. Each space has been prayerfully designed to serve our church family and extend the love of Jesus into our community. What you see here is not just a building—it is a foundation for ministry, discipleship, and outreach for years to come.
LIVES TRANSFORMED
TESTIMONIES OF HOW GOD HAS MOVED THROUGH OUR CHURCH
“About six years ago my family took me to Crossroads Christian Fellowship as I was at a crossroads in my own life. If it wasn’t for the lead pastor there at the time, who knows where I would be now. […] After this life saving moment, Crossroads continued to walk with me and be a consistent church family until I was Baptized in April a few years ago! After this point only God knew the wild ride of discipleship I was in for! The lead pastors began to unpack the giftings that God had given me, along with my weaknesses, and gave me great opportunities of growing and walking those out; now I’m on a path to become a pastor myself!”
-JEDEDIAH KING
“Crossroads started the child sponsorship program called Eden's Child and opened the door to Rwanda for me! But it’s not just about people in Rwanda! I’ve met so many people in Crossroads just because they are sponsors. To share the joy of connecting a sponsor and a child with pictures or messages, because I know them both, is awesome! It’s all about relationships!”
-LANNI FETVEIT
“For most of my life, I held the belief that church wasn’t a place for me; I just didn’t fit in there and that was true for most of my childhood. When I came to Crossroads, I felt a sense of joy and belonging inside a church. My decades-long search for a connection with Jesus was finally over. My Crossroads family lovingly showed me through Scripture what God says about me, and now I no longer suffer with debilitating social anxiety and fear that kept me isolated, quietly longing for meaningful connection. I cannot put into words the gratitude I have for God bringing us to Crossroads.”
- AMANDA ALLEN
"Now we have been back [at Crossroads] for several months, and it is obvious that the
Spirit is alive and well in this body. The preaching is Biblical and theologically strong.
We love that Pastor Paul is not afraid to be truthful and call us out when needed. There
are so many opportunities to serve, enjoy fellowship, and know God better...It will be important as we move forward to be accountable, staying in step with the Holy Spirit and handling all the curve balls with honesty and loving hearts. What we have observed of the leadership, including our Pastor Paul and the Elders, is that of measured, Spirit-led and welcoming hearts that desire to please God and nourish the spirits of God’s people. We will pray as this movement goes forward that all the glory goes to God for His great wisdom, provision, and grace for His church.”
-TIM AND BETTY DARR
“When we started Child Bridge, our home church didn’t just witness this vision—they shared in it. Together, we’ve seen God change lives and reshape child welfare in Montana. It continues to grow and expand even today. I believe that same spirit of faith, vision and courage is leading us now—because God isn’t finished with Crossroads. He has even “Greater Things” ahead!”
- MARY BRYAN, FOUNDER, CHILD BRIDGE
“After many unsuccessful attempts, miscarriages and an Ectopic pregnancy that required emergency surgery, I was deeply depressed. […] I gave up on God at that point and quit going to church. I hit rock bottom with my depression and was on suicide watch multiple times [….]
We moved to Bigfork, Montana after retirement and started our lives over. I checked out multiple churches in the area and when I came to Crossroads, I immediately felt at home. Listening to the Pastor for the very first time, brought me to tears. I remember him pointing in my vicinity and saying GOD LOVES YOU! To me, God was having Pastor Mike talk directly to me. I love Crossroads and it IS home to me. I truly feel in my heart that had I not came to Crossroads, I would not be here today. God and Crossroads saved my life.”
-SHIRLEY STINE
THE NUMBERS
God is calling us into “Greater Things”, and together we have the privilege of responding in faith. The vision before us will require $8.5 million in total resources. By God’s grace, and through the generosity of early gifts, we have already received $1.8 million toward this goal. We now invite you to join us in prayerfully considering how the Lord may be leading you to participate.
This is more than a financial campaign—it is a spiritual journey. Each of us is encouraged to seek God’s direction, listen for His leading, respond with joyful obedience and watch what He will do! As we give, we are not just funding a building; we are investing in a legacy of ministry, discipleship, and outreach for generations to come.
Attendance Graph from 2021-2025 showing a 111% increase in attendance
NEXT STEPS
THERE ARE MANY WAYS YOU CAN PARTICIPATE
PRAYER
We do not want to step into this without support from our church. Financially- but more importantly- prayerfully. Throughout this whole project, we ask you to join us in prayer asking God to help you discern your part in “Greater Things”. Please join us in praying:
Dear Lord,
That we would walk in unity and shared vision as a church family.
That each of us will hear God’s voice clearly and trust His direction.
That God would provide through joyful and generous giving.
For safety, strength, and wisdom in every step of the building process.
That this expansion would be used for lives transformed by Christ.
FINANCIALLY
What is most important is that each of us seeks the Lord and responds faithfully to His prompting. Together, our collective sacrifice will allow us to build a place where “Greater Things” will happen for the glory of God. If you’d like to meet to discuss a potential gift, I’d welcome a conversation.
Please call me (Paul) or any of our Elders. You can reach me directly via email: PAUL@CROSSROADSBIGFORK.COM
or call: 406-551-9154
I look forward to talking with you!
ONE TIME GIFTS
MULTI-YEAR COMMITMENTS
CREATIVE GIFTS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
MISSION AND VISION
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We believe God is moving in our church, opening doors for ministry that we could not have imagined a few years ago. Our community and congregation are growing, opportunities for outreach are multiplying, and the needs around us are greater than ever. In prayer and discernment, the Elder Board of Crossroads has sensed God inviting us to trust Him for more — to step into “Greater Things” that will impact lives for Christ and extend His kingdom in our community and beyond. God has uniquely prepared our church family — with the vision, the unity, and the resources — to take this step of faith. By beginning this journey together, we position ourselves to draw closer to God in His leading, strengthen His work among us, trust His plan and invest in kingdom impact that future generations will carry forward.
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Everything we do flows from our mission to know Christ and make Him known. This new project is one way God is equipping us to do that more with what He has given us—by building capacity for worship, discipleship, and service that will help us reach far beyond our walls with the hope of the gospel. The vision is not a building; the vision is transformed lives through a mult-generational, community-focused church that represents the truth, grace and love of God throughout the world. The building is only a means to that end.
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No — it’s about people and relationships! Buildings are a tool for ministry, an instrument in God’s hands. With the significant increased growth we see an opportunity for more people to encounter Jesus, grow in faith, build relationships and community with one another and be equipped to expand the kingdom. Again, the building is simply a means to that end.
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We are praying and believe this journey together as a family will strengthen our faith, unify our church and draw us even closer to Jesus. He is already increasing the faith of Crossroads leadership who are learning to grow in our trust of Him. As we step out in sacrificial generosity and obedience, we trust that God will deepen our dependence on Him and multiply the spiritual fruit in and through our lives. As we pray to hear His voice, we’ll get to watch together and celebrate what He does through our church family.
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This is about being kingdom focused. Our vision of being “A Place for Generations,” means different ages and demographics of our congregation, but it also means that we are thinking about generations to come! We are sowing seeds today that will bear Kingdom fruit tomorrow. We have often thought about the investment made by previous leaders of this church to get us to where we are today. In a similar way, we intend to set up future generations for the greater things God has for them as well. By investing in this work, we ensure that future generations will have a place to worship, encounter Christ, be discipled, and be equipped to serve. We are not just building for ourselves, but for those who will come after us.
PURPOSE AND NEED
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There were several factors that went into our decision not to renovate our current building. After consulting with an architect, a structural engineer, and talking to some builders in our church family, we have concluded that a balcony or expansion would come at too steep a price. Estimates for this project were around $2-3 million (largely due to the reinforcement of the current foundation to support the load of a balcony and the structural changes to the building that would be necessary.) Furthermore, we would be out of this church building (not only on Sundays, but all week long) for potentially up to a year, requiring the rental of another facility. After all that, we would only be able add approximately 100-130 new seats to our current sanctuary.
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While this was going to be a helpful addition to the facility, it does not address the most pressing needs. The most important problem we have at this moment is an increasing lack of space for both adults and children on Sunday mornings (as well as all week long.)
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As we spoke to more and more of you, we recognized that one of the things that made Crossroads such a special place was the community that we all feel coming to church on Sunday morning. We love being together and this is why our mission and vision statements have such an emphasis on community. Breaking the church apart into separate campuses, while that may be an eventuality, felt like a move in the wrong direction. Everyone seemed to like the idea of a satellite campus, but very few were interested in leaving our Bigfork ‘campus’ to help us start one. At this point, we have decided to maximize the space that God has given us here in Bigfork and then from there, we’ll start branching out into other communities. (There are many other factors that went into this decision such as staffing, resources, logistics, live-stream preaching vs. live preaching, etc. and we can discuss those with you further if you would like).
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While we do believe there may be value in starting another service on an evening in the week here at Crossroads, we do not believe it will solve our main problem of overcrowding on Sunday morning. We have seen this before with clarity. Providing another service time for the community may result in more people coming to Crossroads, but we have to weigh that carefully against the cost to staff, volunteers and all their families. This would also add to the problem of colliding with non-Sunday activities and events, further limiting our building for other ministries.
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Without action, our facility will continue to limit our ability to serve our current congregation and new attendees joining us every week. Ministries such as children, youth, women, men are currently being stretched and will not be able to serve the needs on an ongoing basis.
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The existing building will remain a vital part of our church. Connected to the new sanctuary by a large welcoming lobby, the existing building will become the new Kids Ministry wing of Crossroads Christian Fellowship. This expanded space will allow us the ability to welcome more kids each Sunday, expand the number of classrooms, and have a large space for children to gather together each Sunday for worship before heading to their classrooms.
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The new building plan includes a lobby, sanctuary, restrooms, coffee area, living room, storage, meeting space and more. We will be renovating the existing building by expanding the current church kitchen, adding classrooms and expanding the existing office area for church staff. Most of the current building will remain the same, but will undergo some updates for increased functionality.
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Yes, we will continue holding our regular Sunday services in the current building. The expansion will happen across the parking lot and will, for the most part, not interfere with our Sunday church services. At some point we will need to join both buildings together and while there may be a brief interruption, we don’t expect it to keep us from gathering together on Sunday mornings. If there is such a disruption, it would be temporary and we will find a way to worship together!
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A certain level of disruption is unavoidable, but we’re working closely with the architects and builders to minimize the impact. Our goal is to maintain as much normalcy in worship and ministry as possible during the construction phase.
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The expansion is expected to take about 18 months. But as you can imagine, the timeline is dependent on funding, permitting, weather and many other variables. We will provide regular updates on the progress, next steps and anticipated completion dates. Ongoing prayers for efficiency, excellence and safety will be needed!
PRJOECT SCOPE AND BUILDING PLANS
FINANCIAL QUESTIONS
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The projected cost of the project is $8.5 million. This includes the new expansion as well as the remodel of the current building. We currently have just under $2 million in our church building fund that will be applied to this total.
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We are asking for pledges to be made over a 36 month period beginning in October 2025 and ending in December 31, 2028.
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Our goal is not to take on any debt. Our prayer is that through the generosity of our church family we will raise the amount needed to fund this project in full! We will evaluate our progress in January 2026 and at that point weigh the pro’s and con’s of taking on an amount of debt in order to get the project started. Our Elder board takes any debt very seriously and will guide the church in this delicate and important decision. We will keep communication open with the congregation.
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We will evaluate our progress in January 2026 and at that point decide if we are in a position to move forward with the project or not. At this point in time, we have no intention to downsize the project as anything less will not meet the needs of the church. However, we will continually evaluate the project, and “value engineering” will be an ongoing process. We pray that through our church family’s generosity that this decision will be a simple one! Rest assured that our Elder board has our best interest at heart as they decide how to move forward. They are inquiring of the Lord every step of the way.
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We are taking 21 days starting September 21, 2025 to have families pray about their involvement. On October 12, will hand out commitment cards where gifts may be made and pledges up to a 36 month time frame will be accepted. The commitment cards will be accepted on November 23 and the evaluation of our financial status will happen through December 2025. Working with our builders, the Elder Board will evaluate these decisions in January 2026. The goal would be to break ground in Spring 2026, but that is up to the Lord.
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Not directly. Your regular giving will continue to support ongoing ministries and operations. The capital campaign is above and beyond regular tithes and offerings. However, in the past, excess giving has been added to the building fund and that may continue in the future once all of our reserve accounts have been fully funded.
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All projects need a phase of planning and research to determine the viability. For the past 2 years, the Elder Board has actively explored and defined the programmatic needs of the church and have worked with the design team to develop a building scope which reflects the values of our church and responds to the growth of the body. We interviewed and decided on an architect (Casey Wychoff from LSW), we interviewed and decided on a builder (Trent Neumann) and we have worked closely with both of these men to develop the plan that is before you today. Even if we decide not to build, these plans will serve us in the future.
These plans have undergone many iterations as we have honed in on the exact needs of our church community. We have narrowed down several options and have come up with a plan that feels like a great fit for our church.The Elders, architect and builder have all weighed in on how we might save some money on this project and several big moves were made to do so (including relocation of the sewer line on the property, downsizing our building footprint, and a lot of generosity on behalf of our architects and builders, etc.) These steps have significantly decreased the cost of the project.
A lot of hard work and diligence has gone into getting us to this point, work by the Elders, staff, ministry leaders, Architects and Builders. The design process has four distinct phases, pre-design, schematic design, design development, and construction documents. This plan brings us up to the end of the Design and Development phase and we have full plans that we are coming out of this process with. This set has enough detail to aid the contractor in cost estimating and early communication with the various agencies that will be asked to approve the project.
Another way to describe it would be to say that we are about 70% complete with the design and engineering that would be needed to permit and construction the project.
To date (9/24/25), our architectural fees have been about $246,000 to get us up to this point. This excludes early pro-bono contributions of effort that the design team provided.To date (9/24/25), our builder retaining fee is $50,000. Trent will be passing up other projects as he awaits our final word in December. This fee will go toward the cost of the project.
Both our builder and our architect have offered us cost savings on their portion of the projects. -
The $8.5 million figure came from our early design phase, using an estimated cost of about $500 per square foot. We continue to look at all ways to control and reduce costs if possible.
Right now, we’re finalizing the engineered drawings so our builder can provide a firm, updated number. Both our builder and architect still believe we’re in the same general range, but we’re praying that continues to hold true as we move forward.
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You can give in many different ways: one-time gifts by check or credit card, multi-year pledges, online giving, stock transfers, through donor-advised funds, or estate gifts. Please reach out to us directly with any questions on how to give.
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Every person and family is in a different season, and God knows your circumstances better than anyone else. In a campaign like this, we are not seeking equal gifts but equal sacrifice. The question is not about matching what someone else gives, but about seeking how God is inviting you personally to participate.
We encourage you to make this a spiritual journey: pray, listen, obey, and watch what God will do. Ask Him to guide your decision, and be open to His prompting. Often He stretches us beyond what feels comfortable so that our trust in Him deepens. At the same time, He honors a heart that gives cheerfully and sacrificially.
The “appropriate amount” is the one God places on your heart. If every one of us seeks Him and responds in obedience, we believe He will provide all that is needed for His work through this campaign.
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The total duration of the giving period is 36 months. Annual or monthly commitments may be made through pledges to be fulfilled through the 36 month period.
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We truly believe that if this project is going to be successful, it will have to be a work of God. Our church family is very diverse and we understand that you may not be in a position to donate a large amount of money. Please take heart and know that every single gift matters. We just ask that you first pray and ask the Lord to guide you in your giving. We hope that all will make the same sacrifice even though our giving amounts will be different.
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Yes, all pledges and contributions will be handled with strict confidentiality.
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Yes, the church is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
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While we know you take your pledge seriously, pledges are not binding. However, we will do planning based on your pledge. But if your situation changes, we understand and are here to support you. Please reach out to Kate Averill at kate@crossroadsbigfork.com if you have any questions!
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Yes, we are committed to full transparency throughout this entire project. Financial reports and construction updates will be made available regularly. If you have any specific questions please feel free to reach out anytime to Pastor Paul at paul@crossroadsbigfork.com.
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Regular updates will be shared through the Greater Things website, weekend update emails and Sunday services. Let’s watch God at work!
GIVING AND STEWARDSHIP
TIMELINE AND NEXT STEPS
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We are asking our church family to commit the next 21 days to prayer over this project. We encourage everyone to pray for God's will over this project, unity in our church family, and for you to ask the Lord how He would like you to personally respond to the call.
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Depending on the initial giving and pledge response we get from our church family, we hope to have the funds needed to begin construction in early Spring of 2026. The first step will be to move the existing sewer line out of the field across from the current building. Once the sewer line has been moved we will be able to begin construction shortly after.
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The expansion is expected to take about 18 months. But as you can imagine, the timeline is dependent on funding, permitting, weather and many other variables. We will provide regular updates on the progress, next steps and anticipated completion dates. Ongoing prayers for efficiency, excellence and safety will be needed!
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
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Our purpose, mission and vision statements are located on our website and these are the guiding documents for our priorities for the building. We recognize that ministry happens much more often than on Sundays. All week long, our current building is full with Crossroads ministries for every age group as well as community ministries that fit our vision and mission. Due to our current space limitations, we sometimes have to say no to potential new use of the current building. With the new building, we foresee that it will be used in much the same way: larger groups will have access to using the new sanctuary, with smaller groups able to use the lobby and small classrooms therein.
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We do not plan to stop any ministries or initiatives during construction. The building fund and campaign are separate from our operations budget. We do not want to take away from what God is doing in one area so that He can do something else in another area. That being said, we have asked all of our ministry leaders to be very diligent and responsible during this time to not have any expenditures above and beyond what is Spirit led and needed.
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Very recently the Montana Highway Department has made access to our parking lot from the north very difficult. Double yellow lines necessitate that everyone coming from the north turn onto Highway 83 and enter behind the Liquor Barn. This has created a lot of problems. We are very actively seeking a solution to this problem. We have several people in communication with the Highway Department and are pressing them to allow for a safe entry into Crossroads. We do not have much progress to report at this moment, but will definitely keep everyone updated as soon as we do. Rest assured that solving this problem is one of our highest priorities.
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The plans we have do include some new meeting areas. For musicians there is a very comfortable ‘green room.’ We also have two rooms in the lobby that will accommodate smaller groups. The sanctuary and lobby will both accommodate larger groups and meetings. We do not plan to add any more rooms or spaces to this plan, but plan to fully utilize all of our spaces as multi-use, multi-purpose and multi-function.
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At this point, we are not actively entertaining any satellite campuses in other communities (see above). However we are watching and praying about this carefully, especially during the interim. This may help to alleviate some of the space issues that we are currently facing. We have several creative ideas that might help as we wait for the new building to be finished.
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We plan to cross that bridge when we get to it. For the time being, we are maximizing the use of this property with this building project. If the Lord continues to bring growth, we will re-consider other options such as satellite campuses or church plants in other communities.
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This is such a great question. First of all, our 1100+ people on a weekend does typically include between 150 and 200 kids. This brings the total number of adults in the sanctuary down into the 900’s on a Sunday morning. With 650 seats, this should last us for some time at the current growth rate we have.
By comparison, this church building would be the second largest church in the Flathead Valley (second to Canvas). Here are the seating capacities for other churches in the area: Canvas: 960, East Haven: 535, Christ Lutheran: 425-450, Grace Church: 300ish.
In addition, the building size is directly related to the number of parking spaces we would need to have available. Because we have a desire to keep some green space on the property, we did not want the entire thing to be an asphalt parking lot. This was another limiting factor for the size of the building. We have dreams that someday we’ll have some nice fields below the church for field sports.
Of course, we always have the option of moving back to three services that would accommodate almost 2000 people.
Finally, we are trying to balance the idea of keeping the 'feeling' of Crossroads small even as we grow. Coming into a huge room that will remain somewhat empty for a few years didn't feel like the direction we wanted.
Do you have any unanswered questions? Fill out this form and we will reach out to you!
