Big fish
One of the metro’s largest churches is bucking the multisite trend, staying put and adding on, to the tune of $15.5 million. ‘We can’t duplicate what we do here,’ the senior pastor says.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Greg Horton
One of Oklahoma City’s largest churches is making plans to add 74,000 square feet of additional space and 11 acres at an estimated cost of $15.5 million.

Crossings Community Church, a Church of God congregation in northwest Oklahoma City, recently unveiled plans for three major construction projects at its 70-acre campus. The current facility is 250,000 square feet, and Senior Pastor Marty Grubbs said the congregation with weekly attendance of 4,700 has outgrown the space.

Grubbs said the three projects — a 500-seat chapel, a second gym and an expanded atrium for social events — would allow Crossings to “take better care of our people.” Grubbs estimated that 7,500 people attend Crossings on a regular basis and probably consider it their home church.

“The current average attendance on Sunday morning is 4,383 for all of 2007 thus far,” Grubbs said. “Our highest Sunday attendance has been 4,700 and our lowest just over 4,000.”

Those numbers make Crossings one of the five largest churches in Oklahoma City. According to figures supplied by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, only four churches in the Oklahoma City area, including Edmond and Norman, have regular, weekly attendance larger than Crossings.

LifeChurch.tv in Edmond is the largest in Oklahoma, but unlike Crossings, its services and 17,000 members are scattered across six campuses in the state, including an “Internet campus.”

Grubbs said Crossings has intentionally not adopted the multiple campus approach. “We can’t duplicate what we do here,” Grubbs said. “We want to fully develop this campus so that we can better minister to more people. I can duplicate a worship service, but there has to be more to the church than a worship service and more than my face plastered on screens all over the city. I don’t feel the need to put my face on a screen in another quadrant of the city. There are already good churches in other areas of the city.”

Grubbs insisted that his statements aren’t directed at LifeChurch.tv’s pastor Craig Groeschel’s method of broadcasting his image to campuses in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Arizona. Nor does he want his words construed as a “slap in the face” to Groeschel.

“I’m just a local guy,” Grubbs said. “I’m trying to keep this thing from being about more than me. I know multicampus is a trendy thing to do right now, but it’s not something we’re going to do. People can get to our campus from anywhere in Oklahoma City in 20 (to) 30 minutes.”

The multicampus tactic is one of the fastest growing methods of church planting in Christian circles right now. Using satellite technology and a “church in a box” approach, large churches can open a new campus for approximately $5 million, much cheaper than average facility costs, and increase their reach and influence far beyond their geographical context.

Grubbs is aware of the critics who have insisted going multisite would be a more financially responsible way to do things, and he is aware that some criticize the amount of money the church is preparing to spend, as well as the current size and original facility costs.

“We have about $25 million in this facility right now,” Grubbs said. “Look, I drive down Portland (Avenue); I know what this church looks like. But building this facility has enabled us to reach more people and give away more money to good causes. If we were 10 churches of 500 people, no one would notice, and we wouldn’t be able to do for the community what we currently do.”

Grubbs said Crossings’ mission budget — which includes benevolent ministries like food, clothing and medical care for needy families — is $2 million per year. That amount is roughly 20 percent of Crossings’ budget, a percentage that is more than twice the national average for churches.

“This is money that we’re asking people to give over and above current giving,” Grubbs said. “We’re not taking on any debt, we’re not reducing current missions giving, and we’re going to build incrementally as the funds and pledges are available. Our first priority is the chapel.”

The 28,000-square-foot chapel, which includes a 90-foot-tall “Crosstower,” will be used for weddings, funerals and additional worship services. The church’s current 3,200-seat sanctuary is overwhelming for small weddings and funerals. Grubbs said the church would like to provide a place where people can celebrate, mourn or worship in a more intimate setting.

The second gym will be used for the church’s expanding sports program, including a growing outreach and sports league for physically challenged young people. The money also will purchase 11 acres southeast of the campus for later development.

Grubbs said the additions will allow Crossings to continue its mission as one church and keep the emphasis off personality.


“I am determined to not let our church become like many other large ‘megachurch’ situations,” Grubbs said, “which are often all about a very visible, so-called powerful and charismatic pastor/leader. The community may agree or disagree with what we are doing, but at least we stand out as a church, a congregation, and not a ‘superstar’ pastor who is the face of the church.”