Mission:
CrossWinds exists to lead people to embrace Jesus’ radical love, champion unity, and impact the world tangibly.
Vision:
We envision a church where people from all backgrounds can encounter Jesus, grow in faith, build authentic relationships, and discover how God is calling them to make a positive impact in the world. We desire to be a church that reflects both the truth and grace of Jesus, helping people take meaningful next steps in their spiritual journey no matter where they are starting from.
Values:
- Jesus Changes Everything. We believe real life change is possible through the transforming work of Jesus Christ.
- Unity Doesn’t Mean Uniformity. We pursue unity amid disagreement and believe Christians can remain deeply committed to one another even when they see some things differently.
- Your Faith Isn’t Static. Following Jesus is a lifelong journey of growth, trust, and transformation.
- We Pursue Those in the Margins. We intentionally seek to love, serve, and include those who are often overlooked or forgotten.
- The Arts Connect the Human Heart to God. We believe creativity is a gift from God and a powerful way to communicate truth and inspire worship.
CrossWinds operates with a high degree of trust, collaboration, and shared ownership. The staff team is mission-focused, highly relational, and genuinely enjoys serving together — they work hard and laugh often. Team members are given meaningful ownership and are encouraged to think beyond maintaining programs toward building people and systems that create long-term impact. While excellence matters deeply, CrossWinds is not driven by performance for performance’s sake. The goal is ministry that is effective, sustainable, and aligned with the mission of helping people take meaningful steps toward Jesus.
At the center of the staff culture is Lead Pastor Josh Carman, whose leadership is defined by a deep commitment to developing people. Josh believes one of the church’s most important responsibilities is identifying, equipping, and empowering people to use their gifts for the sake of others — and that conviction shapes how he leads his team. He is passionate about creating pathways for people to grow in both character and competence, and he brings a relational, visionary style that gives staff genuine ownership over their ministry areas. His vision for CrossWinds is a church where leadership development is woven into every ministry, and he is the kind of leader who wants to invest in the people around him for the long haul.
The leader who will thrive here is someone who is comfortable giving and receiving feedback, raises concerns early rather than letting frustrations build, and prefers honest conversation over assumptions. Communication at CrossWinds is transparent, solution-oriented, and rooted in trust. Strong communication here is less about charisma and more about clarity, humility, responsiveness, and a shared commitment to moving forward together.
CrossWinds is a non-denominational Christian church rooted in historic, orthodox Christianity. We affirm the authority of Scripture, the Trinity, the full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, salvation by grace through faith, the death and resurrection of Jesus, the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, and the church’s mission to make disciples. We believe these core doctrines are essential and expect ministry leaders to teach and lead in alignment with them.
At the same time, CrossWinds recognizes that faithful Christians may hold differing views on a variety of secondary theological issues. As a church, we seek to embody a “Third Way” approach that combines theological conviction with humility, grace, and a commitment to unity. We are looking for leaders who can confidently teach biblical truth while creating space for honest questions, meaningful dialogue, and spiritual growth. CrossWinds is an independent, non-denominational church and is not governed by a denominational body. Local leadership and governance are provided through our staff and Board of Elders.
- Oversee all aspects of CrossWinds Kids on Sunday mornings, ensuring every child from nursery through 5th grade experiences a safe, engaging, and spiritually formative environment.
- Recruit, equip, and empower a volunteer team to serve across all areas of Children’s Ministry — nursery, preschool, elementary, check-in, tech, and administration — building a culture where people serve out of calling, not obligation.
- Develop and implement a clear volunteer pipeline that takes people from their first step into serving all the way through ongoing growth, development, and celebration.
- Partner with parents to equip them as the primary spiritual leaders of their children, creating resources and experiences that extend faith conversations beyond Sunday mornings.
- Connect regularly with new and returning families, pursuing those who’ve drifted in order to build genuine engagement and lasting relationships.
- Collaborate with our Student Ministries team to ensure smooth and meaningful transitions for kids moving into middle school.
- Plan and execute creative monthly “wow” moments and seasonal events — including a summer kids camp or VBS — that build momentum and draw in families on the periphery.
- Develop a ministry vision aligned with CrossWinds’ mission, manage the Children’s Ministry budget with wisdom and transparency, and use church database tools to track engagement, growth, and family needs.
- A committed follower of Jesus with a genuine heart for kids and families.
- At least 3 to 5 years of experience in children’s ministry leadership, whether in a church staff role or a significant volunteer leadership capacity; 5 to 10 or more years of experience preferred.
- Demonstrated success recruiting, training, and leading volunteers and developing emerging leaders.
- A strong philosophy of family discipleship and experience creating intentional discipleship pathways for children and families.
- Experience building scalable ministry systems and leading through growth.
- A collaborative, proactive communicator who is comfortable giving and receiving feedback with clarity and grace.
- Theological alignment with CrossWinds’ statement of faith and comfort serving within a Third Way church culture.
- A bachelor’s degree in ministry, theology, education, leadership, child development, or a related field is preferred but not required. Character, calling, and demonstrated ministry effectiveness are weighted heavily.
Build the Volunteer Culture: CrossWinds has a roster of around 40 volunteers serving in CrossWinds Kids, and a leadership team that is fully invested in seeing children’s ministry flourish. The next Kids Pastor will have both the freedom and the expectation to build a genuine volunteer culture — one where people feel known, developed, and deployed according to their gifts. This is not a ministry that needs to be rescued; it needs a leader who will invest in the people already showing up and build the kind of team that multiplies over time.
Strengthen the Family Discipleship Pipeline: CrossWinds is seeing a growing influx of young families, and children’s ministry sits at the front door of that opportunity. The next Kids Pastor will have the chance to build intentional pathways that connect what kids experience on Sunday to what families are living out the rest of the week. The church’s Reach, Connect, Equip framework is already in place — this leader gets to be the one who makes that real for the next generation of CrossWinds families.
Make the Ministry Your Own: CrossWinds wants a Kids Pastor who has strong convictions about what a great children’s ministry looks and feels like, and who is willing to advocate for it. There is meaningful ownership available here — over the environment, the programming, the rhythms, and the culture of CrossWinds Kids. The right leader will see that not as pressure but as an invitation, and will arrive ready to build something they are proud of.