Church of the Week: Crossroads Community Church, Cincinnati

In honor of my son, Aaron, who last week started a new job at Crossroads Community Church in Cincinnati's Oakley neighborhood, I thought this would be as good a time as any to feature Crossroads as the church of the week.

Crossroads is a ginormous non-denominational church with a mission of "connecting seekers with a community of growing Christ-followers." Anyone entering the church from any direction before a worship service is greeted at the door by a friendly, smiling greeter. The hugantic atrium can be disorienting at first, but multiple directional signs, coffee stations, and seating areas make it a dynamic yet inviting space.

The likewise hunormous auditorium, with a spacious balcony, can be entered from any number of directions. A standard of excellence is apparent in the quality of sight, sound, and music, and the casual, accessible teaching and friendly banter from the stage makes the experience much warmer and intimate than you might expect.

The children's ministries--on two levels of the sprawling facility--is also top notch. One section of the check in desk (not far from the information desk) is devoted and clearly labeled for "new families." A full kit, complete with a CD of kids' music children learn and sing in their classes, is provided to parents upon check-in.

But my favorite part of the Crossroads experience is the easy-to-miss chapel off the main atrium (in fact, on my first two or three visits to Crossroads, I missed it).

It's a space that most churches would love to have for their main worship experience, but at Crossroads it provides a gorgeous, adaptable setting for more intimate occasions.

If you're ever in the area, and are looking for a distinctive worship experience, stop in at Crossroads, which has multiple services on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings.