DALLAS (BP) — Organizers of Crossover 25 are urging Southern Baptists nationwide to pray as preparations ramp up for this year’s evangelistic outreach on June 2-8.
Held annually in the host city of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Annual Meeting, Crossover brings churches together to share the gospel with residents during the week before the Annual Meeting.
This year, organizers are asking Southern Baptists to begin praying now — that God would prepare hearts to hear and respond to the good news of Jesus in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area.
“Around this time, the enemy tries to distract or discourage pastors — telling them they don’t have the bandwidth or capacity,” said J.J. Washington, the national director of personal evangelism at the North American Mission Board (NAMB). “Pray specifically for churches and the communities where the gospel will be presented, that the Lord would move and prepare hearts.”
Southern Baptists have hosted Crossover annually since 1989. NAMB co-sponsors the effort alongside local Baptist associations and churches. SBC churches from Dallas, Rockwall, Denton, Collin, Hunt, Kaufman, Ellis, Johnson, and Tarrant counties will host this year’s events.
As of last week, Washington said 72 churches have registered to participate. Nearly a third of those churches are Spanish speaking.
Luis Gonzalez, the Spanish pastor of Lamar Baptist Church in Arlington, said his church is organizing a soccer tournament and doing door-to-door evangelism, followed up by a Harvest Sunday that weekend at the church.
According to NAMB, a Harvest Sunday is a church service designed specifically as an outreach Sunday for those who need to hear and respond to the gospel.
“Our goal is to involve everyone — adults, kids, youth, English speakers, Spanish speakers — in this evangelistic effort,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a great opportunity for the entire church family to share Jesus.”
Gonzalez is also heavily involved in mobilizing other Spanish-speaking Southern Baptist churches in the Dallas area to get involved. Some of the other projects already in the works include Vacation Bible School and block parties, including one such party where four small churches are partnering together.
“We’re trying to connect local pastors around the Dallas area to the resources available for outreach and evangelism,” Gonzalez added. “It’s the Great Commission. We have the truth of God, and we need to share the gospel every day.”
Greg Ammons, pastor of First Baptist Church of Garland, Texas, pointed out that while many might think of Dallas as a familiar “Southern Baptist” city, the area’s growing global diversity creates unique evangelistic opportunities.
“Twenty-four minutes is the average drive time to work in Dallas, and people will drive as far to church as they do to work,” said Ammons, who has served as FBC Garland’s pastor for the past 20 years. “So, we figured that’s our field. Within that 24-minute drive time, the population was one million, and there were 52 languages spoken. So, it’s really a city where the world is coming to us. Foreign missions are literally coming to our doorstep. The more we can get out, meet needs, and be involved in the community, the more I believe God is going to use Baptists who live here.”
During Crossover, FBC Garland plans to connect with some of the different language groups in the area by organizing outreach events in nearby apartment complexes. Many of these complexes have become home to people from a variety of nations.
“We, first of all, just want to have some gospel conversations,” Ammons said. “Hopefully, those conversations can lead to faith in Christ as Savior, but the main goal is to open up those conversations and get out into the community. So many churches kind of hide behind stained glass and, you know, sing and worship — and that’s wonderful — but you’ve got to get outside the walls as well.”
Ryan Jespersen, the executive director of the Dallas Baptist Association, believes the evangelism opportunities through Crossover can significantly help to revitalize Dallas-area churches.
Even though some think of Dallas as the “buckle of the Bible belt,” Jespersen said the city has significant lostness, where most of the population doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ. He urged Southern Baptists not to think of Dallas as a “saved city” but as one where people need to hear and respond to the gospel.
“Crossover is an opportunity for churches to engage their communities,” Jespersen said. “NAMB has pretty much taken all the excuses out — there’s funding, there are volunteers coming. Just plan something.”
During this year’s Crossover events, Shane Pruitt, NAMB’s national director for next generation evangelism, will once again lead evangelistic student rallies to help engage youth with the good news. First Baptist Church of Rockwall will host a rally at 6 p.m. on June 6. Cross Church’s North Richland Hills campus will host another one at 4 p.m. on June 7.
Southern Baptist seminary students will be in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area throughout the week, partnering with churches for door-to-door evangelism.
Specific service opportunities during Crossover will be announced in April. To learn more about Crossover, visit namb.net/crossover. To learn more about the Crossover student rallies, visit namb.net/crossover-student-rally.