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About CCI-AUSTRALIA
Vision and Focus
Crossover's strategy is to multiply church planters who will plant multiplying churches among the people groups found in Eurasia, primarily the people within the countries of Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and the Ukraine. From the first church planted in Chisinau, Moldova in 1995 to over 20 in that country today, Crossover looks for national pastoral leadership who can learn how to reproduce themselves in the formation of new churches throughout these seven countries surrounding the Black Sea.
A vision provides a real and visual expression to the scripturally-motivated mission. How do we glorify God among the people groups of the world? Crossover’s vision is to assist and accelerate church planting movements among the people groups of Eurasia. In 1995, only six evangelical missionaries were known to be in the country of Moldova, the small country between Romania and the Ukraine. Crossover began the first phase of fulfilling its vision with Mission Moldova. Our goal was to plant five churches by 2000. When we planted six, we knew Crossover needed to expand its vision.
That led to Mission Black Sea in 2000, a plan for 100 new churches established in the people groups of the seven Eurasian countries surrounding the Black Sea: Moldova, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, Russia, Georgia, and Turkey. In 2003, Crossover sent long-term cross-cultural workers to our second targeted people group within the least-reached country on the Black Sea. More missionaries, both American and Brazilian, followed. By the end of 2004, Crossover has started over 20 new churches. As the Lord provides the people and resources, we hope to see the remaining churches of Mission Black Sea established.
History
CCI-Australia started out as Challenge Ministries International (CMI) in late 2003 / early 2004. Here is the story of CMI and CCI Global.
Challenge Ministries International
CMI was born out of the heart of an Australian man, Dr Peter Law. Peter moved to the US to carry out further studies and to be closer to the mission field God was placing on his heart – Eastern Europe. He began traveling to Eastern Europe in 1985 during the time of communism. He would meet with fellow Christians to minister to them in secret and has many stories to tell about the faithfulness of God through this time of Christian persecution in Russia.
CMI really began right after the revolution in 1990-91. They began doing mainly evangelism, as the people had been denied access to the gospel for over 70 years. At that time they would travel to Eastern Europe (working in Russia as far as Siberia, north almost to Finland border, south to the Black Sea in Ukraine, in central Russia, Poland, Romania etc) where an announcement would be made of their visit and people would flock to the place of culture in whatever town they visited and gather there to hear the preaching of the gospel. There would be standing room only, and many responded positively to the message of God’s grace.
At that time they would speak in hospitals, schools, universities, colleges, prisons, orphanages, military institutions, churches, theatres etc and receive a warm welcome.
Over time, not much had changed, however they have had to re-strategise in order to keep in step with what God has been doing and to support the church in its need to reach out further into the community, train leadership, do discipleship etc.
CMI always worked in conjunction with local churches, focusing to support the local church in their endeavours for the building of God’s kingdom.
Statement of Belief
Crossover’s ministry and teaching are built upon a foundation of core beliefs, or doctrines.
- We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, ultimately authoritative Word of God.
- We believe there is one God, eternally existing as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, is Deity, that he was born of a virgin, that we are redeemed by His atoning death through His shed blood, that He was bodily resurrected and ascended into Heaven, and that He will come again in power and great glory.
- We believe that men are saved through a direct, personal encounter with the risen Lord, at which time they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. This event we hold to be an experience, rather than a doctrinal supposition.
- We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by Whom Christ indwells each believer enabling him to live a Godly life of obedience as he reaches for maturity.
- We believe the Holy Spirit unites all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and that together they form one body, the Church.
- We believe the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost.
Values
Crossover Communications International is a multicultural, evangelical movement united by three core values — the authority of Scripture, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and the commitment to worldwide evangelization. These values form the non-negotiable personal commitment of every member of Crossover and generates the common vision to see the church multiplied among the people groups of Eurasia.
Biblical Authority (2 Timothy 3:16)
We are committed to bringing every aspect of Crossover’s mission as well as our own personal lives into conformity to the Word of God. We believe the Bible is without error and is God’s authoritative Word for faith and practice.
Authentic Christian Living (Galatians 5:16-24)
We are committed to glorifying God by loving and obeying His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. We realize that to live such a life is impossible without the enabling power of His Holy Spirit working in and through our lives.
World Evangelism (Matthew 28:19-20)
We are committed to make Christ’s last command our first priority. We seek to fulfill the biblical mandate of the Great Commission by helping to make disciples through church planting of all nations. |
