There's a great church in the channel (of the Derwent = southern suburbs and towns of greater Hobart) called Kingston Christian Reformed Church(es), it's a great church that is committed to planting churches. Their website sux but we won't hold that against them.
But because KCRC is so good, it's easy to think 'they've got the channel covered', like they've put their tag all over the channel, or weed on all the telegraph poles. And so Crossroads is not a channel church.
This is wrong for a few reasons. Firstly, if we are serious about reaching all the 250 000 people of Hobart, rather than just staking out parish boundaries, we just cannot think this way:
- Strategically, we need dozens of churches multiplying in the channel, not just one. Crossroads should be willing to help in the task of evangelising the channel, just as KCRC should be committed to central and northern Hobart.
- Culturally, it'd be cool to have a range of churches in any area, with a range of styles and strengths.
- Demographically, Crossroads has a large percentage of people living in the channel already.
- Ecclesiologically, a church shouldn't be only defined by the suburb where it's Sunday service is held.
- Socially, not everyone primarily identifies with their 'first place' (where they live). Many people identify more with where they work or where they play. So you can have 'Kingston people' who work in Hobart, 'Hobart people' who live in Kingston and even 'Franklin River' people who live in Hobart and work in New Norfolk, but love rafting.
