New Life to Growing Believers: A Unique Church’s Story

Crossroads Community Church officially opened on Easter, 1998 under the leadership of Paul and Betsy Ingeneri.  They have a rare and wonderful story as a church reborn.  They were an older CRC church in serious decline that has been given a second fruitful life.  What is also unique about Crossroads is that like Pastor Paul most of the members are a result of adult conversions to Christ through evangelism.   Crossroads entire ministry is geared toward helping people in Flanders, NJ find new life and new beginnings in Jesus Christ, and grow toward their full potential.  How do they do that? 

Pastor Paul is reaching many people who do not have a baseline of biblical or church life understanding.  When he started Crossroads CRC  he could not find training materials that fit his unique context…..Since Pastor Paul has a background in education and a passion for  training he decided to write his own materials. These materials can be used evangelistically as well as for those new to the faith. The seminars and materials are carefully void of Christian-ese and assumptions about prior biblical knowledge.  The training is designed to be approachable and user-friendly without any intimidation. 

The training Pastor Paul offers is listed below and is available for a modest cost to any with similar context in need of good training instruction in written or seminar form.  For more information contact:  Paul Ingeneri  at 973-584-7149 or [email protected].

Below are the seminars presently available (from Rev. Paul Ingeneri) with his descriptions and comments!

Understand the Bible in 3 Short Hours: 

This seminar is for unbelievers (interested or hostile) through veteran Christians.  It uses many charts and is designed to inform all of the basic structure, story, and timeline of the Bible, while challenging them with the uniqueness of the Book as compared to any other sacred text.   Throughout, it shows how a person who doesn’t believe can see how rational and logical it is to believe the Bible and trust its central focus, Jesus Christ.

Discipleship/Leadership Development:

A systematic way to help train members  in the essentials of following Jesus, while at the same time developing their leadership potential, no matter what area they’re gifted in or in what capacity they may serve.                                        

The Sessions include: Prayer, Bible, Grace, Fellowship/Relationships, Fruit of the Holy Spirit 1, Fruit of the Holy Spirit II, Sharing Jesus with others, Loyalty to vision, purpose, leadership, Understanding the CRC, Understanding and Handling suffering maturely.

Focus on the End Times:

Believers in established CRC’s have heard some messages on individual “eschatology” but few on views of the end times.   In church plants folks come in with all kinds of views conditioned by TV shows, past church experiences, other media, etc. much of it sensational and more dispensational.   This seminar does not focus on any items in Revelation or other esoteric matters…It’s emphasis is to get across the main points of individual eschatology and the major end times views, how they differ, and why that matters practically right now.

This seminar runs about 3 hours and contains 4 chapters to be taught with maps and charts - all included (making  understanding very visual and much easier to take in).

Understanding and Applying the Bible:

Nowhere have I found from any publishing company a way to teach believers how to interpret and apply the Bible.  There are books and DVD’s etc. on particular books of the Bible, books for seminarians, but nothing on the Bible as a whole and palatable for the average person.   We Christians claim the Bible is the Word of God...yet we give no training in interpreting and applying it…very strange!    This cries out for a remedy!                        

A future seminar…on Baptism!

These are times when many Church plants need help in engaging those who come in with a belief that you only baptize adults and/or a strong animosity to the view of infant baptism often due to a rejection of catholic background.  Established churches also need this as ideas of dedication are growing stronger among us.

When I first became CRC (as a child I was Catholic) and asked about Infant Baptism, most just said, “Oh the blessings of the covenant!”   I found neither members, nor most pastors, really able to explain to one  who’d angrily rejected the Catholic view, why we should baptize infants…the Baptist view seemed more, well, biblical.  I understand firsthand why people reject it, because I myself did.                              

Since then I’ve learned why those  who are “Arminian” and “Dispensational” absolutely can’t believe in infant baptism because their interpretive scheme  forbids it at the outset.   I’ve read many books on both sides, engaged many who didn’t believe in infant baptism, preached on it in other churches, and need to write this seminar to ironically  explain why it’s both biblical and practical, especially for those crying out for community and roots.

Paul has also developed two seminars that serve as outreach events for families.

Multiplication Facts Seminar:

This program is intended for pre-evangelism and outreach for families of any socio economic status.  It can be used by any size church.   It helps kids learn the multiplication facts in enjoyable ways and shows parents the church cares about them because of Jesus.  

These days, in many schools,  calculators are overemphasized, teachers have so much material to “get across” they do not have time to review the “times tables,”  both parents are often working,  and unless kids learn the multiplication facts they are helpless to advance in arithmetic and beyond, and often give up on math little by little.

SAT Math Seminar:

I have a Bachelors in Math and a Masters in Math Education (summa cum laude) and have been tutoring for the SAT tests for around 30 years now.  I use my own book, The Ultimate Strategy Handbook for the Math SAT, and the latest tests from the test-makers in 7 two hour sessions.                           

What else would you like to know about Paul's seminars and strategy?