Dr. Martha Kriebel of Trinity Reformed Church (UCC) in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, has developed a name for herself among her colleagues as the Crossways pastor.  "Sooner or later, out of my mouth will come a Crossways commercial." She's been talking about the materials for ten years. "It takes a long time to get people interested [in Bible study]. I'm starting to get more inquiries now, and pastors are calling me to find out why I use Crossways International's materials. The questions have changed, however, from 'Why are you hooked?' to 'How do we order?'"

In addition to teaching Crossways classes, Kriebel uses the materials for sermon preparation. She says she finds the tools wonderful for opening up Scripture.  "I'm able to look at Scripture as I've never looked at it before, and let it speak to me. The [Bible] lessons then really open up,"  she says. "They are placed into the context of when they were originally spoken; readings begin to take on the life and times in which they were brought forth.  We're going back to relive the biblical story as a community now.  I think that's the most significant new experience we've had."

Kriebel, and a fellow Crossways teacher at Trinity named Nancy, have plans for using the course in yet another way.  They would like to offer Crossways International courses as part of an ongoing church school curriculum and outreach, using the materials to approach those not currently involved in any kind of church school.  The idea is to develop a small group approach to discipleship that appeals to those not interested in a traditional Sunday school setting.  Says Kriebel, "That's our dream, that's our vision, that's our personal challenge."

Kriebel acknowledges the time commitment required to set up such a discipleship program. Yet she says that the mission in our own backyard is the "greatest and toughest mission field we have."

One Technique for Course Recruitment

Don't Minimize the Commitment Needed Pastor Rex Rinne has wanted to offer Crossways to a congregation since he took the leader's training in the mid 1980s, but has only recently been able to generate enough interest among parishioners for a serious and lengthy Bible study. He is now a pastor at Celebration Lutheran Church in Appleton, Wisconsin, a relatively new congregation with many recent converts who are thirsty for biblical knowledge. Rinne made it clear to his parishioners that the study was in depth, and would require a two-year commitment to complete.  He also asked for a minimum for 10 people to commit before he would teach the class. He received a far greater response than he expected:  35 people expressed interest and willingness to commit to the study. Rinne now feels emboldened to ask for an even greater commitment from the congregation. He is delighted that so many of his congregants are striving to understand the Bible's message, and to follow Christ.

Please contact us with your questions (& pictures!) and tell us about your own experiences with Crossways International's materials and resources.