Forward
James, the brother of Jesus wrote in James 4 that life is like a mist, a vapor; you see it for a short time, and it is gone. As the years move forward this truth is experienced by billions of people every day regardless of their beliefs. CrossWay Church was started in 1948, over 75 years ago, and though more than seven decades is not a short amount of time for a church it is still a mist in the grander and longer story that God is writing.
There are two possible attitudes that we can take when thinking about the brevity of life for ourselves and the community of faith we are part of. One is more fatalistic: who cares, everything is moving so fast, everything is so temporary, all that matters is trying to squeeze out some happiness in this vapor of a journey called life. That is not only depressing and a waste of a life, but it is not in line with the wonder of the adventure of life that God has us on. The second way to view the brevity of life is by embracing today, seizing the opportunities that God gives us to be part of His Story; to see that our community of faith, our lives, though brief in the scope of 2,000 years of church history, still matter!
God is doing incredible transformational work through those individuals and churches that allow themselves to be part of the disciple making plan that Jesus launched with 12 regular guys in a backwoods part of the Roman Empire. And the humble beginnings of Jesus’ Church have brought us today to a place where we can continue to do God’s work in southeastern WI and around the world. God’s work. That is what Forward is all about. Stepping out in faith, action, and words be Jesus to a hurting world. To be part of God drawing people to his family, healing relationships, breaking addictions, helping the stuck, and inviting others to be part of not just something bigger than themselves, but the grandest story of all.
We are part of God’s restorative story, in which all things are moving both back to the original intent of the Garden in Genesis and pointing forward to the promise of the new City in Revelation. We may have just a moment in this story but fully and sacrificially embrace that moment focused on Christ, grounded in the Scripture, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Like it, hate it, deny it, embrace it, everything is moving forward. Every day we get older as we move closer to that day in which Christ will return and usher in the New Heaven and the New Earth. Each day that God gives us as we move forward is an opportunity to grow as a disciple of Jesus. A disciple is one who desires to become more like the Rabbi, who is Jesus. Jesus was full of Grace and Truth and as Christ followers we are daily to be growing in Grace and Truth. Jesus was always on mission, fully obedient to his heavenly Father. We are called to be on mission fully obedient to Jesus as disciples who are making disciples. This means we are living our life in such a way that when people encounter us at home, at work, in the community, and in world they see Jesus. And in seeing Jesus they have an opportunity to come to know and grow in Christ.
Disciples never existed in isolation but always participated in a larger gathering, learning how to be more like the teacher, their Rabbi. As disciples of Jesus we serve Christ, submit to Christ, and are ambassadors for Christ together. The Church is the primary organism (organization) that God has chosen to be his instrument of reconciling creation to God’s original intent in the Garden before sin messed everything up. As a church we are moving forward to the next season that God has for CrossWay.
The Forward journey will require us to lean hard into our three core values of Engaging Theology, Strategic Care, and Stable Community. This will be an exciting season of godly impact, life change, sacrifice, prayer, and radical generosity. The world needs godly transformation that only Jesus can bring, and He has commanded us and empowered us to be ambassadors of that transformation. Together, let’s be fully committed to move Forward into the next season that Christ has for His Church.
On the Journey Together,
Dr. Jason Esposito
Lead Pastor
Where We've Been
1948 – Our story begins on December 18 when the church first met at the home of John Ehleiter on Cramer Street in Milwaukee. Eighteen charter members led the way with Rev. James Wannamacher as the pastor.
1949 – This small group met in various homes until moving to a store basement.
August 1949 – God provided for the purchase of our first building on 10th and Hadley in Milwaukee and we were officially named “First Alliance Church of the Christian and Missionary Alliance – Milwaukee” under Rev. N.A. Weber.
1951-1953 Over the next several years, the average Sunday morning attendance grew to 68.
1954 – To accommodate growing attendance, we built a new building and parsonage on 60th St in Milwaukee.
1960 – Average Sunday attendance grew to 116.
1963 – We added to the facility under the leadership of Rev. Harley Heckman, who served as senior pastor from 1960-1979.
1978 – To further the gospel in other parts of the greater Milwaukee area, we planted a church in Cedarburg, pastored by William Ronzenheimer. That church, Alliance Bible Church, now meets in Mequon and currently (2024) averages about 900 attendees per Sunday.
1979 – Continuing to grow, First Alliance Church averaged 254 in attendance on Sunday mornings.
May 4, 1986 – In order to allow better opportunities for growth, we decided again to relocate and broke ground for the current facility in Germantown. The building was dedicated nine months later.
June 30, 1996 – Due to rapid growth, it was time for another addition, so we broke ground for office and educational spaces.
January 24, 1999 – First Alliance celebrated its 50th anniversary!
2004 – Jason & Amy Esposito join CrossWay Church
2010 – We were outgrowing the original sanctuary and needed more space for children’s ministry and adult discipleship. We added a much larger sanctuary and changed the name to CrossWay Church.
2010 – We began a global partnership with Harvesters in South Sudan. This was the beginning of an expansion of our Global Partnerships throughout the world.
2015-2021 – Desiring to have more outreach to the city, we launched CrossWay North Milwaukee and held services at a school in the Brown Deer area. Additionally, we opened the Woodlands Community Center to strategically care for those in North Milwaukee.
2018 – As multi-site ministry emerges, CrossWay Church opened an additional campus when Oakbrook Church became CrossWay Sussex.
2020 – As we continue to reach Southeastern Wisconsin with the love and hope of Jesus, we opened a third location when HillPoint Church became CrossWay North Shore.
Where We Are Today
Between the Germantown, Sussex, and North Shore Campuses, we average almost 1700 attendees each weekend for services on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Around 150-300 more participate in our online services each week. We provide meeting space for professional Christian counseling, as well as weekly Bible studies, discipleship groups, children and youth ministries, men’s and women’s events, and more.
Each of us has been wired for eternity.
God has placed this desire in all of us for Him that cannot be satisfied through achievement, money, and adventures. Introducing people to the God who created us for Himself is the greatest joy and opportunity of the Christian life. Forward is all about taking the disciple making message of Jesus Christ to the hurting, broken, and lost in Southeastern Wisconsin and beyond.
Secondary Goal
$12.3 Million Over 2 Years
