By Karen Vance
Enquirer contributor

SPRINGDALE - Ten years ago, the term "megachurch" had no meaning in Greater Cincinnati.

But this year, two Cincinnati churches have been named among the 100-fastest growing Protestant churches in the 21st century, according to Outreach Magazine, an evangelical magazine for pastors and church leaders.

Both non-denominational churches, Crossroads Community Church in Hyde Park and Vineyard Community Church in Springdale make the list at 29th and 80th, respectively.

Crossroads has grown by more than 3,300 people in its average weekly attendance since Dec. 31, 1999, while Vineyard has seen a bump of about 1,500 in that same time frame.

"We started in what is now the Clark Montessori building in March of 1996 with 11 people, and our goal was we wanted to create a church that would connect with our friends who didn't believe in God yet," said Crossroads Teaching Pastor Brian Wells.

"I thought we'd reach a couple hundred people, and we'd be happy with that, but God had plans for us."

The Vineyard's history is a bit longer, beginning in 1985 with 37 people. While it had many years where weekly attendance doubled from year to year, the growth has slowed to about 10 percent each year.

"The goal is not to try to have a big or bigger church," said Senior Pastor Dave Workman of the Vineyard, which also ranked 87th on the magazine's list of the largest churches in America - the highest of any in Ohio - with 6,000 average weekly attendance.

"The goal is to try to reach people who have been dechurched or unchurched or who have not yet seen a need for a connection with God in their lives."

He says there are still plenty in Greater Cincinnati who fit into that category. A recent survey of the congregation found that 40 percent of the people who come to the Vineyard had never been to church before or had attended a church two or fewer times each year.

While the leaders of both churches are pleased to see they're bringing people to God, they also note their size can be a challenge.

"When a church gets to a certain size, there's an anonymity that appeals to people," Workman said. "The challenge is to move people from being a spectator to seeking out God on a more personal level. I think real church happens in small groups. The only way to become more like Jesus is by rubbing shoulders with people we've learned to love."

At Crossroads, about one-third of the congregation participates in one of the church's 195 neighborhood small groups.

Outreach notes that within megachurches - which have about 3 million of the country's 69.3 million Protestant church attendees - small groups, multiple services and diversity are also trends.

While many times growth means success, Wells said Crossroads is careful to stay on message and true to its goals.

"If God really blesses a church with quick growth, there's a human tendency to equate that with we're doing things right and God is in it. But we have to ask the big, tough questions and constantly analyze are you truly doing things right," he said.

And while church leaders and the congregation continue to work on their spiritual growth, they'll also be working on physical growth. Crossroads is to break ground in the fall on an expansion to its former HQ store building for a new auditorium and larger children's space.

"We did not think 21/2 years ago when we opened this building that we'd be putting the hard hats on again so soon," Wells said.

For information on the Outreach Magazine list, visit www.outreachmagazine.com.

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