Board of Directors Page: 

I chose this banner to get right to the point. Above all else, Crosslines exists to glorify Jesus. Crosslines is a Parachurch* ministry, born from local churches partnering together. Crosslines Churches come from various denominations and see a lot of things very differently, but at the end of the day, we can unite around the glory of Christ. 

* A parachurch organization is exactly that—an organization that operates alongside (para) the church. Parachurch organizations are groups of Christians, members of the universal church, who engage in specific areas of ministry that serve or supplement the ministry of local churches.

For more on how a Parachurch serves, read this blog ​

What We do:

Below is a video that will provide you a basic overview of the mission of Crosslines

At Crosslines, Our Food and Clothing Ministry Exists: 

To Glorify God,
By Feeding and Clothing our Neighbors in Need,
Through the Partnership of the Local Church. 

You can learn more about how we do this by clicking here.

Who We serve:

As a board member, it’s important that you understand who Crosslines primarily serves. There are a lot of misconceptions regarding food pantries that you have the opportunity to take part in correcting. At Crosslines, we primarily serve “the working poor.” That is, most of the families we serve have someone in the home employed, but their regular income just isn’t enough to make ends meet when and unexpected crisis takes place. We are not a homeless ministry, we refer folks in those situations to the organizations in town that specialize in that ministry, but we serve the many people in our community who need a hand up when that unexpected cost arises. Additionally, we serve many vulnerable people in our community who are unable to have stable income such as our elderly and disabled. 

Below are some testimonies from key community leaders that at one time were Crosslines clients. This video is critical to understanding what we do, please watch. 

How We got started:

In 1981 a group of area churches met together at the First Presbyterian Church to discuss what it might look like to partner together in serving those who were struggling in our area. They decided to start small and they went to JC Penney and bought all the blue jeans they could and gave them away to kiddos needing blue jeans for the start of school. Then, in March of 1982, Crosslines Churches of the Joplin Area began with the mission of "Concerned volunteers working together across denominational lines to meet human needs in the name of Jesus."  We started with the support of 10 churches desiring to eliminate the duplication of services while providing a centralized location to operate a food pantry and clothing bank.   

Who We are Today: 

As the community need for services grew, so did Crosslines Ministries. Today, we have more than 40 supporting churches, over 200 volunteers, and 9 part-time staff members. We just celebrated 38 years of service to the Joplin, Carl Junction and Webb City communities. We are looking forward to many more years of "Serving God's people in need through church and community partnerships."

Crosslines Staff (hover over name to learn more about each individual shown)

Other Employees who prefer not to have picture posted: 

Konrad Fehrenbach - Is our longtime truck driver. He picks up from area retailers every morning. 
Victoria Holly - Is our Custodian. She keeps Crosslines looking top notch each and every week. 

Crosslines Churches

Within a few years our partnership effort grew (as seen in the newspaper headline above) to include 14 churches and 5 community organizations.

Today 32 churches partner together to make Crosslines possible, and we work collaboratively with a whole host of community organizations.  

​Bethany Presbyterian 
Byers Avenue Methodist
Calvary Baptist
Central UMC
Christs Community UMC
College Heights Christian Church
Duenweg Assembly of God
Duenweg Christian
Emmanuel Baptist Church
First Baptist Joplin
First Baptist Webb City
First Christian
First Community
First Gospel Workers
First Presbyterian Joplin
First Presbyterian Webb City
First UMC Joplin
Harmony Heights Baptist
Immanuel Lutheran
Joplin Family Worship
Joplin Heights Baptist
New Hope UMC
Park Plaza Christian
Peace Lutheran
Rooted Church
Sacred Heart Catholic
Saint Peter the Apostle Catholic
South Joplin Christian
St. Pauls United Methodist
St. Phillips Episcopal
United Methodist of Sarcoxie
Villa Heights Christian