This statement summarizes well the central beliefs of our church and of the Evangelical Free Church of America of which we are a part. Agreement with the EFCA Statement of Faith is required of all those who want to become members of Cross & Crown Church.

This statement significantly expands upon our Statement of Faith and explains more fully the doctrines that our elders, leaders, and teachers affirm.

The Apostles' Creed is a historic confession of the Christian faith that all of our elders and pastors wholeheartedly affirm.

The Nicene Creed was a result of the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. The creed emphasizes the doctrine of the Trinity and clearly articulates the divinity of Jesus Christ. All elders and pastors affirm this creed.

The Cambridge Declaration summarizes key principles of the protestant reformation and is affirmed by all of our elders and pastors.

The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood outlines the biblical similarities and differences between men and women and their roles within the church. It is affirmed by all of our elders and pastors.

The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy is affirmed by all of our elders and pastors as a faithful articulation of the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy.

Senior Pastor | Elder

Lance grew up in Indiana, trusted in Jesus Christ at an early age,  and has served as pastor of Cross & Crown since 1997. He is a graduate of Cedarville University (1994) and The Master’s Seminary (1997). His wife, Leigh Ann, grew up in San Jose, California and along with being a pastor's wife she is also a nurse and a real estate agent. Together they have four children, Ethan, Kate, Tess, and Luke. Lance enjoys being with his family,  reading theology and history, watching films and documentaries, listening to the blues, and all things weather-related. Check out his personal weather station here.

Senior Associate Pastor | Elder

Rob has been on the pastoral staff since 2001 and is a graduate of both The Master’s College (1994) and The Master’s Seminary (1998). He oversees Men’s Ministry, Sunday School, Counseling and Christian Education. Rob and his wife Sharon have three children, Mackenzie (and son-in-law Nate, granddaughter Raelyn), Makayla (and son-in-law Brandt), and Brayden.

Pepe Alicea has been at Cross & Crown since 1995. In addition to serving as an elder, he leads a LifeGroup, the Walking in the Truth men’s bible study, and occasionally teaches an ABF class. Pepe manages a large facilities portfolio for an aerospace and defense company. Pepe and his family enjoy trout fishing in Colorado’s high country. He and his wife Marta have two adult children and one grandson.

Brent Butler has been at Cross & Crown since 2007. In addition to serving as an elder, he enjoys teaching basic doctrine and evangelism studies, discipling, hosting a LifeGroup, and is currently on staff as our Renovation & Relocation Project Manager. Brent has served in various capacities with churches and faith-based organizations, including leading an operations group for an international non-profit. He and his wife Lori have been married since 1999 and have three sons.

Dan Mellema has been at Cross & Crown since 1983. In addition to serving as an elder, he co-leads a LifeGroup and serves on the Welcome Team. Dan is the CFO at Focus on the Family and he and his wife Sue have three adult children and nine grandchildren.

Jeff Stebbins has attended Cross & Crown since 2012. In addition to serving as an elder, he enjoys teaching an Adult Bible Fellowship class, leading a men's Bible study and serving on the Missions Team. Jeff and his wife Beth are both teachers of English. They have two adult daughters and a son-in-law.

Erik Van Os and his wife Nancy have attended Cross & Crown since 2018. In addition to serving as an elder, he enjoys co-leading a LifeGroup and serving on the Missions Team. Erik is a physician and regularly serves as a medical missionary in Africa. Erik and Nancy have three adult children and enjoy the outdoors.

Gregg Elmendorf has been at Cross & Crown Church since 2005. In addition to serving as a deacon, Gregg also enjoys serving on the Security Team. Gregg is responsible for International Security & Crisis Management for a non-profit organization. He and his wife Julie have two grown children.

Tim Gunsolley has attended Cross & Crown since 2013. He serves as the President/CEO of Elevation Growth Partners, a consulting firm dedicated to helping faith-based non-profits achieve their mission. He and his wife Beth have two adult children and one grandchild.

Mike Hestermann has attended Cross & Crown since 2012. He does consulting work for non-profit organizations. His wife Cindy serves as the church Nursery & Early Childhood Director. They have two adult children and eight grandchildren.

Curt Sawyer has been at Cross & Crown since 2018. In addition to serving as a deacon, he co-leads a LifeGroup and serves on the Welcome and Usher Teams. Curt is a servant-leader at Focus on the Family and he and his wife Lisa have three children.

Daymen Tiffany has been at Cross & Crown since 2018. In addition to serving as a deacon, he enjoys assisting in Student Ministry. After retiring from the Air Force in 2018, he and his wife Heather became local business owners serving the Colorado Springs community and together they have five children.

Steve Woodford has been at Cross & Crown since 2008. In addition to serving as a deacon, he leads a LifeGroup and previously taught a small group that was focused on relational wisdom from a Biblical perspective (RW360). Steve grew up in the Colorado Springs area, but moved away for college and career. He returned home in 2003 in order to take over the family manufacturing business from his father. He and his wife Kristin have nine children.

Cross & Crown Church was started with the help of First Evangelical Free Church of Colorado Springs and consisted of twelve families. It was to be a new church serving the area of “Northeast Colorado Springs.” Originally named Austin Bluffs Evangelical Free Church, the first service was held on Sunday Morning July 16, 1972. In those early days, worship services were held in Longfellow Elementary School which is just down the street from our former location on Maizeland Road. Within the first year, attendance was averaging 80 people.

Property on Maizeland Road was purchased and construction soon began on phase one which was to be a Multi-Purpose facility. The first service in the new building was on February 15, 1976.  An auditorium and educational wing were later constructed and dedicated in October of 1984.  

Pastor Lance Gentry was called by the church to serve as  Associate Pastor beginning in 1997 and then in 1999 the church called him to become the fifth Senior Pastor  to serve our church.  For the first fifty years of our existence, the building on Maizeland Road was our home. Over the years, God allowed our church to grow and it became evident that we would need to relocate to a larger facility that would better meet our needs.

In 2022 the Maizeland campus was sold and a larger building on Arrowswest Drive was purchased and remodeled. In that same year the church name was changed from Austin Bluffs Evangelical Free Church to Cross & Crown Church. Our last Sunday service at Maizeland was on Christmas Day 2022 and our first Sunday service at Arrowswest was on New Years Day 2023. We give thanks to God for His faithfulness to our church throughout its first 50 years and we look to Him to lead and guide us in the years to come.

We have been a member of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) since our founding.