Crossover Bible Church

Restoring our community by making disciples while loving and serving our neighbors.

Crossover Bible Church by Tyler Whitaker

My wife, Erin, and I first heard about Crossover Bible Church (CBC) in 2010 through several friends who were living in the community. We were attending a different church at that time and our church small group started volunteering for community events that Crossover organized. These experiences were part of our early exposure to the idea of Christian Community Development, in addition to reading books by Dr. John Perkins regarding the 3 R’s model (relocation, reconciliation, and redistribution). Throughout medical school our heart for this model of ministry continued to grow, and when we knew we would be in Tulsa for residency, Erin and I sensed God leading us to relocate to north Tulsa. We continued to attend our previous church initially, but we soon realized our need to partner with those who were doing a similar work and learn from their years of experience, so we joined the CBC family in 2014.

Crossover Bible Church is a diverse family made up of incredible people who love Jesus and want to see His kingdom manifest fully in this part of our city. We do this through growing our personal relationship with Jesus first, and then investing in our relationships with each other and our neighbors next. This allows us to serve our community, and the church’s partnership with Crossover Communi

ty Impact gives us many avenues to love and serve our neighbors. Being a part of CBC has given my family several meaningful ways to make an impact in the community. One of the most special opportunities for me has been volunteering at Crossover Health Services. It’s incredible to be able to love our neighbors alongside the awesome team at the clinic!

We have been greatly impacted through the love and support experienced through the community of believers at the church. There really is something special about being a part of a diverse church family. Erin and I have learned so much from our brothers and sisters of different ages and backgrounds. I really love God‘s vision for His church to be this collection of many different cultures and peoples bringing their best to serve Him and His kingdom. There is a great collective strength when we embrace diversity and offer the gifts God has given each of us to benefit the whole body. Although we are a relatively small church family, it has been amazing to see what God has done through our efforts. As Pastor Philip often says, “God does the heavy lifting,” and we have seen Him do this continuously!

Pictures above: (Left) Tyler with his family (Right) Crossover Bible Church service

Crossover Bible Church is a diverse family made up of incredible people who love Jesus and want to see his kingdom manifest fully in this part of our city.

-Tyler Whitaker

an elder of the church right now is to be the best husband and father I can be. I think our discipleship efforts really have to start at home and then extend outward. Beyond that I am blessed to be a part of a small “huddle” of guys who study the Bible and pray together to sharpen each other. Additionally, I’ve been part of leading a missional team that has focused on serving our neighborhood. I think my most treasured experience to date has been my relationship with my neighbor Fred. Over the seven years that we’ve lived at our current house, Fred has been a great friend and ally. He’s taught me a lot about the history of our neighborhood and has helped me realize the importance of keeping ministry grounded in relationship. I look forward with hope to Crossover’s bright future in our community and more relationships like this being built.

Picture above: Dr. Tyler Whitaker at Crossover Health Services

Tyler Whitaker is the newest Elder at Crossover Bible Church. He and his wife, Erin, have always served the church and the community well even before they were members of CBC. They have three small children, Kingston (5), Quinn (2), and Ivery (1 month old). As a missions-minded physician, he is a graduate of the In His Image Residency Program, and he has made a great impact on the Crossover Health Services Staff through his volunteer work there. As a student of Christian Community Development, he has partnered to lead the Crossover U “Reconciliation Class.” At Crossover Bible Church, he has also made great strides in discipleship through huddles, missional team leadership, and hall monitoring for the Children’s Ministry among other things!