Our History - Mission and Milestones

Our rich history of faith, risk and blessing

1987 - Crossroads Church opens its doors in Gwinnett County

What is now known as 12Stone Church was founded as Crossroads Church by Kevin Myers on November 1, 1987. Kevin and his wife Marcia, along with three other couples, relocated from Grand Rapids, Michigan to the Atlanta area to plant a church that would be relevant, fun and challenging.

They dreamed of people living authentically in their personal lives as well as with one another. They envisioned a place where God would be understood and honored as a simple matter of course in life. They longed for a place where God would not be a stranger to their kids.

1993 - We move to our first ever permanent home on Collins Hill Road

During the early days of Crossroads we moved to several temporary facilities ranging from a movie theatre to a Jazzercise facility. The Collins Hill worship center allowed us to put down roots and serve hundreds in the community. During this season our vision was "to reach as many people as possible for as long as God allows us to serve." Lives were changed, people were baptized, and the adventure continued.

1995 - The gift that keeps on giving

Doug Edwards, a gentleman who did not attend our church, connected with our heart to reach the lost. He donated a major piece of property to the church - 13 acres on the corner of Calvin Davis Circle and Hwy 20. We struggled and saved to raise the money to build what is now affectionately called the Edwards Center. 800 people relocated onto the new campus and we doubled in size within months of moving in.

1999 - A big vision and a brave purchase

On August 22nd the church family gathered and prayed and humbly acknowledged our belief that God had given us a huge responsibility - to become a church to reach tens of thousands locally, hundreds of thousands nationally/internationally and perhaps millions more through the generational impact of our families. We bravely purchased an additional 69 acres along Highway 20, even though the vision was bigger than we could imagine (and certainly bigger than we could afford!).

2001 - If you build it, they will come

God moved upon the Crossroads family in a revival of prayer and launched us into a journey called "Imagine a Place" to reach more people in our community by building a new 1,000 seat worship center, renovating the original building into a Children's Ministry Center, and paying off the $2.6M mortgage on the adjacent 69 acre property.

In a major expansion of reach, we opened our doors to the new Edwards Center in 2003, and over 4,700 people attended our four Easter productions. In addition, we expanded our offices on the Collins Hill campus and renovated the original Collins Hill building into a Student Center for our expanding High School, Middle School and College Ministries.

2007 - One Church, Many Locations

In March we opened our newest campus in the Hamilton Mill community. Instead of expecting people who live in that area to travel 20 minutes to the Highway 20 campus, we decided to bring the church to them. The 350 seat worship center, with video teaching and a live worship band, gives those in attendance a small church feel with big church benefits.

2007 - Crossroads Becomes 12Stone

We believe God guided us to change the name of Crossroads Church to 12Stone Church-to mark a new beginning! As we cross our own symbolic "Jordan River" and take possession of the great opportunity God has given us with our new Hwy. 20 Campus, God is changing the scope of our mission. He is calling us to carry the favor of God as a force for good to cover our county and beyond. He is calling us to give ourselves away to advance His Kingdom.

In addition to carrying a sense of our mission, 12Stone also allows us to reclaim our distinctiveness. The name Crossroads has become lost in the noise as a popular name for many churches as well as commercial developments and businesses. There is no doubt that God established this church with unique DNA and 12Stone serves to recapture that uniqueness in name and URL. Meanwhile, we gained ground in biblical heritage.

2008 - Bold Crossing

In January we opened the doors to our new Highway 20 Campus. More square feet and more seats allow us to serve more adults and children. The campus includes five worship environments: a 2,600 seat worship center for the adults, a 600 seat high school worship center, a 300 seat middle school worship center, and two additional worship centers for our younger children. Our church-in-the-park setting will afford us an environment for community, relaxation and experiencing the presence of God.