The Pace campus will be Crosspoint’s sixth. The church acquired the former Grace Methodist property on Chumuckla Highway and has spent the summer renovating it ahead of the official launch.
“Everywhere we planted a new campus, we’ve connected with new people and gotten people into a first-time relationship with Jesus,” said Jagger Eastman, Crosspoint’s executive pastor. “It felt like the Lord was calling us to do that.”
Eastman said the church aims to be visible enough in the communities it serves that its absence would be noticed.
“We really strive to be a church where the community would 100% know if we weren’t there anymore,” he said. “Not just from an awareness or marketing perspective, but we’re engaging in the needs of the people around us.”
Leading the Pace campus is Brandon Acree, 30, a Dothan, Alabama, native who spent roughly a decade with Crosspoint, splitting his time between the north and south Crestview locations as a student minister.
Acree said he initially turned the job down, but a conversation with his wife made him choose a different path.
“Kacey and I were very happy with what we were doing in Dothan, and this popped up, and I initially said no,” he said. “But my wife thought I was crazy and told me I better have that conversation. And I did what any good man would do — I listened to my wife and I listened to the Lord, and here we are.”
Acree said he first encountered Crosspoint as a college student when he met Crosspoint lead pastor Jeremy Smith during one of his ministry classes.
“I just remember, as a young college student, that really lit a fire in me,” he said. “That’s kind of one of the starting points of me realizing, OK, ministry is not going to be just a job.”
Eastman said Acree’s background in next-generation ministry was one reason he was chosen for the role.
“There’s not many people I’ve met who work harder than Brandon does,” Eastman said. “He’s always early, he’s always well prepared and is always willing to go the extra mile for others.”
The campus will offer two worship services with different styles. The 9:30 a.m. service will be contemporary, with a full band, and will run alongside the children’s ministry. The 11 a.m. service will be traditional, with hymns.
“In both services, it’s the same sermon. It’s the same preaching style, and it’s the same community,” Acree said.
The campus will open with a sermon series called “Family First,” built around what Acree described as a disciple-making strategy from infancy through high school graduation, paired with resources for parents.
“It’s easy to hear that and say, ‘OK, well, this is just for families, but no, it’s for everyone,” Acree said.
Inside the children’s ministry, children will not only be in a safe environment, but they will also learn the gospel in an underwater-themed room.
“They’re going to step into the ocean,” Acree said.
All the adult volunteers are background checked and trained through MinistrySafe, an independent child protection program. Other safety team members will also be stationed in the area.
“‘Safe’ is one of the most important words when it comes to the kids ministry,” Acree said.
Acree said he welcomes the community to contact him directly if they ever need anything.
“I am here to serve my community,” he said.
Crosspoint Church is located at 4540 Chumuckla Highway in Pace. For more information, call 850-678-4411.