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Crossing Thresholds Visioning Journey

What is the Crossing Thresholds Visioning Journey?

In one way, all moments are threshold moments. God, through Christ, is always making all things new, leading us into becoming new creatures inhabiting a new creation every moment of every day. Simultaneously, there are particular threshold moments wherein we collectively pursue aspirations in fresh ways.

But what do we mean by threshold moments? The word “threshold,” with roots in Celtic Christian history, became associated with the spiritual practice of crossing over from one distinct reality to another. Crossing thresholds into new seasons of life, new stages of faith, new expressions of ourselves and our churches . . . that is we are pursuing . . . becoming greater expressions of the body of Christ.

This is what the Crossing Thresholds Visioning Journey is about . . . becoming the best expression of church we can be.

Even before starting as an organization in 2008, our founder Rev. Mark Tidsworth, was guiding churches through visioning processes as the Director of the Center for Clergy & Congregations in Columbia, SC. Over time, our approach and team of visioning consultants has grown, allowing for stronger engagement with churches and greater capacity to serve.

Over the last two years, this Crossing Thresholds Visioning Journey has emerged as a way to bring our best visioning practices together into one process which can be personalized for particular churches. We are grateful for those churches already completing or using this Crossing Thresholds Visioning Journey for discerning their immediate future. Gladly, we will share their stories with those who are curious.  

One of the strengths of this approach is the two resources included:

❋ Crossing Thresholds Prayer Guide

Crossing Thresholds Prayer Guide, Mark E. Tidsworth, Pinnacle Leadership Press, 2025. This substantive devotional book draws congregations into collective spiritual enrichment and reflection during a forty day period. Often churches will also use the guide to conduct prayer gatherings, as small group curriculum, and as a source for sermon series. Use of this guide cultivates the spiritual imaginations for churches, readying them for visioning together.

Learn more

❋ Crossing Thresholds Congregational Survey

Crossing Thresholds Congregational Survey, Pinnacle Leadership Associates, 2025. This online survey gathers congregational reflections on sixteen areas of church life. Though the visioning journey includes in-person experiential discernment activities, this survey is an additional source of insight into the life and organizational effectiveness of churches.

When curious whether Crossing Thresholds Visioning Journey may be right for your church, simply get in touch. Our approach is to learn much about your church’s journey, along with your needs and aspirations. This positions us to select those aspects of this approach that may be helpful to your particular church.

To learn more or explore, contact Rev. Mark Tidsworth, markt@pinnlead.com, 803-673-3634.

Testimonials

  • "As our church approached and prepared for a pastoral transition, the pastors and all church officers spent 40 days with Pinnacle's Crossing Thresholds Prayer Guide. Our church leadership found this daily guide to be an invaluable source of Scripture and meditations to prompt reflection, prayer, and discussion of the transition and next steps. Crossing Thresholds is loaded with useful nuggets of wisdom to engage and get church servant leaders thinking more broadly and hopefully about their shared mission in Jesus Christ. We wholeheartedly recommend this guide for personal and shared reading and discussion."

    Rev. Dr. Dennis Tedder, Lead Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Anderson, SC, Summer 2025

  • "Over the past year plus, our congregation has been walking through the Crossing Thresholds process — a season of prayer, conversation, and discernment about who God is calling us to be in this next chapter. Together, we listened for the Spirit’s leading, reflected on our core values, and shaped a mission that reflects both our identity and our future. This mission statement will guide our ministries in the years ahead as we continue growing in welcome, deepening community, and serving our neighbors in Christ’s name. We give thanks for everyone who shared their voice and vision along the way. The Spirit is moving at St. Philip Lutheran Church!"

    -Rev. Jason Lee, Lead Pastor, St. Philip Lutheran Church, Myrtle Beach, SC, November 2025