Crossroads Baptist Church is started out of the Maranatha Baptist Church in Shelby, NC. Maranatha Baptist Church has been pastored for 15 years by Frank Camp, who is a Polk County native. Pastor Camp is married to another Polk County native Renee’ (Johnson) Camp. Thirty years ago Pastor Camp was intending to start a new Independent Baptist church in the Columbus area, but God redirected him to another ministry. Since that time he has always maintained a love for his home county and has longed to see an Independent Baptist Church started there. In the summer of 2009, God began working in the heart of his Assistant Pastor Nathan Deatrick to launch out into the senior pastorate himself. Later in the Fall of 2009, Pastor Deatrick shared with Pastor Camp what God was doing in his heart and they began to pray together for God’s specific direction. Early in 2010, Pastor Camp pulled Nathan aside and asked him to pray about starting an Independent Baptist church in Columbus, NC. This suggestion was the beginning of much answered prayer and very clear direction from God that it was His will to bring the Crossroads Baptist Church into existence.
Pastor Deatrick, who has lived in NC nearly all of his adult life and is the son of a North Carolina native, is excited at the opportunities to serve God by ministering to the people of Polk County, NC. We have chosen the name Crossroads Baptist Church not only because of the fact that Polk County is home to the crossroads of Interstate 26 and Highway 74, but also because it is a good local church’s responsibility to help folks at the crossroads of their lives by pointing them to Jesus Christ, by giving them real answers from God’s Word to the questions of life, and by demonstrating Christ-like compassion to them. At Crossroads we have a genuine and compelling desire to do just this.
