Crossroads Farm

What Crossroads Farm does

Crossroads Farm is a faith-based, nonprofit youth ministry founded in 1999 by Doug and Dawn Routledge in Reading, Michigan, that operates a multi-branch rural youth outreach program across the upper Midwest and eastern United States. The organization serves middle- and high-school-aged teenagers in rural communities who lack access to large-scale youth ministry programming, delivering weekly care cells, Bible studies, and signature annual events such as a Murder Mystery (running 20+ years), corn maze, Winter Retreat, Good Friday experience, summer trips, and text-based devotionals. Programs are delivered through branch sites including The Shed (Reading, MI), The Lanes (South Boardman, MI), and The Mine (Harrison County, OH), with bus routes covering approximately 600 miles weekly across 9 counties. The organization's technology stack is built on Elexio's church management platform (monkplatform.com) and Elexio Giving for donation processing, supplemented by the Homegrown Depot Blog, a podcast, and social media channels on Facebook and Instagram.

Crossroads Farm operates under a donation-funded, missionary support-raising model in which every salaried staff member is responsible for raising their own financial support from individual donors, churches, and partners. The organization adheres to Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) standards for financial transparency and stewardship, and is governed by a National Board of Directors chaired by Dr. William Donohue, plus branch-level Boards of Advisors. There are no fees charged to student participants, no commercial product lines, and no investor ownership; the operating economics are entirely donor-dependent, with the stated vision ("CRF Line") of scaling to 13 branch sites running from Pennsylvania to Montana through the upper Midwest. Core personnel includes roughly 20+ professional staff across the national office and branches, supplemented by an estimated 115+ adult volunteers serving as Leadteam Coaches who commit approximately 5 hours weekly plus 60+ hours of annual training through the proprietary ARMS Training (Servant Leadership Series) curriculum.

Name

Crossroads Farm

Legal name

Crossroads Farm

Website

https://crossroadsfarm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crossroads Farm is a faith-based nonprofit youth ministry founded in 1999 in Reading, Michigan, operating multi-branch rural outreach programs that serve teenagers in underserved small towns across the upper Midwest through weekly programming, signature annual events, and a donor-funded missionary support model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Youth Ministry Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Rural youth ministry
• Faith-based programming
• Volunteer training
• Community outreach events
• Church partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Crossroads Farm operates as a Christian charitable organization funded through donations from individuals, churches, and supporters. Every missionary staff member raises their own support to fund their ministry work. The organization holds ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) standards.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Crossroads Farm is a faith-based nonprofit youth ministry that delivers Christ-centered programming to rural teenagers through multi-site branch locations and recurring signature events. Its flagship offerings include the Murder Mystery event (running 20+ years), Corn Maze, Winter Retreat, Summer Bible Studies, Care Cells (mentor-led small groups), and text-based devotionals, all provided free of charge to students. The organization funds its missionary staff through a support-raising model and donations, with ECFA financial accountability standards.

Product overview

Crossroads Farm is a youth ministry organization focused on reaching rural teenagers with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Founded in 1999 by Doug and Dawn Routledge, the organization operates multiple branches (The Shed in Reading, MI; The Lanes in South Boardman, MI; The Mine in Harrison County, OH) and is planning expansion to Montana. The ministry offers a portfolio of interconnected programs including the flagship Murder Mystery Event, Corn Maze, Winter Retreat, Good Friday Experiences, Summer Bible Studies, Summer Trips, and Care Cells (small groups). The organization also provides the ARMS Training Servant Leadership Series curriculum for volunteer training, operates the Homegrown Depot Blog and podcast for content, and delivers text message devotionals. The organization is structured around the CRF Line concept - a planned stretch of 13 branch sites running from Pennsylvania to Montana through the upper Midwest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Murder Mystery Event

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 students have heard the Gospel through Crossroads Farm programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered foundational, core and minor.

• Trinity Church (Lansing, MI)foundationalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Original sending church and launch point for Doug and Dawn Routledge. They resigned from Trinity Church (East Lansing, MI) in 1999 to found Crossroads Farm. Trinity Church provided initial support and sending relationship.
• Hillsdale CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple staff members are alumni (Janelle Thomson, Carrie Olson, Anneliese Nohr, Nolan Nohr). Jabin Umfleet currently training for Montana plant. College provides student volunteers and staff recruitment pipeline.
• Spring Arbor UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRichard Carpenter attended Spring Arbor University where he joined CRF as Leadteam Coach in Fall 2000. University provides student volunteers and potential staff.
• Cornerstone UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCody Kammeraad graduated from Cornerstone University in 2020 with bachelor's in audio production before joining CRF The Lanes staff.
• Local Rural ChurchescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership model where local small churches collaborate through Crossroads Farm to provide joint youth ministry. Churches that cannot sustain individual programs pool resources through CRF. Multiple pastoral partnerships mentioned including New Hope Community Church, Church Alive, East Bay Calvary Church.
• ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability)coreOthersFinancial accountability standards organization. Crossroads Farm handles all finances in accordance with ECFA standards, providing donor confidence and financial transparency.
• Boyce College / Southern Baptist Theological SeminaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuke Marshall attended Boyce College (Louisville, KY) from 2011-2016, graduating with BA in Biblical and Theological Studies before joining CRF.
• Clarks Summit UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJake Monroe attended Clarks Summit University in Pennsylvania (early 2000s) to study youth ministry before eventually joining CRF The Shed staff.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Group: Group (formerly Group Publishing) is a commercial youth ministry resource provider offering curriculum, VBS programs, events, and study materials. It is comparable to Crossroads Farm as a faith-based youth ministry ecosystem participant, though it is a for-profit supplier rather than direct ministry.
• Sonlife: Sonlife is a youth ministry training and discipleship organization whose curriculum framework (Dann Spader) has directly shaped Crossroads Farm's ARMS Training program. It is comparable as a faith-based youth ministry training influencer and resource provider.

Broad incumbents

• Cru: Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) is a large interdenominational Christian ministry with significant youth and young-adult programs. It is comparable to Crossroads Farm as a faith-based ministry; several CRF staff came from Cru prior to joining.
• Child Evangelism Fellowship: Child Evangelism Fellowship is a Bible-centered organization that evangelizes children and youth through Good News Clubs, camps, and after-school programs. It is comparable to Crossroads Farm's evangelical outreach mission and youth-focused programming.
• Youth for Christ: Youth for Christ is a global, interdenominational Christian nonprofit that engages adolescents through community programs, campus ministries, and discipleship. It is comparable to Crossroads Farm in mission and youth-focused outreach model.
• Young Life: Young Life is a nationwide evangelical youth ministry reaching adolescents through club meetings, camps, and volunteer-led mentoring. It is comparable to Crossroads Farm as a large-scale faith-based youth ministry with a multi-site model and rural/urban outreach.
• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: InterVarsity is a campus-focused evangelical fellowship that disciples college students and youth. It is comparable to Crossroads Farm as a faith-based discipleship ministry, though primarily serving higher-education populations rather than rural teens.
• Young Life Camp: Young Life's camping program operates residential summer camps serving teens nationwide. It is comparable to Crossroads Farm's Winter Retreat, Summer Bible Studies, and Murder Mystery events as immersive faith-based youth programming experiences.
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes: FCA ministers to coaches and athletes on campuses and in communities worldwide, sharing Crossroads Farm's faith-based mission to reach young people and develop Christian leaders in underserved areas.

Emerging players

• TeenPact: TeenPact is a faith-based youth leadership organization that runs state-house mock legislature events for Christian teens. It is comparable to Crossroads Farm as a faith-based youth ministry, though focused on civic leadership rather than rural community outreach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CrossroadsFarmOfficial
• Instagraminstagram.com/crossroadsfarmofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crossroadsfarm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crossroads Farm