God is up to something BIG at Brookside

Posted by: thenorthviewblog on: February 15, 2011

• In: Brookside
• 3 Comments

by Erin Monahan Stauffer

It was another frozen day in February when I arrived at Brookside Community Church on Indianapolis’ near east side. I was there to meet Doug Crane, the new senior pastor who had only been on the job three days when I came to get his story. He greeted me at the door with a warm and welcoming smile that made me forget all about shivering in the cold outside.

“I’m still learning my way around the building,” said Crane, as we walked downstairs to a table near the kitchen. I told him I’d been to Brookside Community Church (BCC) a few years ago when Northview hosted its Good Neighbor Weekend and our entire church went out into the community to serve others. I remember my family and I hopped a caravan to BCC, and I spent the day polishing pews and wiping windows, while my husband dug holes and planted flowers with our two children.

It was the first time any of us had been to that side of Indy, which is bordered by Rural Street on the west, 10th Street on the south, Sherman Drive on the east and Brookside S. Parkway Drive on the north. Statistically, the area ranks among the city’s worst in crime, poverty and broken homes. But spiritually, it’s transforming into something only God could have foreseen.

The Brookside Community Church building (Photo by Erin Monahan Stauffer)

And that’s the reason Pastor Crane is here now.

Wise Beyond His Years

Besides his youthful face, dark hair and manicured goatee, one of the first qualities I noticed about Crane was his affable nature. He made it so easy to settle into conversation. And here’s what I learned:

He’s 36 years old. He grew up in Martinsville, Ind., and graduated in 1996 from Taylor University — a liberal arts Christian school in Upland, Indiana. Soon after, he began working for Wheeler Mission Ministries at a community center located on Michigan and LaSalle Streets in Indianapolis, and then moved to the Brookside neighborhood with one of his coworkers.

“I knew God had given me a real heart and a desire for mission and, at that time, for youth ministry,” said Crane. “I got started (at Wheeler) in the fall of ’96 and worked with the kids and the families in a variety of ways. We had Bible studies with the kids, we had after-school tutoring. I ran the basketball league that we had and worked with our teen boys.”

During his time at Wheeler, Crane married his college sweetheart Natalie, a Wisconsin native who is strikingly pretty and friendly. (I met her when she stopped by the church during this interview.) The couple now lives in a house just a few blocks away from BCC with their four adorable children: Hannah, 8; Ella, 6; Nathan, 5; and Isaac, 3.

New Brookside Pastor Doug Crane and his wife, Natalie (Photo by Erin Monahan Stauffer)

Crane continued to serve as the Director of Youth Ministry at Wheeler, until the early part of 2008 when leaders made the tough decision to close the community center.

“When that happened, I met with the leadership at Shepherd (Community Center) and they very graciously decided to take us on. I mean, some of the staff, as well as the whole load of families and kids that we had been working with and continued to minister,” said Crane. “It was amazing. God’s hand in that was clearly evident.”

Crane helped smooth the transition from Wheeler and officially started working at Shepherd in June of 2008. But God knew he would soon be ready for something bigger.

Answering God’s Call

“From very early on in my life, God has always put this calling on me. This yearning inside of me to be a missionary,” said Crane. “As I got older and started looking at it, I thought that’s gonna be teaching the Word of God, that’s preaching the Word of God, that’s shepherding people.”

Over the years, many people have encouraged Crane to become a pastor, including a former coworker who instinctively knew pastoring would be God’s will for him someday.

“He said, ‘Doug, you need to find the church that God is calling you to. You are a shepherd and you need to fulfill what God has put on you,’” recalled Crane.

What a wonderful prophesy.

And, just like that, Crane is standing on a new page in Brookside Community Church’s history. Earlier this month, he replaced BCC’s founding pastor Aaron Shelby, who is now the full-time Urban Ministry Pastor for Northview and Brookside.

“They made the announcement on Sunday, Feb. 6,” said Shelby, who led BCC since its founding in 2007. “It was exciting. Doug, Natalie and their four children were there. We got pictures of the family. The service was incredible.”

Shelby said Crane will have an amazing opportunity to build strong relationships and grow with the church. “Those (pastors) who actually live around the corner from the church — they impact the neighborhood. He’s a young pastor. He’ll get an opportunity to grow up with the church,” said Shelby.

The excitement started spreading after one Brookside member posted a comment on the Friends of Brookside Facebook page. She wrote: “Powerful Morning!!! The congregation met the new Pastor, Doug Crane & heard a mighty word from Doug Ehrgott! God is up to something BIG at Brookside Community Church … What a blessing to be a small part of HIS plan.”

Of course, Crane will miss the folks at Crossroads Bible Church in Indianapolis, where he and his family have worshiped for 10 years and he served as an elder. But he said he is looking forward to his kids growing up in BCC.

“My wife and I have talked about this aspect of it, even our children growing up with this being their church home,” said Crane. “It’s exciting as we look at the potential of what I believe God is going to do in this church.”

Moving Forward

As Crane takes his place in the center of a community that is hungry for hope, he is surrounded by people who want him to succeed, including Northview leaders and members who have faithfully ministered alongside others in the Brookside neighborhood since 2002. It’s an exciting time for all.

When asked how he will approach his ministry, Crane spoke with passion and conviction. He said, “It must be based upon the Word of God, prayer and the fellowship that we have with the people.”

And what challenges does he anticipate?

“I think the initial challenges for me are gonna be really looking at how can we build into the folks, train them, teach them biblically to be able to step up and begin to lead within the church and within the community,” said Crane, adding that he wants to deepen and expand BCC’s partnerships.

“A shift that I would like to see somewhat brought into play is that we would devote more concentrated time to prayer. And having that be more of a pillar,” said Crane. “To the fact that we cannot change people. We cannot change this community. We can intercede on behalf of the people, and we can intercede on behalf of the community, and from that, the transformation that only God can bring comes about. It’s really something that I am very passionate about and know that is needed.

“I see prayer as being an umbrella that must cover everything that we’re doing. Both inside the church, in the homes and in the streets of the community at large.”

Crane will preach his first message at Brookside Community Church on Sunday, February 20, and everyone is welcome! Join them for breakfast at 9:15 a.m. and worship at 10 a.m. any Sunday at 1035 N. Olney Street.

Tags: Brookside, Brookside Community Church, Erin Monahan Stauffer, New pastor