Our Senior Pastor, John Sauls, was born in Wayne County, North Carolina. He graduated from Charles B. Aycock High School in Pikeville, where he was named in 2003 to their Alumni Hall of Fame. He attended Wayne Community College in Goldsboro, as well as Heritage Bible College in Dunn. He received management training from Notre Dame University. In 2005, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Divinity Degree from Heritage Bible College.

He and his wife, Mardie Merritt Sauls, have lived in the Sanford area since 1988. They have three children: John, Michele, and Tracy; two son-in-laws: Greg Beal and Pastor Mark Whitfield; and three grandchildren.

A former Lee County Commissioner, Pastor John was elected to his first term in the North Carolina General Assembly in 2003, where he represented the residents of Lee County and a portion of Harnett County. In 2003, his colleagues honored him by electing him Chairman of the Freshman Class of Legislators. While in the House of Representatives, he served on the following House committees: Chairman - Community Colleges, Vice-chairman - Education, Vice-chairman - Public Utilities, Appropriations, Appropriations/Education, Commerce, and Rules.

For a number of years, Pastor John was employed by Kenan Transport in Apex as a terminal manager. He formerly served as pastor of SanLee Chapel in Lemon Springs. Pastor John began pastoring Crossroads in 1995 with 35 members. Today, due in part to Pastor John's real-life inspirational messages, Crossroads' weekly attendance now averages over 400 people.