Welcome to Grace Church! Allow us to introduce ourselves.
About Us
We are a non-denominational church that seeks to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ by faithfully preaching the Bible and living it out in our daily lives. We are striving to honor God according to His Word and we want to proclaim His truth in love to everyone.
What We Teach
When joining a church, the most important thing for you to consider is this: Do they teach the Word of God faithfully? Doctrine is very important to us because it is important to God. To give you a quick idea of where we stand on different issues, we teach the 5 Solas of the Reformation, the Sufficiency of Scripture in Biblical Counseling, 6-Day Creation, Complementarian Gender Roles in Marriage and Ministry, the Literal Future Return of Jesus, and the Cessation of Sign Gifts. We also affirm The Chicago Statement on Inerrancy, The Danvers Statement on Gender Roles, The Nashville Statement on human sexuality. You may access our full doctrinal statement here.
Our Leadership (Meet Our Leaders Here)
Elders
Grace Church is led by a plurality of Biblically Qualified Elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9). Each elder is vetted and approved by the existing elders, then confirmed by a congregational vote. Their role is to teach, protect, and lead the Church to ensure it's spiritual health and faithfulness to the Lord Jesus. The Elders make decisions together, shepherd the flock, and hold one another accountable. For more information on the Elder's role, see Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch.
Deacons
According to the Bible, Deacons are godly men who are raised up to serve the practical needs of the church (1 Timothy 3:8-13; Acts 7:1-6). Deacons are vetted and approved by the Elders, and appointed by congregational vote. For more information on the role of deacons, see Deacons: How They Serve and Strengthen the Church by Matt Smethurst.
Our Ministries
In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), Jesus commands us to make disciples and foster their spiritual maturity. All of our ministries are designed to fulfill this purpose in one way or another. While the Bible doesn't give us a list of ministries, it does provide 8 Key Activities that we must practice as a church in order to fulfill our responsibility in the Great Commission. These Key Activities desribe how disciples are made.
All of our ministries are seeking to implement these key activities in order effectively fulfill God's purpose for the church. For further reading on how ministries should function, see "The Trellis and the Vine" and "The Vine Project" by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne.
Click here for a full list of Our Ministries.
Our Approach to Preaching
One of the best ways to evaluate a church is their approach to preaching. It is our conviction that preaching should focus on the faithful explanation and proclamation of the Bible. Over the course of the year, it should include verse-by-verse exposition, bible survey, systematic theology and biblical approaches to various topics.
Preaching in the church context should primarily be aimed at feeding faithful believers. But from time to time, wayward believers and unbelievers should be addressed as well. Each preacher will differ in personality, knowledge, and gifting. However, all faithful preaching must 1) exalt Christ, 2) be biblically true, 3) emphasize what God emphasizes, and 4) be correctly applied to the hearers. It must be bold and kind, passionate and controlled. It must confront sinners, comfort the afflicted, encourage the fainthearted, and show patience toward all.
Our Approach to Music
Worship music is very important in the life of the church. It unites our voices in service to God, it helps believers meditate on God's truth. The first thing to consider about worship music is whether the lyrics are biblical. Secondly, are the lyrics worth singing? Are they beneficial to remember? And third, does the musical arrangement assist the congregation in singing this truth?
At Grace, we sing a combination of praise songs, choruses, and hymns. Musical arrangements involve a variety of instruments including guitar, piano, drums, violins, chellos, etc. Our congregation loves to demonstrate both reverence for God and passion for him. Our emotions are driven and informed by truth. Our worship is an act of loving service to God, not an emotional release after a stressful week. At the same time, God wants worship to be true, sincere, and loud.
**A note on Hillsong, Bethel, and Elevation Worship - these three ministries have produced numerous popular worship songs. Many of their songs are theologically sound and musically excellent. Unfortunately, these ministries are full of false teaching and have caused much destruction to the church around the world. Their music labels are essentially their marketing and recruiting arm. While we may occasionally use one of their songs, we strongly urge people to avoid their ministries and their teaching.