Belief & Mission Statements
Grace’s Mission &
Vision
As we continually come
back to who Jesus is and what He has
done and continues to do for us, He changes us from the inside out. The
Gospel
frees us to actually begin loving people, even people who are quite
different
from us, people we wouldn't naturally befriend. This is because the
Gospel is
not merely a message about personal forgiveness and peace with God; it
is a
message that transforms our lives and actions. We want to be a church
that
focuses on Jesus, not on the trends of the contemporary “Christian”
subculture.
It's easy to become addicted to prophecy, legalism, even good works,
and lose
sight of Jesus Christ. The church in Ephesus
Statement of Faith
We believe the Bible is
the written word of God, inspired by
the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The
Bible is the
revelation of God’s truth and is infallible and authoritative in all
matters of
faith and practice. We believe in the Holy Trinity. There is one God,
who
exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. We
believe that all are sinners and totally unable to save themselves from
God’s
displeasure, except by His mercy. We believe that salvation is by faith
in
Jesus Christ. God’s grace is not based on any human individual merit,
or work.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through His
perfect
life and sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all who will trust in
Him
alone for salvation. We believe that God is gracious and faithful to
His people
not simply as individuals but as families in successive generations
according
to His covenant promises. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells
God’s people
and gives them the strength and wisdom to trust Christ and follow Him.
We
believe that Jesus will return, bodily and visibly, to judge all
mankind and to
receive His people to Himself. We believe that all aspects of our lives
are to
be lived to the glory of God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
What kind of Christian church are we? Is GBC liberal, conservative, or what? Everyone likes to think that Jesus is on their side. Some of a liberal persuasion will tell you that Jesus was liberal. Conservatives are usually reluctant to say that Jesus was a conservative because they understand that Jesus is not on our side or their side -- He is Lord over all! Jesus transcends all these labels that we pin on one another. He didn’t endorse anyone else’s agenda, because He came to call each one of us to repentance. GBC takes the entire Bible seriously, even when it makes us uncomfortable; we are convinced that the Bible is the very Word of God, breathed out, inspired, by His Holy Spirit.
Grace’s Worship
Characteristics
1) Biblical -- We expound the
Scripture in our services. We believe that
our worship must be regulated by the general and specific commands of
Scripture, not by human traditions.
2) Historical and
Relevant -- Traditional worship is
frozen in
time, copying an earlier model, stuck in another century. Contemporary
worship
is frozen in the present, mimicking the pop culture of the last few
decades. A
church that draws from each century since Christ would be a
2000-year-old
church. We desire to be a 2000-year-old church from day one,
recognizing that
we are shaped by the past and must communicate in the present.
3) Participatory -- We take time for silent
prayer, singing, Scripture reading,
and praises.
4) Gospel-saturated -- Our worship format
strives to preach the Gospel throughout
the service. If you walk away with the impression that the answer is
that you
need to make yourself a better person, we have failed, for our desire
is to
point you to Jesus, not to yourself.
5) Reverent &
celebratory -- The tone in our
services is both
serious and joyful, because, as it says in Hebrews 12:18-24, we have
come to
Mt. Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem the city of the living God and are
therefore in the presence of God himself.
6) Understandable -- We try to explain any
special vocabulary, and try to use
normal sounding voices. We’re not trying to impress God or anyone else
with how
pious we sound.
7) Open to all -- All people of all ages
are welcome. We do not pressure
families to remove their children from the service.
8) Excellence -- We pursue excellence in
all that we do with the best gifts
and talents that we have.
9) Worship, not
Performance -- Anyone in front,
whether musician or
pastor, is prompting the congregation to worship. The congregation is
not to be
a passive audience, watching the experts worship, but is to be engaged
in
worshiping God, being led by those with particular skill and calling.
10) Lord’s Supper -- We celebrate communion
multiple times each year, but not so
often as to diminish its sobering importance, believing that the Lord’s
Supper
is a means of grace and aids in our sanctification.