Grace Church exists to make mature followers of Jesus Christ
by equipping them for a life of spiritual passion
that impacts their home, the community,
and the world for Jesus Christ.
"Grace Church exists to make mature followers of Jesus Christ..."
Christ's mandate to his followers is clear: make disciples. A disciple is simply a mature follower. Often times the Christian growth process is stunted after belief in Christ. At Grace, we want to see that process continued. The motif we see in the Gospels is this: Jesus does all the work, the disciples watch; Jesus does most of the work, the disciples help; the disciples do most of the work, Jesus helps; the disciples do all of the work, Jesus watches; and ultimately we continue on that work until Jesus returns. We want our leadership to recreate that process at Grace. A mature follower of Christ:
- Can study their Bible personally, and is able to apply its principles to their lives.
- Develops relationships of encouragement and accountability with other believers.
- Uses their gifts and abilities to serve others.
- Is actively involved in leading others to Christ and leading others in a growing relationship
with Christ. - Pursues an intimate and dependent relationship with God.
"...by equipping them..."
"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ." Ephesians 4:11-12
Equipping takes place in a variety of forms at Grace. The Sunday morning worship service is designed to equip believers through the Word, as are our small groups. Our men's and women's ministries focus on equipping us on how to fulfill our specific God given role. Our other ministries, such as Grace Institute, give people the opportunity to be equipped in a specialized area of doctrine or ministry, or to be equipped in life skills, such as parenting classes, marriage intimacy classes, finances, etc.
Each of us is called to become a minister of the gospel and we feel that it is the function of Grace Church to equip each member to be an effective representative of Jesus Christ and his truth. It is our members who are the true ministers of this church. What we don't want is to create a place where our members sit and watch the staff, elders and deacons do all of the ministry. Rather, we want our leadership to develop our members and give them the resources necessary for them to be an effective minister.
"...for a life of spiritual passion that impacts..."
Our process of spiritual maturity is not an end in itself. We grow and learn in order that we may model Christ's love to the world. The Christian life is not to be lived in a defensive mindset. We believe that there is nothing more exciting than giving your life away for the greatest cause there is. We want our members to be passionate about their relationship with Christ, a passion that overflows out of them.
"...their homes..."
We want our members to begin their impact for Christ in their homes. We desire for the homes of our members to be marked by husbands who love their wives as Christ loves the church, wives that submit to their husbands as unto Christ, and parents committed to raising their children as image bearers of Christ.
"...the community..."
We believe that the call of the local church and Christians is not to withdraw from the world, but rather penetrate it and impact it for Jesus Christ. We don't want Grace Church to simply be a fortress in Greenville where people come and hide behind our walls. We would like to see our members influencing neighborhoods, workplaces, PTA's, little leagues, and wherever else they find themselves.
"...and the world for Jesus Christ."
Christ's command before he ascended to Heaven was to be His witnesses "in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). As a church we are called to advance the Gospel to the world. Our expectation is that as a church body and as individuals we go and/or financially and prayerfully support those who are in foreign missions.
Click to read our Vision Statement.
