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Who Are We?
Who Are We?
Welcome to our church!
Welcome to our church!
We invite you to look around and get a feel for our church. Feel free to share any comments or questions that might be on your mind through our email or Facebook messenger. If you're not currently a member of our church - we'd like to take this opportunity to invite you to one of our weekly services. And of course, feel free to reach out and call one of our ministry leaders!
We invite you to look around and get a feel for our church. Feel free to share any comments or questions that might be on your mind through our email or Facebook messenger. If you're not currently a member of our church - we'd like to take this opportunity to invite you to one of our weekly services. And of course, feel free to reach out and call one of our ministry leaders!
We hope you and your family will have a warm and comfortable experience with us as we worship and fellowship together at our services, events, and ministries.
We hope you and your family will have a warm and comfortable experience with us as we worship and fellowship together at our services, events, and ministries.
Who We Are
Who We Are
Grace Christian Church was formed under the original name of Grace Security Baptist Church in March of 1997. Starting with just a handful of people, meeting in a banquet hall, we set out to form the sort of church we ourselves had been looking for—one that is focused on both good doctrine AND intimate, loving fellowship.
Since that first service, God has blessed us to move facilities twice. We’ve been in our current location for a little over eight years. Also during that time, on June 13, 2000, to be exact, we officially changed our name to Grace Christian Church.
In the fall of 2010, Grace Christian Church entered another stage of development. For years the leadership of the church had been burdened with a desire to plant another free grace church in another city. In October 2010, God presented us with what we believe to be the right location, and just like that, Grace Christian Church in Albion was born.
Though we don’t presume to always know God’s will, we believe it is His will that we gather together to encourage one another to faith and good deeds, promote worship of the Triune God, never compromise on the truth, provide an atmosphere that is inviting to the unbeliever and challenging to the most mature of believers, support missionary work, and cultivate the growth of each individual’s relationship with God. We pray that He is pleased with what has been done, and that He would continue to guide and bless our steps in the future.
At GCC, we take the study of the Word of God very seriously. We do not, however, take ourselves very seriously. “If any man thinks he is something, when he is nothing…” comes to mind. We don’t mind if you refer to the elders as Pastor Scott or Pastor Mosley, but for the most part, people call us by name, like anyone else. We all have a job to do in service of our Lord. No part is more important than any other, and the pastors and deacons at our church expect no more reverence or preference than any other person in the building.
Early on, someone referred to our church as “the island of misfit toys”. Though it was meant to denigrate, we wear it as a badge of honor. We know that we all sin and fall short of His glory, that we could never deserve any of the blessings He’s showered upon us, and that many times, God has blessed this church in spite of us. We make no claim to being the best speakers, singers, or greeters. What we do hope for, what we push toward, is to be faithful workers of Christ’s field; to one day hear “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.” (1 Cor. 1:25-29 )
Now, we have two locations! One of which is here in Albion, Indiana with another in Kendallville, IN. Their website is www.gcckendallville.com. So that’s us in a nutshell. Are we the church for you?—only God can show you that, but we’d love for you to join us for worship sometime. With all the different services, classes and groups, chances are that there’s something just right for you.
What We Believe
The Holy Scriptures
We believe in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the inspired word of God and the final authority for faith and life. (II Tim. 3:16 & 17, II Peter 1:20 & 21, Matt. 5:18, John 16:12 & 13)
The Godhead
We believe in the Triune God, eternally existing in three persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, coequal in being, identical in nature, equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfection. (Deut. 6:4, II Cor. 13:14)
The Person and Work of Christ
1. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that he might reveal God and redeem sinful men and women. (John 1:1,2, &4, Luke 1:35)
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through his death on the cross of Calvary as our substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by his literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Rom. 3:24 & 25, I Peter 1:3 & 5, I Peter 2:24, Eph. 1:7)
3. We believe that the Lord, Jesus Christ, ascended in to Heaven and now is exalted at the right hand of God, the Father, where, as our High Priest, He intercedes for us as our advocate and our true friend. (Acts 1:9 & 10. Heb. 9:24 & 7:25, Rom. 8:34. I John 2:1 & 2)
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
1. We believe the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, and that He is the supernatural agent of regeneration, baptizing all believers in to the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them until the day of redemption (John 16: 8-11, II Cor 12:12-14, Rom 8:9, Eph. 1:13 & 14)
2. We believe that He is the divine teacher who guides believers in to all truth, and that it is the privilege of all the saved to be indwelled with the Holy Spirit. (John 16:13, I John 2:20 & 27, Eph. 5:18)
The Fall of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but in Adams sin, the race fell, inherited a sinful nature and became alienated from God, and that man is depraved, and of himself cannot remedy his lost condition. (Gen. 1:26 & 27, Rom. 3:22 & 23, 5:12, Eph. 2: 1-3 & 12)
Salvation
We believe that salvation from Hell is the gift of God. It was purchased with the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, when He died on a cross, was buried in a tomb and rose again by the work of the Holy Spirit. Man cannot merit this gift in any way. It is a free gift and is accessed only by trusting Jesus Christ as the giver and guarantor of our eternal life. Works or faithfulness have no bearing on attaining or preserving eternal life. There are no ordinances, traditions or rituals that have any bearing on earning or maintaining eternal life. It is the all accomplished by the work of Jesus Christ. (Eph. 1:7, 2:8-10, John 1:12, I Peter 1:18 & 19)
Baptism
We observe Baptism as a Biblical tradition. We believe it represents the spiritual baptism done by the Holy Spirit. We believe that being immersed in the water represents the Holy Spirit fully immersing the believer into a new life. We reject that it has any bearing on the eternal state of a believer or that it is a requirement but rather a way to share our faith publically and enrich our fellowship with Jesus Christ. (Matt 3:11, Mark 1:8, John 1:33)
The Last Supper (Lord’s Supper, Communion)
We observe the Last Supper as a Biblical Tradition. We observe this event on Good Friday to represent the time that Jesus shared His final meal with His disciples. We first share a meal together as Jesus did with His disciples. At the end of the meal, we pause to read Scripture. In the manner described in Scripture, we partake of the bread and wine (or grape juice) as a representation of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Eating the bread represents a full commitment to the doctrine of His body being sacrificed for us on a rugged cross. In the same way, drinking the wine (or grape juice) represents a full commitment to the doctrine of His blood being accepted by God the Father as atonement for our sin debt. His broken body and shed blood allow us the opportunity to gain eternal life by simply trusting Jesus Christ for it. In the same way that physical food and drink sustain our natural lives, we believe that this tradition represents His broken body and shed blood sustains our eternal life. We reject the notion that partaking in this tradition is a requirement but rather, is a way to enrich our fellowship with each other and with Jesus Christ. (Matt 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20)
The Eternal Security and Assurance of the Believer
1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved are kept saved by Gods power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37- 40, 10:27-30, Rom. 8:1, 8:38 & 39, I Cor. 1:4-8, I Peter 1:5)
2. We believe that it is the privilege of the believer to rejoice in their assurance of salvation through the testimony of God’s word and promises. God’s word, however, strictly forbids using this assurance as an excuse to sin. This manner of reasoning displeases God and He will deal with it accordingly, however, when He saves us, it is a work done by Him, and will stand as all His work does. Believers cannot work to earn salvation, and thank God, their works or lack of them, cannot destroy it. (Rom. 13:13 & 14, Gal 5:13, Tit. 2:11-15, Eccl. 3:14)
3. We believe that true assurance comes from knowing God’s plan of salvation and depending on it for one’s eternal life. Once a person believes in Jesus Christ, he can be assured of his salvation because he knows that Jesus cannot lie and has promised him salvation base on belief and nothing else. A Christian who is living outside of God’s will may not enjoy the assurance of his salvation. God will never break His promise to deliver all believers to eternal life. The disobedient believer however, may suffer a loss of joy as a result of Gods chastening hand. He may not feel like a Christian, but his feelings are no substitute for Gods promises. One willfully living in sin may be chastised, even to the point of sickness or death, if God deems this the proper discipline for his willful disobedience. (1 Cor. 11:30)
The Two Natures of the Believer
We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provision made for victory of the new nature over the old nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural. (Rom. 6: 13, 8:12 & 13, Gal. 5:16-25, Eph. 4:22-24, Col. 3:10, I Peter 1:14- 16, I John 3:5-9)
Separation
We believe that all Christians are to live in such a manner as to emphasize the goodness and glory or our Savior and Lord. Christians should sincerely strive to make a clear and deliberate separation from religious apostasy, sinful practices and support of any unrighteousness. (II Tim. 3:1-5, Rom. 12:1 & 2, 14:13, I John 2:15-17, II John 9-11, II Cor. 6:14, 7:1)
Missions
We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of the Holy Scriptures and to seek to proclaim the gospel to all who will receive it. (Mark 16: 15, Acts 1:8, II Cor. 5:19 & 20)
The Ministry of Spiritual Gifts
1. We believe that God is sovereign in the distribution of all His gifts, and calls evangelists, pastors, teachers, singers, prayer warriors, and many other like ministries in his furtherance of the gospel. We believe that the gift of tongues is referring to the ability to learn and speak known languages. The Apostle Paul made it clear that all language has distinguishable characteristics making them all interpretable. We believe that speaking an unknown language without an interpreter is forbidden. We also believe that undistinguishable babble with no distinguishable characteristics is not language at all and is forbidden in church worship. We believe our enemy uses this misunderstood gift as a way to bring confusion to the church. We believe that Scripture tells us that these misunderstandings and practices do not edify the church and that it is forbidden in public worship. When an unfamiliar language is spoken, it must be done in order and with clear interpretation. (I Cor. 12:4-11, II Cor. 12:12, 14:4, 19, 26, Eph. 4:7-12)
2. We believe that God hears and answers prayers and will do so in accordance to His holy will. We believe that He can heal any disease or condition that He desires to, but is not obligated to do so. We believe it is acceptable to lay hands on the sick or afflicted at their request, but understand that all healing is fully done by God and is at His discretion. Requesting God’s healing in any way is to be a sincere time of prayer and supplication. It is not to be exploited as to exalt man, but is to be a humble request from man to God through our Savior, Jesus Christ. (John 15:7, I John 5:14 & 15)
The Church
1. We believe that all redeemed persons of all time constitute the Bride of Christ. The Church is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again Christians of the present age. (Eph. 1:22 & 23, 5:25-27, I Cor. 12:12-14, II Cor. 11:2)
2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27,20:17, 28:32, I Tim. 3:1-13, Tit. 1:5-11)
The Law
We believe that the Mosaic Law was fulfilled in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and accomplished everything that God intended for it to accomplish. We believe it pointed to the coming of Jesus Christ and taught mankind that sin must be atoned with innocent blood and that only the blood of Christ was sufficient. We believe that no one was ever justified by keeping the Mosaic Law and that no man ever kept it perfectly other than Jesus Christ. (Gal. 2:16, Matt. 5:17-18, Gal 3:24, Hebrews 10:4)
The Personality of Satan
We believe that Satan in a personal being, the author of sin and instrumental in the fall of man. We believe that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man, and that he shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire. We believe that he still works to hinder all who seek God and all who seek to please God, both Christians and non-Christians alike. (Job1:6& 7, Isa. 14:12-17, Matt. 4:2-11, 25:41, Rev 20:10)
The Second Advent of Christ
We believe in the blessed hope, the personal imminent, pre-tribulation, and pre-millennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones, and in His subsequent return to earth, with His saints, to establish His millennial kingdom. (I Thes. 1:10, 5:9, 4:13-18, Zech. 14:4-11, Rev. 3:10, 19:11-16, 20:1-6)
The Eternal State
1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the Christians to eternal life with Jesus, and the unsaved to judgment resulting in eternal damnation and punishment. (Matt. 25:46, John 5:28 & 29, 11:25 & 26, Rev. 20:5 & 6 & 12 & 13)
2. We believe that the spirits of the redeemed are, at the time of death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious happiness they await the first resurrection, where spirit, soul and body will be reunited and will be glorified with the Lord, eternally. (Luke 23:43, Rev. 20:4-6, II Cor. 5:8, Phil. 1:23, 3:21, I Thes. 4:16 & 17)
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