About

Grace Church exists to make mature followers of Jesus Christ.

We recognize that mature followers of Jesus Christ are made only by the Holy Spirit as, through Him, we grow in and demonstrate the grace of God. Our strategy is to engage in activities through which He can do that. The Holy Spirit grows us in God’s grace through personal study, interactive small groups and praise-filled worship services. He demonstrates God’s grace through us by our participation in believer’s baptism and communion, in our preaching and teaching God’s Word, in our interaction with others in the community, and by our involvement in world-wide missions.

Statement of Faith

1. We believe that the Bible is God’s Word, that it was written by men divinely inspired and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.  (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:21)
2. We believe in God the Father, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power.  We rejoice that He concerns Himself with the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.  (Psalm 139:1-12; Psalm 115:3; I John 4:8-10; John 5:24)
3. We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, miraculous in His birth, sinless in His life, making atonement for the sins of the world by His death.  We believe in His bodily resurrection, His ascension into heaven, His perpetual intercession for His people and His personal, visible return to the world according to the Scriptures.  (John 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:3-6; Heb. 10:10-14; 1 Cor. 15:3-5; Rom. 8:34-39; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 19:11-15)
4. We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from God to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and comfort those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  (John 16:7-11; Titus 3:5; John 14:16-17)
5. We believe that all men by nature and by choice are sinners, but that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  We believe that those who accept Christ as Savior and Lord will rejoice forever in God’s presence, and those who refuse to accept Christ as Savior and Lord will be condemned to eternal punishment in hell.  (Rom. 3:23; John 3:16; Rom. 6:23; John 1:12; Luke 16:23; John 5:24; Rev. 20:15)
6. We believe in the Church, the living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and of which all regenerated people are members.  We believe that a local church is a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized by immersion on a credible confession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship.  We believe that to these local churches were committed, for perpetual observance, the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and that God has laid upon these churches the task of persuading a lost world to accept Jesus Christ as Savior, and to enthrone Him as Lord and Master.  We believe that all human betterment and social improvement are the inevitable by-products of such a gospel.  (Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; Heb. 10:25)
7. We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith: that each church is independent and autonomous and must be free from any ecclesiastical or political authority: that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from the dictation or patronage of the other.
8. We believe the term “marriage” has only one meaning, and that is, marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scriptures.  We also believe that sexual intimacy is to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other, and not outside of marriage.  (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:3-5; Heb. 13:4)
9. We believe that Satan is a real being, a fallen angel of great power, the enemy of God, but is limited in the scope of his power by God. We believe that Christ by His death on the cross defeated Satan and stripped him of his power over death. We believe that Satan is doomed first to be cast from his present abode, then at Christ’s Second Coming to be bound a thousand years, and finally to be cast into the lake of fire where he and his angels shall be tormented forever and ever (Mark 1:13; John 13:2; Matt. 13:36-43; Job 1:12, 2:1-6; John 12:31; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 Cor. 15:54-56; Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10)
10. We believe that the person who has trusted in Jesus Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross as the only way to heaven should enjoy the assurance of eternal life, and that while God sometimes disciplines believers in infinite love when they persistently sin and fail to judge themselves, He will never break the relationship established in salvation (John 6:47, 10:28; Heb. 10:5-10, 12:6; 1 Cor. 11:31; Heb. 6:18-20)
11. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust to receive rewards for things done here on earth, and that the believer’s body shall be fashioned like unto His glorious body but there is no description of the body of the unbeliever. (1 Cor. 3:11-15; John 5:28-29; 1 Cor. 15:22; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:12; Phil. 3:21)
12. We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the community, it is imperative that all members, especially those in leadership roles, abide by and agree to this Statement of Faith.

We at Grace Church understand that God made us to have a relationship with Himself and because of that relationship we worship and glorify Him.  Jesus, before He left the earth, instructed his followers to make disciples, but then he mentioned the process of baptizing them.  We believe that people need to determine for themselves that they are a follower or disciple of Christ.  Each of us should then follow Jesus’ teaching and publicly proclaim their position by being baptized.  If you have made the decision to follow Christ and want to be baptized, we welcome your call or e-mail asking how it might happen through Grace Church.

At Grace Church we realize that the Bible does not mention “members” in the early church.  We do however see value in a follower of Christ making a commitment to a local church and use membership as one way to understand that commitment.  Therefore, only members may hold spiritual leadership positions or vote on important matters of the body.

To become a member of Grace, a person must be a believer in Jesus Christ whose life shows a change of heart after meeting Christ.  They must also have made the pubic proclamation of their following Christ by immersion baptism.

Please contact Grace Church to find out more details about transferring membership from another church or discussions required with the spiritual leadership of the church.

Grace Baptist Church was organized on October 29, 1953 as the result of church planting efforts under the auspices of the Platte Valley Baptist Conference and the Baptist General Conference of America.  Kenneth and Eleanor Christensen served as the first pastoral couple for the church, remaining in that capacity for 18 years, until 1971.  The charter members were Leo and Thelma Adams, Mrs. Effie Johnson, Paul and Tena Rubesh, Charlotta Rubesh, and Kenneth and Eleanor Christensen.  Other early members were E. E. and Edith Johnson, Jess and Mae Sharp, and Charles Teng.  Other early members and friends who continued as an important part of the fellowship over the years were John and Rose Kiser, Darlene Lindell Klinginsmith, Clayton and Hilda Jares and sons Dan and Glenn.

The congregation purchased the old ZCBJ Lodge Building at the corner of 7th and Grand Streets and renovated it for church usage.  In 1962, the building was moved to 9th and Baxter Streets where a basement fellowship hall, restrooms, and kitchen were added.  In 1965, the church was struck by lightning and destroyed.  Plans for a new building were formulated and construction began in the fall of 1965.  Vance Wohlers served as general contractor for the project.  Dedication services were held in October 1966.  That structure continues to serve the church today.  A parsonage was purchased in 1973-74 and a garage erected in 2006-07.

Pastors who followed the Christensens were Pastor Bill Wilson (1971-1972), Ross and Lois Johnson (1972-1974), Interim Pastor Walter and Jeanette Bunger (1974-1976), Pastor Dan and Pamela Versaw (1976-1984), Pastor Paul and Roycee Peabody (1985-1993) who brought the AWANA program to Grace Baptist Church, Interim Pastor Rob Stewart (1993), Pastor Don and Karen Lovell (1993-2005), Interim Pastor Robert and Liz Kaltenbach (2005-2006), and Pastor Pat and Julie Moore (2006 – 2013).
Over the sixty years of its existence, hundreds of people have been part of the congregation.  Only God knows the full impact on and through each individual life.  The people of Grace remain committed to sharing Christ at home and around the world.