FAQ's

• What kind of a church do we want to be?
• How is GFC organized?
• Why do we have Small Groups meeting in homes during the week?
• What about communion and baptism?
• Does GFC have a choir?
• Why don't we "pass the plate"?
• What does it mean to "identify" with Grace Fellowship?
• Why don't we have evangelistic invitations at the end of every service?

Grace Fellowship is led by a group of elders. We believe the New Testament indicates that churches were governed by groups of elders. (Acts 14:23, 20:17-28; James 5:14)

We are not a congregational church. The elders are servant-leaders who are responsible for the overall care and management of the church. They are to meet qualifications found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

The elders serve as the church’s conscience, setting direction and policy, protecting doctrinal and moral purity and overall guidance. The staff takes care of the daily nuts and bolts of the ministries and mobilizing people for service.

3.Why do we have Small Groups meeting in homes during the week?

The New Testament gives us no form that must be adhered to regarding the regular “gathering together” of the church. We believe our purpose is best fulfilled by limiting the amount of all church-wide gatherings we have each week. Our commitment to relationships is better realized through small groups. Our commitment to ministry is better realized when people have time to invest in their family and friends.

We do believe that these two ordinances are vital to the life of the church and facilitate being grace-motivated and truth-controlled.

Communion is an act of worship that “proclaims the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). Paul’s words to the Corinthians “as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup” (1 Cor. 11:26) seems to indicate flexibility in terms of frequency. We partake of communion approximately every five to six weeks on Sunday morning. The communion experience is not limited to our gathering on Sunday morning. This can and should be a vital part of family and small group life. In fact, Paul’s words may mean that we are to remember Him every time we eat a meal!

Baptism is a means of portraying our identification with Christ (Rom. 6:4). We do not agree with any teaching that requires baptism for salvation (John 3:16; Eph. 2:8-9). However, baptism is part of discipleship (Matt. 28:18-20) and was practiced by the early church (Acts 8:38, 10:44-48, 16:31-33, 18:8; 1 Cor. 1:14-17). Every believer should be baptized. When you are baptized, you publicly declare and celebrate your identification with Christ. We do believe that there is no command regarding who administers the baptism. A family member, spiritual mentor or one of the elders could baptize you.

There will be opportunities for people to be baptized on a regular basis throughout the year. On our baptism pages you will be able to listen to a message by Tom on baptism and find out the other steps you can take to celebrate your salvation in Christ.  Our vision is that 7th graders through adults will be able to be baptized up close and personal in the Sunday services, at least every six weeks or so. We believe baptizing fewer people more frequently will give this important moment the attention it deserves.  Grade school children will be baptized at least twice a year in an age appropriate family environment to which the entire body will be invited.  Parents can be equipped to walk with their children through the baptism process and to experience it up close and personal. These events will be able to share and illustrate the gospel to other children, parents and adults, in ways more easily understood.  Parents should visit our baptism pages to find out more about upcoming events.

Yes, we do -- you! When you attend GFC, you become part of the choir. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with a choir, but our worship is designed to involve you in an encounter with God that is active. You can get the most out of worship when you come ready with a prepared heart. Worship doesn’t begin on Sunday. Worship is a lifestyle lived out seven days a week. Our corporate worship is an overflow of our individual worship. God loves your praise and longs to meet with you.

It’s not because your giving to the Lord and to GFC isn't important. On the contrary, Jesus said, "Wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:21). Giving is a vital part of our own spiritual life and God’s ordained plan for accomplishing His work in the world. As a part of GFC, your systematic, sacrificial and cheerful giving is extremely important to the fulfilling of our purpose.

We don’t pass an offering plate in order to allow you to give with as pure of motives as possible. Exodus 35:21 says that, “Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him gave”. Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 9:7, “Let each one do as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly, or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Not passing the plate frees us from worrying about what the usher in the aisle might think of our gift (or lack of it) and prevents token gifts to relieve the guilt of letting the plate pass. In addition, we are concerned for the unchurched or “burned out” people who believe that the church “is only interested in money.” We want it to be clear that is not the case at Grace Fellowship.

Everyone who is a Christian is a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12). Membership in a local church is not mandated in the New Testament. However, when one looks at the functions of the church and its leaders, some means of identification of those committed to a local church is needed. Our purpose of giving an opportunity to identify with GFC after attending the Discovery Classes has several advantages.

First, it provides an opportunity for a Christian to make an intelligent decision regarding identification with GFC and is a means of imparting our purpose, vision, and beliefs. Only those in significant agreement with these values should identify.

Secondly, it facilitates many practical matters. We need to know who identifies themselves with GFC in order to communicate and care. It enables us to do things “decently and in order” and to discharge our shepherding responsibilities.

Finally, it seems healthy for the member to make a conscious decision to place his or herself under the authority of the leadership of GFC and to make a commitment to support the ministry and serve a specific part of the body of Christ.

Most messages lend themselves to the gospel in one way or another. But the main goal of our Sunday morning service is edification, not evangelism. This is not to say people don’t trust Christ in a Sunday service or that we aren’t sensitive to those who are unsaved. We work hard at making our services as relevant to the unsaved onlooker as possible -- without compromising truth. However, Sunday morning is not a primary harvesting tool. Your office, home, car, or local work are the places where evangelism takes place most effectively.

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