An Introduction to Grace Bible Church

Grace Bible Church is a Christian church. In an era of theological and moral relativism, this requires deeper explanation. This means we believe that Jesus Christ is the sole answer to all of man's deepest needs and questions. God's mercy and grace alone has provided for such a salvation and it is offered to all in the gospel.

We are among the many that have experienced the grace of God and the peace of being reconciled to our Creator through Jesus. This grace and peace is at once both exclusive and inclusive. It is wide and inclusive as it embraces peoples from every nation, tribe and tongue across every century and millennia. It is exclusive as God offers it solely through faith in Christ alone. It is our privilege to invite, in His name, people of every ethnicity, gender, socio-economic strata and color in our own day to know and experience the same salvation.

The Christian label has seen many variations, mutations and movements. Hence, we should also explain that GBC is an evangelical church. By this we mean that we stand unashamedly on the supreme authority and sufficiency of the Bible. It is our humble desire to see our ministry, teaching and practices fully conformed to the Scriptures. Though we will not arrive at perfection and remain ashamed of our failures, the teaching of God's Word and its application to every sphere of life remains central to our worship and community life.

In addition to these broad and essential distinctives, we share a common heritage with those Christian churches that uphold the central tenets of what is known as the Protestant Reformation. In the past, these served as a bond of unity between Christians from a wide diversity of church traditions. Therefore, because of our love for the purity of the gospel and the growing doctrinal confusion in our age, we endeavor to reassert and maintain our commitment to these essential truths.

Finally, we are a gospel-centered serving church. The Gospel of Jesus Christ changes people from the inside out and creates a radical new identity. This identity frees us from self-absorption and leads us to accept and serve people we once excluded. God's grace moves us to serve others irrespective of their merits just as Christ served us irrespective of ours. Therefore, we endeavor to sacrificially serve our neighbors in our community as well as our brothers and sisters out of grateful joy and love for the glory of God.

We are not the originators of these identifying characteristics. We are glad to lock arms with other Christian communities, churches and ministries that embrace a similar vision and exceed us in their application. Partnerships such as these enable us to mutually strengthen one another. The following links will lead you to a few of these partners: The Gospel Coalition, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, Together for the Gospel.

In outlining these distinctives I want to stress that at GBC we welcome visitors from all backgrounds who are sincerely seeking to understand the message of the Bible. Whether you are a Christian searching for a church home, a young family seeking assistance with the challenges of parenting or someone just beginning to consider the claims and teaching of Jesus, we believe you will find GBC a help and encouragement to you.

Tony Sanelli
On behalf of the Elders