A church in Westlake, Ohio?
A lot of things come to mind when people hear the word church.
Some people think of a big, brick building with a large steeple on the top. Some think of the Bible. Some think of peace & hope, others think of close-minded hypocrites who have hurt them in the past.
What do you think of when you hear the word church ? Would you let us know by dropping us a note?
To be honest, the Bible doesn't say a whole lot about WHAT a church is, but God does tell us quite a bit about WHO a church is. The first recorded church is seen in the first century and some of their activities are recorded for us in the Book of Acts in the Bible. God doesn't tell the church there, "This is what I want you to do....", and then list a bunch of rules and practices for the first churches to follow. Jesus Christ did leave some instructions for His followers, and the Apostle Paul follows up with some principles and practices for the people he taught, but God didn't leave us a "Church Instruction Manual".
Because of this, at Grace Baptist, we believe that what our church does on a day-to-day basis depends a lot on how God is leading us today, and what He wants us to do now. We try to honor those who've laid our foundations and the traditions built on them, without being "stuck" doing something one way simply because that's "how it's always been done." We believe God brings people into our church to change our church, to help us become more of WHO God tells us to be.
So, who is Grace Baptist Church?
According to the Bible, Grace Baptist is a group of people who know that they can't earn God's love with anything we do. We can't make Him love us more, and we can't make Him love us less. We know that we're not perfect, and that our faults and weaknesses separate us from God and each other. We trust that Jesus' death on the cross was the only and final payment for our sin, and that by faith in Him alone, we can have a loving & full relationship with God. That's what the Bible says, and that's what we teach. (If you're interested in the details, click here.)
What doesn't the Bible tell you about Grace Baptist Church?
Grace is made up of a diverse group of people - some are young, some are old, some are in the middle of life. Some have kids, some don't, some married, some single. Some are asian, some african-american, some anglo. Some live in Westlake, Rocky River, North Olmsted, North Ridgeville, Fairview Park, and other communities on the west side of Cleveland. Some are teachers, some lawyers, some stay-at-home-moms, some construction workers, some social workers, some self-employed......you get the point? Everyone is Welcome at Grace Baptist Church!