Grace Community Church

511 6Th Ave.

Grinnell, Iowa 50112

(641) 236 - 6621

Church Profile

Who We Are

Grace Community is a small congregation with a heart for youth ministry, missions and reaching the broken in our rural community. The members of our church come from different walks of life, which helps us as a body of Christ grow stronger in our faith through using our various gifts to serve others with humility (Ephesians 4:2-6; Romans 12:4-6). Our common ground is our adherence to biblical teaching and our strong desire to listen, learn and grow to become more like Jesus. Our definition of discipleship is being devoted followers of Jesus being transformed by Him. We as a church try to live this out in our community. We might be the only Jesus that someone sees. We act this out through prayer, living out biblical principles, loving our neighbors and meeting people where they are.

What We Are Doing
Being a small church in a rural community has its own struggles. Covid has impacted a lot of our programs. Though our attendance numbers have dwindled, we still have strong youth ministries: Shine - K-4th grade, STARS - 5-8th grade, and our Youth group - 9-12th grade. We have a card ministry that has blossomed over the last few years. Prior to Covid we had both men’s and women’s bible studies weekly, and monthly activities at the church (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Where We Feel God Is Calling Us
We at Grace Community feel that God is calling us to be more visible in our community. We feel that getting out of the church and doing outreach in our community is needed. At the moment, we are not sure what that will look like. We do feel that continuing our youth ministries is an important way to reach out to the community. God called us to be fishers of men; continuing our discipleship programs will help us fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 4:19).

Church History

Grace Community started as a Bible study with the CMA in 1987. In 1994 our status changed from being an extension of CMA to that of an independent CMA church.

Our building was originally constructed in 1916 in Sully, IA, where it was home to the First Reformed Church. In 1948, Calvary Baptist church purchased the property and hired C.E. Carroll & Sons of Frederika to move the church building from Sully to its current location. After moving to three different locations, Grace Community purchased the building in 1992.

In 2001, Grace Community bought the property north of our current lot and leveled the home for additional parking. Two years later, we purchased the property to the west (Grace House), renovated the sanctuary and moved the church office to the new property. Grace House is also used for Sunday school, youth programs and bible studies. The mortgage was paid off in 2019.

Ministries

Worship Service

• Sundays 10:30
• Includes praise through music/scripture reading, sermon, testimonies and prayer

Corporate Prayer

• Sundays alternating weekly between 9 am and 5 pm

Shine/STARS (K-8th youth program)

• Wednesdays 6:30-7:45

High School Youth Group

• Sundays 5:30 pm

Bible Studies/Small Groups

• Periodic - time, day and duration vary depending on group

Analysis

Key Accomplishments of Last Three Years:

• Prioritizing unity in worship and ministry through COVID
• Paying off our Church’s debt
• Recognizing the need for discipleship and conducting a class on discipleship

Key Goals for the Next Three Years:

• Increasing outreach and visibility in the community
• Restoring youth programs to prior level of engagement
• Expanding discipleship ministry

Our Church’s Most Significant Strengths:

• A commitment to living out Christ’s love for each other and for those outside of the Church
• A close-knit family environment (we openly share our brokenness and each other’s burdens)
• A strong focus on youth ministry

Our Church’s Most Significant Challenges/Weaknesses:

• A lack of visibility in the community
• A lack of volunteers/workers for ministry and church maintenance
• A lack of collaboration with other churches in reaching the lost of our community, especially in regards to youth ministry

Our Church’s Most Significant Threats/Obstacles:

• Obtaining the finances to meet our budget/expenses
• Keeping a culture of busyness from taking priority in our lives
• Maintaining unity amidst division in how we respond to cultural/political issues

Minister Profile

The Search Team of Grace Community Church in Grinnell, Iowa, invites applications for the position of Minster. The ideal candidate will prioritize relationships and both personal and corporate prayer. He will take the time to get to know us so that we can discern together God’s will for our church. We seek a pastor who shares our passion for making disciples and using our diverse gifts to do the good works God has prepared for us (Ephesians 4:11-13). The pastor will work alongside our church board and ministry teams to glorify God in our Sunday morning worship services and develop devoted followers of Jesus through corporate prayer and fellowship, children’s and youth ministries, spiritual counseling, and service to our community (Acts 20:28; I Peter 5:2-3). He will be prepared to share the truth of God’s Word in a variety of settings, including from the pulpit on Sunday mornings, in small-group Bible studies, and in one-on-one conversations. And he will help us maintain the unity we have in our love for Jesus, despite the differences that exist in our life experiences and viewpoints.

In addition, Grace Community Church is seeking a pastor who:

• Provides competent, skillful, considerate, relationally-based leadership in the areas of preaching, counseling, encouraging, discipling, planning, and administrating (2 Timothy 4:2).

• Demonstrates a Spirit-filled character, especially in his treatment of all others.
• Promotes community, regional, national, and international involvement in the Gospel.
• Models a Godly personal and family life.
• Humbly seeks the Lord’s guidance, and consults with others regularly.
• Demonstrates a teachable spirit.
• Is currently credentialed or able to be credentialed by the Mid-America District of The C&MA.
• Is in full agreement with The C&MA Statement of Faith.

To be considered for this position, please complete the application to include your testimony, resume and other background information related to the position.

Please do not contact the church directly.