Who We Are

gospel-changes-everything

So what exactly is a “Church?”  

The question may seem a bit odd at first glance because we live in the Bible-belt south.  But be careful,…looks can be deceiving!  The church is often times seen as a building or a worship service but there is so much more to the church than this.  The church is the people of God called out of sin and darkness through this redeeming work of Jesus and now live in covenant with God to be His new family living for His glory and seeking the good of all people.

Therefore, Grace Church exists to…

“Preach Jesus & Live as a Spirit Filled Family of Missionaries.”

WE ARE BAPTIST.

We believe that the church, rightly understood, is a body of regenerate, baptized believers. Baptism is the immersion in water of individuals who have repented of sin and trusted in Christ alone for salvation. We are congregational in our polity, meaning that the final authority in our church rests with the congregation itself, under the authority of Christ. While being a Baptist church can have lots of stereotypes attached with it, we trust that you’ll find that we are a Bible-teaching, Gospel-centered, Christ-exalting, God-glorifying church that believes baptism is for people who repent of their sins and trust in Christ.

We are voluntarily affiliated with the Nashville Baptist Association, the Tennessee Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention. For further detail about what we believe, please see our Confession of Faith “here“

WE ARE EVANGELICAL.

This basically means three things:

  1. We believe that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God and is, therefore, our final authority in all matters of life and doctrine.
  2. We believe that all people are born in sin and that man’s only hope for salvation is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
  3. We believe that the church is called to preach the gospel to all peoples everywhere and compel them to repent and believe the Gospel.

WE ARE REFORMED.

To be Reformed means to stand within the Protestant tradition that worked to recover the meaning of the Gospel as well as affirm what a true church is in substance.  Specifically, this means that we embrace the “Five Solas” of the Reformation:

  1. Our final authority is Scripture Alone, which reveals to us that
  2. Salvation is by Grace Alone,
  3. Through Faith Alone,
  4. In Christ Alone,
  5. To the Glory of God Alone.

Additionally, being reformed also means the importance of being confessional.  We affirm and rejoice in the sovereignty of God over all things, including the personal salvation of sinners.  We affirm the catholic creeds (Apostles’ & Nicene Creed) but more specifically, we stand in substantial agreement with the 2nd London Confession, 1689, the New Hampshire Confession, 1853, & the Baptist Faith and Message, 2000.