Graceway Church is committed to being a God-Exalting, Christ-Centered, Spirit-Motivated, Word-Focused local body of Believers!
We live in a very interesting time, especially where the church is concerned. There are probably hundreds of different ideas about what a church should look like and how it should function. Everyone seems to have an opinion! Some define the church by all the things it should not be or all of the things it should not do.
At Graceway, our goal is simple – function as a First-Century church in the 21st Century! What we long to do is emulate the joy and sincerity in worship, the hunger for the Words of God, the closeness to one another, and the impact on the surrounding community that the early church seems to have experienced. In Acts 2:41-47, Luke recounts for us the unique and impactful activity of the church.
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2.41-47
- In verse 42, notice the commitment of this group to the instruction of the Word – they were hungry for the Words of God, to understand all that He had accomplished for them through the work of Jesus on the cross.
- They were also committed to fellowship with one another – meaning they were in or a part of the lives of one another. Part of their fellowship with one another included eating together and praying together.
- In verse 47, note the commitment to worship – praising God together for all He was doing in their lives personally and corporately! This should be the focus and passion for our worship.
- They also, by the grace of God, were enjoying favor or acceptance in the community at large, and because of that response to them, individuals in the community were drawn to Jesus because of their transformed lives and interactions with one another in the church.
Throughout the Epistles, we see the ongoing description and development 
of the early church. There were many issues in early congregations, but each time the writers would always try to bring the church back to an understanding of its purpose: love Jesus and show that love by loving one another.
At Graceway, this is our goal: to be a God-Exalting, Christ-Centered, Spirit-Motivated, Word-Focused local body of Believers! We are striving to accomplish this goal with four specific objectives that govern what we do and how we do it: Exalting our God and our Savior, Jesus Christ; Edifying through the Word; Encouraging one another and Engaging our community.
With this goal in mind, we do our best to try and be Biblically balanced in our approach to ministry. We focus very heavily on the Word of God – what does it say
and how should that message change us? This is our primary focus each time we
approach the Word as a congregation. We long to understand the Word so that we can be transformed. Change is impossible without the grace of God at work through the Spirit of God applying the Words of God specifically to our hearts and lives. Most Sunday mornings, we focus directly on Jesus – His life, His ministry, His work on the Cross and the impact each one of these can and should have on our daily lives.
We are by no means a perfect church, candidly, there is no such thing as a perfect church; but that is why we focus so closely on the Word of God. He alone is perfect and has the ability to transform sinful people, like us, to be more like Him through the Word.
At Graceway Church, we long to follow the example of the early church and to obey the clear statements and warnings of Paul throughout his New Testament Epistles. We believe the church can fulfill the Biblical model as described by Luke and Paul. This is our vision of the church!
