Structure of Grace Chapel

Grace Chapel is an interdenominational fellowship that is associated with the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

We are organized governmentally by the Bylaws of the International Foursquare Church. There is an elected Church Council that serves as a ways-and-means work group to the Senior Pastor. The Church Council members serve terms of 2 years and are eligible for election to an additional 2-year term.

When dealing with incoming and outgoing monies, we have different leaders who oversee every step of the process. On Sundays, money is counted by a team of faithful staff and/or members. In addition, we have different people that fill the following roles: counting money, data entry of offerings, depositing money, verifying deposit receipts, signing checks and reconciling account statements. This allows us to be completely above reproach and leaves no room for potential accusation or fraud.

Financial reports are generated monthly by an off-site, independent accounting firm. In addition, we have a licensed CPA conduct an annual financial audit that does not attend Grace Chapel. This gives us an added step of security and confidence in how Grace Chapel's money is being handled.

Grace Chapel is organized into the following ministry teams in order to facilitate the efficient flow of ministry: Pastoral Care, Administration, Extension Ministries, Technology, Children's Ministries, Student Ministries, Small Groups Ministries, and Music Ministries. These pastors and leaders (both men and women) serve as elders to this local church body.

The elders of our church are led and overseen by our Senior pastor. His primary functions include:

  • Casting vision and clarifying values
  • Congregational teaching and preaching
  • Prayer
  • Personal discipleship of key leaders
  • Chair Church Council
  • Stewardship development
  • Leadership training & development
  • Personal care of congregation
  • Staff coordination
  • Community and denominational relations

Spirit of Grace Chapel

Grace Chapel is more than a building, an organization, a man, or a Sunday. Grace Chapel is a group of missionaries, a community of faith, a population of diverse individuals united by a common relationship with Jesus Christ. 

We strive to worship Him with every aspect of our lives, as we enjoy our city, its culture and recreation, as we laugh and eat good food with friends, and as we serve each other, our neighbors, and our Lord Jesus.

When it comes to doctrine, culture, preferences, traditions, lifestyles, politics, behavior, etc., Grace Chapel takes a “closed-hand/open-hand” approach. The closed hand hangs onto the non-negotiable tenets of the Christian faith: sin is the problem, grace is the invitation, Jesus is the answer, and the Bible is true.

The open hand, however, allows room for differences when it comes to secondary matters; we liberally allow freedom for conscience and wisdom to guide where the Bible is silent. The open hand fosters unity among the diversity of expressions found in the Grace Chapel congregation: Democrats and Republicans, young and not so young, soccer moms and Hip-hoppers, carnivores and vegans, trendy artisans, and computer techies.

Augustine (354-430 AD) said, "In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity. Hence, Grace Chapel is in favor for example, from time-to-time having a glass of wine over a nice dinner (in moderation), great sex (in marriage), and even tattoos (Jesus has one). But our focus must always be love and concern for our friends so that we don’t enjoy our freedom at the expense of their faith and conscience (1 Corinthians 8:13).

In this way, we are seeking to simultaneously heed the Bible’s commands to have sound doctrine (1 Timothy 4:16; Titus 1:9, 2:1), to love our Christian brothers and sisters (1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 4:7-21), and to avoid unnecessary divisions (Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 1:10, 12:25; Titus 3:10).

Therefore, who we are, and what we believe, influence how we live in the time and place God has placed us. Beyond Sunday services, Grace Chapel follows the biblical model of getting together through midweek smaller groups to share lives together in the mission God has given us. Guests become members of our church family by first taking our Growing Deep, Growing Strong class to assess their faith and ours.

We also offer special events along the way to help people in the faith and better serve one another. For those in need of special care, we have pastors and leaders who offer individual prayer counseling and recovery groups.

As an organization, Grace Chapel is devoted to church planting, leadership development, and worship renewal by providing online resources for those beyond Grace Chapel. As a church body, members are active in their community and abroad, working for and with other redemptive organizations locally and globally.