On July 1, 1956, Grace Community Church of the Valley conducted its first public services. Founded as a nondenominational church, its emphasis was on the basics of Christianity. The fledgling church called Dr. Don Householder, one of the great preachers of his generation, to be its founding pastor. Worship services were conducted in the two main rooms of the converted town house, where a wall had been taken down to enable Dr. Householder to see his entire congregation while preaching.
In 1957, services were moved to the newly built chapel at the present location on Roscoe Boulevard. Less than two years later, two services were being conducted on Sunday mornings, the first education building was built to house Sunday school classes, and Grace Church became known as "the fastest growing church in Los Angeles."
Dr. Householder died in April 1965, and in 1966, Dr. Richard Elvee was called to be pastor. Dr. Elvee had become known as a church builder. Grace Church continued to grow under Dr. Elvee's leadership until he passed away in September 1968.
John MacArthur assumed the pastorate of Grace in February 1969. Prior to this, John had been assistant pastor in the church his father led in Burbank; he had also traveled widely as a conference speaker and representative for Talbot Theological Seminary, from which he graduated with honors.
During those early days of John's ministry, the church doubled in size every two years. We moved from meeting in the Chapel to the newly built Family Center in 1971, and from there into the current Worship Center in 1977. Since then, additional buildings for teaching and fellowship use have been erected, filling a campus that never sleeps. Truly, the Lord has blessed us with exceptional growth in terms of both people and ministries.
The history of Grace Community Church is, above all, a testimony to God’s faithful providence. What began in 1956 with a small group of families seeking to meet a simple need became, by the Lord’s gracious hand, a ministry that has touched countless lives around the world. At every stage of its history—from a humble gathering in a Van Nuys park to a nursery school, from a small chapel on a former chicken farm to a campus filled with worshippers and ministries with global impact—the Lord Himself has directed their steps (Prov. 16:9).
Seventy Years of Grace Video
This commemorative video highlights the rich history of Grace Church—from its beginnings in a nursery in Van Nuys (now Sherman Oaks), California, to the worldwide ministry the Lord has established today.
