There is an exploding interest on the part of true Christians committed to Scripture to develop churches that are biblically sound. GA (Grace Advance) was established in an effort to respond to this groundswell. Through the ministry of GA, churches are connected with pastors that have been vetted by experienced church planters and church leaders. These pastors are then placed in the church through the counsel and ongoing partnership of men from Grace Advance that are assigned to provide ongoing counsel and support to the church plant.
Grace Advance is particularly equipped to assist two types of churches. First, GA comes alongside revitalizations to help the church get back to being a God-glorifying, effective church. These churches are struggling because of either disunity in the church or past hardship that has left the church struggling. When a struggling church reaches out to GA, this begins the process of GA interacting with the current leadership to assess the current state of the church and determine what the needs are and the best path forward for that particular situation. After the church has been accepted by the ECHA board (Elder's Council Handling Advance), the ECHA board will seek to match a pastor that has gone through the Grace Advance Academy and has been vetted. After a pastor has been found, GA will seek to place that man in the church and continue to support the pastor and the church even after the man has been placed through counsel, help, and advice. The aftermath of placing a pastor with the church is the most important part of the process for both the vitality of the church and the support of the pastor. The ongoing relationship between GA and the church provides the much needed support that is essential for the longevity of the church.
The second type of church is a church plant. However, by church plant we mean that there is a core group that is interested in starting a church and needing direction on how to move forward and a pastor to lead them. GA will work with the core group to determine if it is a viable situation to move forward with the plant. After the church has been accepted, a similar process occurs as in the revitalization. The pastor is placed in the church and an ongoing relationship is maintained to help support that pastor and the church.
Each of the men that go through GA to be planted have gone through sufficient vetting to determine not only the qualification of the man for ministry but whether they have the gifts and abilities for church planting. The Academy is a two-week intensive course designed specifically for church planters and the practical points of ministry. The churches that GA works with benefit from this process because the pastor that is planted in the church has been affirmed by the ECHA board and trained through the Academy.
GA provides the necessary counsel and assistance that is paramount in the church planting and revitalization process. Not only does this provide help for the process, it facilitates relationships that extend into the future. Often, the vitality of the church depends on this relationship, and by God's grace many churches have been served through the ministry of GA.
Please send an email to info@graceadvance.org with your contact information and Grace Advance will reach out to you with further details and how we can be involved in your church. It is our desire that God would grow His church, and that we could be involved in the process with you.