A Christian community in the heart of Austin ...
Austin Grace Church isn't a building or a place. It's a group of people -- one big (sometimes messy) extended Christian family -- partnering to walk with one another through the joys and trials of life.
We don't claim to be perfect in every way, but we pledge to ourselves and to our God to follow after Christ in everything we do.
Austin Grace is a church for all ages, with an energetic children's and youth ministry and in-depth young adult study group. The volunteer-driven congregation also has a strong seniors ministry, open-forum Bible studies, a substance recovery class and debt management program. Local and international compassion ministry opportunities are available, as we endeavor to share the love of Jesus with others around the world and at home.
Our story ...
Austin Grace Church of the Nazarene began in a living room in central Austin in 1933, and moved to its current location on Koenig Lane in the 1950s. That was back when the area around the Brentwood and Allandale neighborhoods was still mostly cotton fields, airport buildings, and scattered businesses and houses. But Grace Church of the Nazarene (as it was known then) had the faith to reach an emerging part of town with a timeless message.
Much has changed about Austin over the decades, and the number of members has ebbed and flowed. But the church remains focussed on the diverse people of Austin and its lively culture, teaching Jesus's message of love and forgiveness, victory over sin, and living a passionate life full of meaning.
Our mission ...
Several years ago the members of Austin Grace met to come up with a mission statement that best reflects its mission:
"We exist to bring the Austin Area the hope of Jesus Christ, through a community committed to developing a foundation for spiritual growth, to meeting each other's needs and to living a life full of hope (I Peter 2:9-10)."
At that time, the church also adopted a set of core principles which summarize the mission in four points:
Our Four Core Values:
- A Christ-centered people (keeping Jesus Christ the focus of the church)
- Community (living in fellowship and accountability with one another)
- Sharing (giving to those who lack and showing compassion to the poor and needy)
- Hope (teaching not only about our reward in heaven but victory over sin and temptation in this life)
What We Believe ...
We believe in one God who has expressed himself in personal ways.
We know God's personality as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe the Bible communicates God's saving message and is our reliable authority in all matters related to faith and Christian living.
We believe that all humanity struggles with a downward pull.
We believe that unless we experience God's help and salvation through a faith commitment to Jesus Christ, our future is one of eternal separation from God and all that is good.
We believe the love and grace of God is extended to every person in the provision Jesus Christ made in his death and resurrection.
By turning from our own selfishness and trusting Jesus Christ, we experience a new life, being freed from the old patterns of self-destructive acts called sin.
We believe our new life in Jesus Christ is the gateway to transformation. Following our moment of faith in Jesus, we believe there is another moment in which we present our life completely to Christ in order to live under his authority and to experience his transforming power.
We believe that Christian experience is more than a change of mind. It is accompanied by assurance that is grounded in both the Scriptures as well as the inner witness of God's Spirit.
We believe that all who live for Jesus Christ have an eternal future. Our belief in such a future includes both the fulfillment of God's creative purpose as well as the accountability of all persons endowed with the power of choice.
More about us ...
We Are a Christian People
As members of the Church worldwide, we join with all true believers in proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus Christ and in embracing the historic Trinitarian creeds of the Christian faith. As "Nazarenes," we value what's known as the Wesleyan-Holiness theology, and believe it to be a way of answering the hard questions of life. Our beliefs are based, not on what man says about God, but on a four-fold foundation of Scripture (the Bible), human reason, Judeo-Christian tradition, and personal experience.
We Are a Holiness People
God, who is the very definition of holy, calls us to a life of holiness -- we can't be holy without Him. One of our distinctive beliefs is that we believe that the Holy Spirit seeks to do in us another work of grace after we're saved. This experience is called by various names including "entire sanctification" and "filling with the Holy Spirit" -- cleansing us from our bent toward sinning and renewing us in the image of God. This work of God empowers believers in Christ to love God with the whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves, thus producing in us the character of Christ. Holiness in the life of believers is most clearly understood as "Christlikeness."
We Are a Missional People
We are a sent people, responding to the call of Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit to go into all the world, witnessing to the Lordship of Christ and participating with God in the building of the Church and the extension of His Kingdom (II Corinthians 6:1). Our mission begins in worship, ministers to the world in evangelism and compassion, encourages believers toward Christian maturity through discipleship, and prepares women and men for Christian service through higher education.
Our Connection ...
Austin Grace Church of the Nazarene is part of the South Texas District of a denomination known as The Church of the Nazarene (or for short, "the Nazarenes"), a global community of faith composed of individuals who have made Jesus Christ Lord of their lives. We share our life together in Christian fellowship -- our churches each seeking to strengthen each other in faith development through worship, teaching, preaching, fellowship and service. Beyond this, we strive to express the compassion of Jesus Christ to all persons along with our personal commitment to Christ-like living.
More about Nazarenes ...
The Church of the Nazarene is a reputable, recognized Protestant church in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, tracing its roots to an anniversary date of 1908. The denomination began as a merger of several like-minded, independent and non-denominational groups at a tent meeting in North Central Texas, in the town of Pilot Point. It was founded to spread the message of scriptural holiness (in other words, Christlike living) across the lands. Today the Church of the Nazarene is located in 151 world areas with about 1.6 million members worldwide and 15,000 local congregations.
The Church of the Nazarene is a Great Commission church. We believe that God offers to everyone forgiveness, peace, joy, purpose, love, meaning in life, and the promise of heaven when life is over by entering and experiencing a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We are called to take this message to people everywhere.
The Church of the Nazarene is also a holiness-centered church. We believe that Christians can experience a deeper level of life in which there is victory over sin, power to witness and serve, and a richer fellowship with God, all through the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
The Church of the Nazarene is the largest denomination in the classical Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. The doctrine that distinguishes the Church of the Nazarene and other Wesleyan denominations from most other Christian denominations is that of entire sanctification. Nazarenes believe that God calls Christians to a life of holy living that is marked by an act of God, cleansing the heart from original sin and filling the individual with love for God and mankind. This experience is marked by entire consecration of the believer to do God's will and is followed by a life of seeking to serve God through service to others. Like salvation, entire sanctification is an act of God's grace. (Information derived from: http://www.nazarene.org/)
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