Grace Church

Sunday:

9:00 a.m. Blended, 10:30 a.m. Contemporary

Fresh Encounter:

Sunday, May 11, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Worship Center

1925: Mission Work of Lake Harriet Baptist Church

A flyer, distributed by students of the 'Northwestern Bible Training School' to early Edina residents, represented the unassuming beginnings of Grace Church:

WE INVITE YOU TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD BIBLE CLASS
Each Tuesday Evening 8:00 to 9:00 p.m.

This class meets at the home of Mr. & Mrs. H. A. Hansen, 5448 France Ave. S. It is taught by students of the Northwestern Bible Training School who are helping the Lake Harriet Baptist Church serve the interests of this community; but the class will be wholly undenominational. Bring your Bible and Notebook. Come prepared for a happy time studying the Word of God.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS
"Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee" Psalm 119:11

Our church began as a mission work of a mission church some 59 odd years ago. Today, the France Avenue Mission of the Lake Harriet Baptist Church is called Grace Church, spiritual home to some 5,000 people and mother to at least two other 'mission' churches.

Thursday, April 16, 1992 marked the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of the France Avenue Mission into a church.

Pastor Earl Pierce

 In 1925, Pastor Earl Pierce of the Lake Harriet Baptist Church (located at 50th and Upton) desired to reach out into the suburban village of Edina to "further the work of God and see souls won for Him." Dr. Pierce, associated with Northwestern College (then located in Minneapolis), asked some of the young people of the college to help canvas the Edina neighborhoods to assess their interest in an evening Bible study.

The study was held, as the above flyer indicated, in the home of Grace Hansen, one of the members of Lake Harriet Baptist Church. In the summer of 1927, the classes were moved to more adequate space in a small building along France Ave.

Mr. Steadman, in a letter he wrote to our church in 1977, filled in some of the details of the study in the old building:

"In 1928 there was a small abandoned store building on France Avenue So. Dr. Pierce asked me to clean it up and organize a Sunday School there. (My wife), Cleo and I without any organized notice put a small sign in front that said "a Sunday School will be opened here Monday night at 7:30 p.m. All Welcome." The Lord sure did His part for quite a few came. Neither Cleo or I had any experience in organizing school. So I told Cleo to arrange any children in one corner of the building and I would take the adults. I sometimes wonder what the Lord thought of our feeble beginnings. Possibly He had compassion because the School multiplied. Winter came and the building was too frail to heat so Mrs. Hansen asked us to come into their basement. By spring we had every room in the house filled."

It was clear that there was a need to secure some sort of adequate building. An excerpt from a Lake Harriet Baptist Bulletin dated July 15, 1928, under the heading of "The Baby Begins to Walk and Talk!" picks up the story with the flavor and enthusiasm of the times.

The France Ave. Mission, begun by the pastor getting Bible Training School girls to work in the France Avenue District two years ago, and continued by these girls and the loyalty and devotion of Mrs. H. A. Hansen who gave her house and heart to this work, and by the cordial assistance of many of our men, women and our youth, and then taken under the splendid leadership of Brother Steadman came this spring to the place where it was either quit or have a building. God has wonderfully led. The work was finally taken over by the church and a committee of five with the pastor was appointed to look after it. They are Mr. Steadman, Mr. Ikeda, Mrs. Foster, Mrs. H. A. Hansen and Miss Rasmussen. These have put a real pioneer enthusiasm of prayer and planning into the work.

1928: White Frame Chapel- France Avenue Mission

As a result, two lots at 55th and France have been purchased at a bargain price of $800.00 and the building, first planned for less than $1,000, has grown, as the vision and faith have increased, to a Chapel 30 feet by 36 feet, with a full basement, tower and bell. The whole enterprise will cost about $3,500.

Earl Steadman immediately began work on the new building. In his excitement for the work he had forgotten to anticipate the cost of a bell. Afraid that it would be a major expense, he was delighted to discover that he could purchase one at Sears for about $35.00. So elated was he by this discovery that he stopped by Mrs. Foster's house to tell her the good news. She had an even better idea for the bell. Her childhood church in Kenyon, Minnesota had closed down and she was sure that bell would be available.

Earl gave Mrs. Foster bus money to ride down to Kenyon immediately. On the way down, the idea occurred to her to ask for not only the bell but also the pews, organ, song books and pulpit. The woman who paid for the insurance on the abandoned church building was thrilled to hear Mrs. Foster's story of the struggling Edina mission. She sent Mrs. Foster to visit with other former church members to tell them the story of the mission. The following excerpt, again from the July, 1928 Lake Harriet Baptist bulletin, completes the story:

Those who were not at prayer meeting Thursday night missed something, as they always do, but this time one of the greatest thrills that we have had. An attendance of 48 was propitious. After the prayer meeting, which was a blessed time with a study of the 8th Chapter of Hebrews, with an unusually fine report of the convention by Dr. Ikeda, and with the testimony of two young women who are to be baptized tonight, Mr. Steadman asked us to form in line and march out onto the lawn. All excitement we did so, and there on the sidewalk we gathered, because in the street was a trailer behind Mr. Steadman's car, and in it an organ, a box of hymn books and a bell from the church at Kenyon Minnesota. Nineteen pews will come later.

Wanting to help the mission even further, the Christians in Kenyon put their old church building up for sale. It sold in less than a week and almost $2,000 was sent up to help pay for the France Ave. Mission building.

That summer, while the building was under construction, the members of Lake Harriet Baptist held evangelistic services on the site with Rev. Ralph Erickson of Blooming Prairie preaching each evening. Members were urged to participate under the following admonition: "You must not leave the Sunday evening services here to go out there, and you must keep up the prayer meeting strong here, lest we be defeated at home while we are trying to help there. But all the other nights will you not plan to go and help that work and get a great blessing for yourself."

Daily Vacation Bible School served double duty that summer with the same crews conducting Bible Schools at both locations.

An additional admonition from that exciting summer's church bulletin is as applicable today as it was then in 1928: "Now with all this manifest leading of the Lord, does it not call for a church awake to the spiritual responsibility and opportunities? Think of it! While we are still a mission church, we have a mission! This is a new-born child. Shall we take care of it adequately? Shall we pray for it? Shall we pray for the community that they may be blessed, not just with a church building, but with the presence of God out there?"

After a thrilling summer, the white frame Chapel building was dedicated in September with all bills paid. Regular Sunday morning services and Sunday school classes began to be held and the Mission was on its way to becoming a regular church (though it would be many years before it became an autonomous church). "Lord, can we make it?" was the question Earl Steadman, who was now leading the work, asked.

A Pastor was called, who also would become the young Mission's first missionary, Frank Shortridge, of "Dr. Riley's school". Mr. Steadman called him "God's choice for a beginning such as ours." The church began to meet the spiritual needs of many including Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists.

Eventually the Shortridge family moved on to the mission field of Africa, ("heaven and earth could not stop him from the mission field," wrote Mr. Steadman). The first social group, which met once a month, was called the Shortridge Club, one of their activities being the reading of correspondence from the Shortridges. Clubbers "learned of... (the Shortridges) many needs and tried to fulfill those needs by sending money and packing barrels of goodies and clothing." "I can remember to my chagrin," wrote one member, "one Christmas before the barrels were sealed for shipment, some church mice invaded them and not only ate the Christmas candies but chewed holes in the clothing."

Apparently the mice were as regular in their attendance as anyone else and could be observed roaming around during services. Inadequate heating equipment made the little chapel invigorating to worship in during cold weather (the choir had to keep their hats and coats on while praising the Lord in song!)

In January, 1936, Arthur Slaikeu, Assistant Pastor of Lake Harriet Baptist Church became Pastor of the Mission, a man described by Earl Steadman as "God's man... young, full of drive, soft voice, lover of people... With Pastor Slaikieu's coming, Mr. Steadman wrote: "...our young mission was on its way to become a great Church."

The work of the Mission continued to grow through the pioneering efforts of its people and the blessing hand of the Lord. Those efforts included the normal tenets of spiritual warfare such as prayer and Bible study and more practical tasks such as carrying water from nearby homes and stoking the wood furnace.

1942: Edina Baptist Church is Born

The work of the France Avenue Mission Committee came to an end in November of 1941 as the church was organized. A Pulpit Committee was established to secure the soon to be church's first pastor. Articles of Incorporation were filed on April 15, 1942 and Edina Baptist Church was born. One of the men who filled the pulpit during this period of searching was a young seminary student at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Glenn D. Anderson. He "found a warm place in the hearts

Pastor Glenn Anderson and family

of all who heard him" and was subsequently recommended by the Pulpit Committee to serve as the first pastor of Edina Baptist Church. "As a Committee we are unanimously sincere in the belief that it was the Lord's leading that brought Glenn to us, and we commend him to the faithful backing and support of the members and friends of the Edina Baptist Church..."

Glenn began a part-time ministry in September of 1942. The young man completed his studies in 1945 and at that time assumed the full-time responsibility of the church.

Glenn was a quiet, joyful man with a great capacity to love people and a quiet steadfastness of purpose. He gathered many people in the church around him in effective ministry. The new church would enjoy his fruitful ministry for 21 years. Glenn Anderson not only saw the church through two building programs but saw it through its infancy and adolescence.

1948: Ground Breaking for Permanent Church

As the church grew in numbers throughout the 40's the Chapel building, with its 19 donated pews, became quite crowded. Property was acquired at 5300 France Avenue South, just two blocks from the Chapel building.

Groundbreaking for the building at 5300 France Ave.

On April 11, 1948, ground was broken for a marvelous new two-story sanctuary building that would seat 300 people.

Two months short of a year later the first service was held in the lower level of the new building (what is now the east end of the dining area). The men of the church worked into the winter putting the roof on their new church 'edifice.' The young congregation poured many hundreds of hours of volunteer labor into the building doing much of the actual construction. It was estimated that $30,000, a lot of money in 1949, was saved by their efforts.

The new church building was dedicated on Easter Sunday, 1950. It boasted a balcony 'crying room' for mothers and babies, equipped with sliding glass windows (no nursery services were available in those days), a sound system, venetian blinds on the windows and foliage plants in planter boxes. The pews were hand-made by F. A. Schauss and Jack Lovett in Mr. Schauss' basement. They were padded with foam rubber, a feature noted in the area newspaper for its novelty.

The church continued to prosper in their new facilities. Many committees were formed to carry on the diverse ministries of the church. Many missionaries were supported. A booklet put out in the mid '50's encouraged the congregation to pray individually for and communicate with the church's missionaries, some 21 families or individuals.

A unique feature of the missions program was having Miss Muriel Linton as the church's missionary to "our Jerusalem, Edina, Minnesota." The missions booklet described her as follows: "Day-by-day, our genial Church Missionary, Miss Muriel Linton, is calling in the homes of our area witnessing for our Lord and inviting to the church those whom she meets. Her consistent work has borne gratifying results in our Sunday School, Junior Church, and Church."

Edina Baptist Church continued to grow with the community. Edina, in the late 1920's, when the Mission started had barely 2,000 residents. By 1950, when the new building was dedicated, the population was estimated at 10,000. By mid decade it had doubled to nearly 20,000.

The church's consistent growth soon had them thinking of expansion. In October of 1955, Sunday School Superintendent, Harold J. (Kenny) Kennerud turned the first spade of dirt for a $90,000 Sunday school addition that would expand those facilities to a capacity of 600 people. New offices and a nursery were also included in the plan. The building was first used in August of 1956 for Daily Vacation Bible School and was then dedicated on Sunday, September 9.

By the summer of 1962, the church was having the happy problem of beginning to get crowded again. Pastor Anderson brought to the trustees and deacons the question of whether to enlarge the facilities or relocate to another area. Inquiries were begun with some of the neighbors about purchasing additional property.

Before the plans could proceed very far, Pastor Anderson resigned to take up a work in San Jose, California. The church turned its attention to locating a man to replace their beloved Glenn Anderson. Dr. J. Edwin Hartill was the interim pastor.

Rev. McAllister

The Rev. Eugene B. McAllister, a traveling evangelist was elected by the congregation and began his work here on February 2, 1964. The church had held up well during the interim but attendance had slipped from a high of 397 in both 1962 and 1963 to 375 when Rev. McAllister came.

1964: Two Worship Services

The church began two worship services in 1964 to make more room for visitors. They also made the jump to a full-time secretary and full-time custodian and added a weekly church paper. The church still had an eye towards expansion and the trustees and deacons initiated talks with some church consultants. A rough plan was developed for a 500-seat sanctuary and negotiations continued for land purchase.

While these plans were being discussed, the church tried another area of expansion. Just like Lake Harriet Baptist had done 40 years earlier, Edina Baptist now tried planting a daughter church of its own in Eden Prairie in cooperation with the Baptist General Conference. Several families from Edina Baptist went out and began the Eden Prairie Baptist Church.

At the 1966 Annual Meeting, then held in April, Rev. McAllister was able to report that a record 87 people had attended one of the Sunday morning services then held in the Eden Prairie home of Robert Hansen. 13 acres of land had been purchased with the financial help of Edina Baptist, a new parsonage had been built and a pastor had been called. They were looking forward to breaking ground on a building that fall. The building that was built was designed so that it could be converted back to a home or to a parsonage. While the building was completed, the work, in the rural area of Eden Prairie, did not grow at the expected rate and was disbanded in '75.

In 1967, in anticipation of adding on to Edina Baptist, the house just to the south of the church facility (where the present sanctuary is located) was purchased and 5 partial lots to the west were purchased. Though pledges were given by the congregation for a new building and the beginnings of a formal plan developed, the building program did not seem to be in the Lord's timing at that time.

1967 proved to be a year of testing for the church as Rev. McAllister resigned the church effective August 31. Once again, the church found itself in an interim pastoral situation. Rev. Dan Baumann served as the interim pastor.

Harold S. Carlson was called as Pastor. Rev. Carlson had for 16 years been the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Lakewood in Long Beach, California. First Baptist was a large and prosperous church and Pastor Carlson left it saying "I must have a new challenge before me. The church that has called me is at the stage where they need to build, to move ahead in many areas where I trust I have the background and experience to help."

Pastor Carlson conducted his first service at Edina Baptist on February 4, 1968. 1968 and 1969 were years of activity and growth as the phrase "Things are Happening at Edina Baptist" came into common usage. Some of the attendance loss of the previous few years was recovered. Though Pastor Carlson's ministry was short and not without it's difficulties, it proved to be pivotal. He helped the church become less settled and more outward focused-to help the church think bigger. The church, under his leadership began the jump from part-time ministry staff to professional staff.

September 1, 1970, Pastor Carlson resigned to take a position in California and Edina Baptist Church for the third time in seven years was without a senior pastor. Dr. Dan Baumann served once again as Interim Pastor.

1970: Laying the Foundations for Unusual Growth and Blessing

A Pulpit Committee set out to find a man with great vision and leadership skills who could build on the foundation that had already been established. The Committee felt God leading them to a young man who was a pastor in California. Though he had not had any long pastorates, they believed that Rev. Bob Ricker had the combination of vision, preaching strengths and leadership skills to lead the 350 member church in a strong ministry.

Bob and Dee Ricker

When the Ricker family arrived, the Church was ready to move forward. The congregation already understood the need for full-time pastoral staff, had paid the mortgage off, had been talking about building a larger worship center for the previous ten years, and wanted to have a greater impact for Christ both in the community and around the world.

What the Lord would do during the next fifteen years through the strong leadership of the Pastor and the lay leaders was probably beyond the imagination of those who sat in the handmade pews in that 300-seat sanctuary back in 1970, but it was not beyond the Lord's imagination.

The church would move from a medium-sized church to one the size that church growth expert, Lyle Schaller, calls a "mini-denomination." It's focus would change from that of a neighborhood church to that of a metropolitan church. It would come to meet not in just one location but in three as it planted two daughter churches. The Church's impact around the world increased geometrically as annual Missions giving rose by the hundreds of thousands of dollars and as there was proportional increases in missionary sending.

The Pulpit Committee that had called Pastor Ricker was turned into a long-range planning committee to work with him in developing innovative ministries and in increasing the effectiveness of the church structure. Through their work in the 1970's, many of Grace Church's ministry distinctives came into being. The tape ministry, bookstore, Faith Promise Missions giving, Missions Festival and the Awana program all originated in the '70's.

The Church streamlined its form of leadership to accommodate growth. The Trustee and Deacon Boards gave way to our present Elder form of government and the myriad of Committees; (Administration, Building, Christian Education, Sunday School, Fellowship, Finance, Membership, Missions, Personnel, Planning, Public Relations, Special Projects, Worship, Decoration, Music, Usher, Awana Boys, Pioneer Girls, Women's Missionary Society and Camp Lebanon) were disbanded to get members out of committee meetings and into direct ministry.

"A dynamic movement is on," wrote Pastor Ricker in his first Annual Report to the congregation. "Among our youth, conversion, commitment and a concern for those without Christ are the results of a new working of the Holy Spirit. The movement is also felt among several adults; some have accepted Christ and others have had growth which was conspicuous even before verbalized. I'm praying that what we see is only the beginning of a stirring and thorough work of God." His words could not have been more prophetic.

1974: A Thousand-seat Sanctuary

During that first year of ministry, Pastor Bob called the church to increase the staffing and to expand the facilities. A year later, a Christian education director was added and a stewardship drive had been conducted and plans almost completed for a new Sanctuary. A building that was double the size of the 500-seat sanctuary that had been rejected just a few years earlier. Their faith stretched and they believed God for great things. Many must have looked up in wonder the first time they entered the new worship area, thinking "How will we ever fill it?"

The congregation moved into the new worship center in 1974- a turning-point year that also saw Sunday school increase over 30%, annual missions conferences begin and Sunday morning worship attendance move beyond 600. By 1977 the church began to speak of the need for an additional Christian education space, one that included a gymnasium and space for adult small churches. This building was completed in 1979. Missions Faith Promise in 1979 was $435,000 and the church staff now consisted of 20 part-time or full-time employees.

Expanding the Vision: Branch Churches

1980 was a pivotal year for the Church. A leadership team had spent time with the underground church in a country behind the iron curtain. They had been overwhelmed by the vision these persecuted believers had to reach their city and their country-despite extremely limited resources by western standards. Inspired by these Christians they had traveled to help, these leaders challenged the Elder Board to consider developing a strategy to impact our own metropolitan area. They felt that the church's vision for overseas ministry impact was greater than to reach our own "Jerusalem" and "Samaria." The Board began to think about developing a significant work in another part of the Twin Cities.

It was at this time that representatives of Immanuel Community Church in Roseville approached the leadership of Edina Baptist with the idea of merging the two churches. The people from

Grace Church Roseville

Immanuel had no idea of the vision developing in the leaders from Edina Baptist, but they understood that the Lord was doing something significant at that church. They were willing to turn over their buildings and their property to Edina Baptist if they would staff it and lead it. The details were worked out, the concept was approved by both congregations and the idea of one church meeting in two locations was launched. As part of the plan, Edina Baptist changed its name to Grace Church Edina and Immanuel Community became Grace Church Roseville. The first service at Roseville, with Pastor Galen Call serving as senior pastor, was held in March of 1981. The church experienced explosive growth right from the beginning.

The Missions Festival of 1980 was an exciting one as the congregation surpassed the Faith Promise Total by $125,000 allowing for the development, with Campus Crusade for Christ, of five training centers in strategic cities around the world.

Door-to-door ministry

In 1981, as part of the vision to reach the metropolitan area for Christ, more than 25,000 homes were visited by members of the two congregations. Growth at the two locations was explosive! Income at the Edina location was up 47% in one year. The nursery swelled by 39%! An innovative video seminary was begun in conjunction with Western Seminary. Also that year, a tornado passed through the 50th and France area, narrowly missing the Edina church, tore through south Minneapolis, hopped over the downtown area and then caused extensive damage to homes and businesses in Roseville, just blocks from Grace Roseville!

Grace Church (Edina) began a strategic expansion in the area of student ministries in 1982 bringing in Pastor Dave Busby from Florida to lead a 17-person ministry division of pastors, associates, interns and clerical support. The vision was to have dynamic ministries at Grace that would result in many junior and senior high students coming to Christ, and the vision was for Grace to serve as a training center for youth ministry. The senior high ministry grew 60% in the first year alone, and the junior high was up more than 40%. Both churches began stewardship campaigns for increased facilities. The campaign culminated in a joint worship service at the Minneapolis Auditorium. In 1983, Grace Roseville began worshipping in Northwestern College as their now too small Sanctuary was destroyed so that a new, 1,200-seat Sanctuary could be constructed. Plans were developed at the Edina location for a three-story Christian education wing and an 1,800-seat Worship Center. Ground was broken on the education wing and the plan was to move the worship services to the first floor of the building immediately upon completion so that the old Sanctuary could be torn down.

Halfway through the Christian education building construction, however, Pastor Bob Rick announced that he was leaving to take on a new challenge at the Faith Evangelical Church in California. His resignation combined with double-digit interest rates prevented the church from building the new worship center at that time. Zoning and building code changes by the City of Edina have since been implemented that made it impossible to build the 1,800-seat Worship Center.

Perhaps coasting on the tremendous momentum of the previous 12 years, Grace Church continued to grow and prosper for the year following Pastor Ricker's resignation. During the interim year, a team from within the church helped to plant an additional branch church by purchasing the Wooddale Baptist site in Richfield. Grace Church Richfield, with the Rev. Jim Engel as pastor, began meeting in September of 1984, the same Sunday that the new pastor began his much-anticipated ministry at Grace Edina.

1984: A Time of Testing and Refinement

The Sunday that Dr. Rick Yohn candidated in March of 1984 set a new high attendance for a Sunday morning. Twenty-nine hundred people crowded into the sanctuary to see and hear Pastor Ricker’s successor.

The two years that followed were not to be years of numerical growth as had been anticipated. It has been suggested that those were years of testing and refinement for Grace Church with our attendance dropping by almost 1,000 people and double-digit interest rates and decreased income straining the church finances. Certainly on this earth we will never know God’s complete plan for those years, but we have the assurance that all things work together for good.

Dr. Yohn resigned in the spring on 1986 to take up a work in Orange, California. A pulpit committee was formed to take up the difficult task of finding a senior pastor who would set the church on the path of healing and renewed growth and vision.

1987: "The Train's Leaving the Station"

Dr. John Eagen, then president of St. Paul Bible College (now Crown College) and an occasional guest speaker during the interim period, was called as senior pastor in March of 1987. History seemed to repeat itself as God sent to Grace a man who had not had long pastorates but had strong leadership and preaching gifts and a burning desire to make his life, and the life of the Church he shepherds, count for the Lord.

Easter outreach event

During his first two years of ministry Pastor Eagen rebuilt the staff, strengthened the small churches, and raised the values of commitment and service. Membership, attendance and leadership development all accelerated as a result. Innovative new ministries such as a ministry to international students in the Twin Cities area, and large scale, city-wide evangelistic events were developed. A key cities strategy was developed that had Grace partnering with a church in Lima, Peru.

1992: Facility Renovation/Ministry Expansion and Innovation

In the early 1990's, a Facilities Task Force was established that began developing a master plan for updating the facility. The "Commons" area was updated first for improved traffic flow, and to bring the area into code compliance. The group then set their sites on retrofitting the worship center which had become dated and ill-suited for the dynamic music and drama ministries which the church now engaged in. A major renovation was begun the day following Easter, 1991. Windows were added, the ceiling raised for better sight lines and acoustics, side stair balconies were added, the platform greatly expanded, and technologies were enhanced. The facility was designed as a beautiful space for worship, but also featured the space and flexibility to serve as an ideal space for musical drama.

The first services were held in the new Worship Center on Christmas Eve, 1991. Only half the pews were installed, the carpeting hadn't yet arrived, and the plastic coverings had been removed from the large rear projection screens only minutes before the service- but two services were needed to hold all the worshippers who wanted to experience Christmas Eve in the wonderful new facility.

During the construction period, worship had been held in the Church gymnasium, a site that had exceeded everyone's expectations as a worship venue. Worship was such a wonderful experience in the gymnasium that the church, as a strategy to accommodate the rapid growth that was occurring, decided to offer a contemporary service in the gym. Because of the construction, finances were tight and the church could not immediately hire a second preaching pastor for that service. With some apology, the sermon was relayed by video camera to the Contemporary Service with the explanation that a preaching pastor would be hired the following January. The congregation in the Contemporary Service quickly adapted to the "video sermons" and were not at all pleased when it was announced the following fall that the search was underway for a preaching pastor. They wanted to hear Dr. Eagen, and many explained that they would move back to the other service if a new preaching pastor was brought in!

In the fall of 1995, again in order to accommodate the growth that the Lord was sending, a Saturday evening Contemporary Service was added.

1995: A Bold Step Forward Into the Future

With the church on a steady track of growth in the early 1990's, it was clear that a far-reaching strategy for accommodating growth was needed. Nationally-known church consultant, Carl George was brought in for two days of brain storming with a broad cross-section of leadership in the Church. He challenged the group with a probing question: "If God were willing to send thousands more people to Grace Church, what would you be willing to do to accommodate them?"

A Church Growth Task Force was formed from the larger leadership group. The Task Force considered our situation as well as what other churches were doing around the country. They developed a number of different possible scenarios that Grace could follow. These ranged from doing nothing to accommodate growth to forming satellite congregations around the city that would have sermons relayed by video from the Grace location, much like the Contemporary Service. Meetings were held with the congregation to present these scenarios and to elicit feedback. In 1995, Pastor Eagen led the church in a season of prayer and fasting to seek the Lord's will in the future direction of the Church. An extensive survey was conducted to learn of the congregations views on the issue of Church growth as well as a number of other issues, and to help the leadership learn more about the spiritual backgrounds and lives of the congregation, many of which were new to the church in the previous several years.

In 1995, a consensus began to develop independently among church leadership about how to accommodate growth. The early consensus for the relocation of the church to a site large enough to accommodate expanded ministry was dramatic both for it's unexpectedness and for its occurring without negotiation and extended meetings. It seemed "pleasing to the Holy Spirit and to us." Church leadership took the concept of relocation to the congregation in January of 1996 at the Annual Meeting, and the congregation overwhelmingly endorsed the concept. A Relocation Task Force was developed in the summer of 1996 to begin to develop a ministry plan for the future and to begin to take the next in a series of steps that, if the Lord blesses the plan, would see Grace Church relocated to a site, and with a facility, that allows for greatly expanded ministry to our metropolitan community, and through the continued growth of our missions ministry, to the ends of the earth!

The story of Grace Church is an exciting one that continues to be written until the Lord appears in the sky in the rapture of the Church. Our history and strong heritage is a testimony to the faithfulness of God. To whatever extent the ministry of the Church has counted for eternity, the glory belongs to Him. The faith and faithfulness of those who have gone before us encourages us to press on with the task of winning and discipling those who do not know Jesus Christ. We truly have been blessed to be a blessing. To God be the glory, truly great things He has done!

With clear congregational consensus to pursue relocation, the Church Growth Task Force found an ideal parcel of land in 1997, 62 rolling acres in Eden Prairie, only 11 miles away from Edina—land that only months before, another church had planned to buy before needing to withdraw from the purchase. Several families from Grace formed a limited partnership to hold the property, at financial risk to them but not to Grace, to allow sufficient time for church leadership to go through the decision-making process. A powerful miracle was seeing God move through the people of Grace, leading them to pledge $7,000,000 toward the land purchase—more than four times what had been pledged in any capital campaign to that point. The loan for the land would later be paid off one year early!

It was decided in 2000 to proceed with building the first phase of the new church campus - a 340,000 square foot facility that would include a 4,200-seat worship center, plus significant space for children, student and adult education. Included in the first phase were a bookstore, coffee café, commercial kitchen, dining room, and gymnasium. A capital campaign for the Phase One construction, called Building for Eternity, was launched. It far exceeded the goal of $25 million and reached $29 million. God was indeed moving in the Grace family to create a new home where they could receive spiritual refreshment while impacting the world for Christ.

After three years of prayer, planning, and construction, Grace Church conducted the first services in its new campus on August 18, 2002. For the first few Sundays at the new location, the worship center was completely full.  Ministry to children, students and adult Grace Links (formerly called Small Churches) were phased in over four weeks.  The highest Sunday attendance for the fall of 2002 was over 7,500 people in two services on our grand opening Sunday, September 15.  Cars were lined up for over a mile as they waited to get into the parking lot. 

Unexpectedly, Dr. John Eagen, senior pastor of Grace Church since March 1987, resigned on October 13. The reason for and suddenness of the resignation shocked the entire congregation.  But God once again extended his loving and kind hand to calm the soul of the congregation and to point the way for His future plan.

A pulpit committee was formed to conduct a national search to find the man that God had chosen to lead Grace Church into the future.

Grace Church was blessed in 2003 to have Dr. Bob Ricker, its former senior pastor during the 1970s and early 1980s, return as Senior Pastor during the Interim, while the pulpit committee conducted its search for the next senior pastor.

Pastor Daniel & Rosemary Henderson

Despite it being a season of uncertainty, God continued to work powerfully through the Grace family during the first full year in their new church campus, with the introduction of many new ministry and outreach programs.

On November 16, the Grace Church membership, in a 99.5% affirming vote, extended a call to Dr. Daniel Henderson, senior pastor of Arcade Baptist Church in Sacramento, California, to be the next senior pastor of Grace Church. Pastor Henderson accepted the call with plans to begin his responsibilities in February 2004.

Dr. Daniel Henderson began his leadership as senior pastor of Grace Church on Sunday, February 8, 2004. His message title was "Unimaginable Impact." Within weeks of his arrival at Grace, Pastor Henderson instilled a renewed passion for prayer and worship among the Grace family, most evidenced by the introduction of a Sunday evening service called Fresh Encounter, which Pastor Daniel describes as a "worship-based prayer experience."

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