Fifty Years of Grace Community Church

So many of us count John MacArthur among our pastoral heroes.  He’s had an indelible imprint on countless younger pastors, theologians, missionaries, Bible teachers, and committed laymen.  Many credit him as instrumental in the recent resurgence of  historic Calvinism.  However, just fathoming the breadth of his decades-long, worldwide ministry can feel overwhelming.  He’s preached thousands of sermons, pastored one of the largest churches in the country, written over a hundred books, overseen a major evangelical seminary, spoken at conferences around the globe, gone head-to-head with secular leaders on Larry King, and expounded verse-by-verse the entire New Testament, a feat few in the entire history of the church have been able to achieve.

What many of us may be unaware of, however, are the rather humble beginnings of Grace Community Church and John MacArthur.  If you admire John MacArthur or are simply looking for some encouragement to persevere in ministry, take 25 minutes and watch this well-done documentary on this history of Grace Church.  Though it’s a few year old, it was produced to commemorate the church’s 50th anniversary.  It’s a lot of fun and includes some “groovy” pictures of John MacArthur from the 60’s-70’s.  I’ve watched it probably a half-a-dozen times and it makes you wonder what God might do through your own ministry.  Leave your responses in the comments section below.

Timothy Raymond is an editor for Credo Magazine. He has been the pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Muncie, Indiana since April 2006. He received his MDiv from the Baptist Bible Seminary of Pennsylvania in 2004 and has pursued further education through the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation. Tim grew up outside Syracuse, NY and previously served at Berean Baptist Church, Nicholson, PA (member and teacher during college and seminary) and Calvary Baptist Church, Sandusky, Ohio (seminary internship location). Tim met his wife Bethany at college, and they were married in May 2001. Tim enjoys reading, weight-lifting, wrestling with his three sons, and attempting to sleep.