We are excited that the Lord has opened doors for us to plant a church in our hometown of Chanute, Kansas. My wife, Stacy, and I were married in Chanute in 2001. After we were married, we moved from Chanute to the Chicago area. We spent nine years serving and growing at a church in the Chicago area. I attended Bible college and grad school there. The Lord then took us to upstate New York where I served on the pastoral staff of a church there. I’m thankful for these experienced and can see how the Lord used us and prepared me for my current ministry.
We planted Grace Community Church in Chanute in January of 2016. Fundamentally, church planting is a way to reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ. Missionary and theologian, C. Peter Wagner, has said that “church planting is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven.” We see this borne out in the New Testament. The exponential growth of the New Testament church was the direct result of church planting. We likewise see it in our day. While we praise God for established churches that often do a great job of caring for people in their congregations, established churches are generally not as effective as new church plants in reaching lost people. Eighty percent of new people who become members in established churches are Christians in transition from other churches. In newly established churches, sixty percent of new people who come in are new to the Christian faith. Church planting is an effective and biblical way God uses to reach new people with the gospel.
I also felt a burden to plant a church in Chanute because there are not enough churches in Chanute where the gospel is being maintained. We are thankful that there are good churches in Chanute where the gospel is being preached and lived out, but there are a number of churches where the gospel has been tragically compromised or even altogether abandoned.
We want to see God’s grace experienced, shared, and lived out in and through the community of our church body. We envision a church where we conscientiously seek to be faithful to God’s word as we study it, share it, and apply it to our lives. We envision a gospel-centered church, a church where our indescribable joy over what Christ has done leads to lives lived in worship and faithfulness. We envision a place where there is true biblical community—a place where we can be authentic, honest, and real. Our desire is to be a healthy church that delights in the eternal joy we posses in Christ. You can read more about our values, mission, and vision here.
If you live in the Chanute area, or if you are moving to Chanute, and you would like to know more about us, you can contact us here.
Please join us in praying for the growth and impact of Grace Community Church. Pray that God would be at work in the hearts of those to whom we are going. Pray that God would enable us to overcome the challenges that Satan is no doubt bringing our way. Pray that God would be at work in our lives, sustaining and growing our joy in Him.
Pastor Steve Galt
Lead Church Planter
Grace Community Church