Graceway - About

Graceway Purpose: Why We Exist As A Church

"Leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ"

The Purpose of our church is summarized in a single sentence based upon two key scriptures:

We believe a Great Commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will grow a Great Church!

The Great Commandment: "Jesus said, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.'"

Matthew 22:36-40 (NKJV)

The Great Commission: "Jesus said, 'Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.'"

Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV)

To "Love God with all your heart" is to WORSHIP.

To "Love your neighbor as yourself" is MINISTRY.

To "Go...make disciples" is EVANGELISM.

To "baptize..." is to incorporate or to bring into FELLOWSHIP.

To "Teach them...all things" is DISCIPLESHIP.

What We Believe at Graceway

1.The Bible. The scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by the inspiration of God, and are our infallible rule of faith and practice.

2.God. There is one living and true God, revealed in nature as the Creator, Preserver, and Righteous Governor of the universe; and in the Scriptures as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; yet as one God, infinitely wise and good, who all intelligent creatures are supremely to love, adore, and obey.

3.Christ. Christ is God manifest in the flesh; in His divine nature truly God, in His human nature truly man. The mediator between God and man, once crucified, He is now risen and glorified and is our ever present Saviour and Lord.

4.The Holy Spirit. The Scriptures assign to the Holy Spirit all the attributes of God.

5.The Government of God. God exercises a wise and benevolent providence over all beings and all things by maintaining the constitution and laws of nature. He also performs special acts, not otherwise provided for, as the highest welfare of men requires.

6.The Sinfulness of Man. Man was created innocent, by disobedience fell into a state of sin and condemnation. His posterity, therefore, inherit a fallen nature of such tendencies that all who come to years of accountability, sin and become guilty before God.

7.The Work of Christ. The Son of God by His incarnation, life, sufferings, death, and resurrection effected for all, a redemption from sin that is full and free, and is the ground of salvation by faith.

8.The Terms of Salvation. The conditions of salvation are:

Repentance toward God - or sincere sorrow for sin and hearty renunciation of it.

Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ - or the unreserved committal of one's self to Christ as Saviour and Lord with purpose to love and obey Him in all things.

In the exercise of saving faith, the soul is renewed by the Holy Spirit, freed from the dominion of sin, and becomes a child of God unto continued faith and obedience.

9.Election. God determined from the beginning to save all who should comply with the conditions of salvation. Hence, by faith in Christ, men become His elect.

10.Freedom of the Will. The human will is free and self-controlled, having power to yield to the influence of the truth and the Spirit, or to resist them and perish.

11.Salvation Free. God desires the salvation of all, the Gospel invites all, the Holy Spirit strives with all, and whosoever will may come and take of the water of life freely.

12.Perseverance. All true believers in Christ have promise of eternal salvation as demonstrated by their continuance through grace in faith and holiness.

13.Gospel Ordinances. Baptism, or the immersion of believers in water, and the Lord's Supper, are ordinances to be perpetuated under the Gospel. We believe that Christ taught that we should also practice the washing of one another's feet in small groups as an example of humility and servitude.

14.Tithing. God commanded tithes and offerings in the Old Testament; Jesus Christ endorsed it in the Gospel (Matt. 23:23), and the apostle Paul said, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him." (I Cor. 16:2a)

15.The Christian Sabbath. The divine law requires that one day in seven be set apart from secular employments and amusements, for rest, worship, holy works, and activities, and for personal communion with God.

16.Resurrection, Judgment, and Final Retribution. The Scriptures teach the resurrection of all men at the last day. They that have done good will come forth to the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation; then the wicked will "go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Our Story

Pastor Steve Atkins is the founding pastor of Graceway Community Church. The Graceway story is in the developmental stage as you read this. The following is a little background about the vision for this new church.

Steve and Rennie Atkins had been married for ten years before they accepted Christ. Although Steve had been raised in a Christian home, he departed from the values he had been taught, and was living apart from the Lord. Alcohol began to take a toll on his life. After several years of living in sin, Steve became aware of Satan's desire to destroy him and turned his heart towards the love of Christ. Rennie had come from a Catholic background, and had not gone to church on a regular basis during her childhood. Steve and Rennie both accepted Jesus as their Savior in April of 1979 at the Grove Park Inn near Asheville, NC.

In 1984, God called Steve to preach. Steve began studies at Luther Rice Seminary and Carolina Bible Institute. Once licensed, he began to preach in various churches as a supply pastor (filling in for other pastors when they were sick or on vacation).

Steve accepted the pastorate at Ephesus Free Will Baptist Church in 1990 where he ministered for almost 16 years. During his time there, the small country church grew from an average attendance of 30 to an attendance of nearly 130. He led the one hundred year-old church in a building program during 2000, which included a new 225 seat sanctuary, remodeling the existing building into offices, restrooms and classrooms, and paving a large parking lot. The improvements cost nearly one-half million dollars and was paid off in September 2006.

In April of 2006, God clearly indicated to Steve that his work was coming to an end at this wonderful country church. He loved the folks dearly, but it was time to resign. Steve did not know what God had in store, so he began to pray and seek God's guidance. After many prayers, tears, Bible study and book reading, God's plan began to come into focus.

Steve had bought the book, "The Purpose Driven Church" by Rick Warren several years prior. During the course of seeking God's direction, Steve pulled the book off the shelf and re-read it. Suddenly, everything began to make sense, and the vision for Graceway was born.

God began burdening Steve's heart for a segment of the population that the "traditional" church was missing--the 20 to 40 year-olds and their children. Steve began to develop a love for contemporary worship music, and began praying that God would lead people to the church. The name "Graceway" was chosen to reflect the fact that it is only by grace that we are saved, and there is only one way to receive it, and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ.

After placing an ad in the newspaper, several people responded. Initial organizational meetings were held for several months at the Greenville Hilton where everyone was trained on the five purposes of the church.

Graceway had a "rehearsal" service at the Greenville Hilton on Sunday, December 31, 2006 with 39 people present. Then, on January 7, 2007, Graceway held its first official service at the Hope Middle School on Mills Road in Greenville with 108 in attendance. On that same Sunday, Graceway launched "KidMo!" for its youth program. Three adults and 13 children participated. It was a glorious day!

Graceway's first month was wonderful with an average attendance of 88, 2 people accepted Christ, 4 re-dedicated their lives to Christ, and four were baptized! Graceway continues to reach out to the Southeastern part of Pitt County.

Graceway Lifestyle

Beliefs are not worth much unless they are translated into actions. Based on what the Bible teaches, we feel very strongly about the following seven practices:

The Bible as our sole authority:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” II Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)

Since God’s Word is the only completely reliable and truthful authority, we accept the Bible as our manual for living. Our first question when faced with a decision is “What does the Bible say?” We practice daily Bible reading, Bible study, and Bible memorization. The Bible is the basis for all we believe.

The Autonomy of each local church:

“And He [Christ] is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” Colossians 1:18 (NKJV)

Christ is the recognized head of our church, not any person, group, or religious organization. While recognizing the value of associating and cooperating with other groups of Christians, we believe every local church should be self-governing and independent from any denominational control.

The Priesthood of every believer:

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”I Peter 2:9 (NKJV)

“[Christ] has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever." Revelation 1:6 (NKJV)

The Bible teaches that every Christian is called to “full time” Christian service, regardless of his or her vocation. We practice the truth that every believer is a minister by encouraging every member to find a place of service and ministry. Every believer has direct access to God through prayer and Bible reading.

Tithing:

“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.” Leviticus 27:30

"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it." Malachi 3:10 (NKJV)

At Graceway we practice tithing for the support of Christ’s Body, the church, as God commands. We recognize that giving 10% of our income is the Biblical standard of giving to God through the church.

Immersion:

“[You were] buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” Colossians 2:12 (NKJV)

We practice baptism by immersion under water--the way Jesus was baptized, and the way the Bible commands.

Spirit-led living:

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NKJV)

We believe the only way possible to live the Christian life is by God’s power within us. So we seek to practice a daily dependence on God’s Spirit to enable us to do what is right. Philippians 2:13 and Ephesians 5:18

Telling others about Christ:

“Always be ready to give a defense (answer) to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you..." I Peter 3:15 (NKJV)

It is the responsibility of every Christian to share the Good News with those God brings us into contact with. We practice personal sharing about Christ with others when inviting our friends and family to attend church with us.