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gracechristianchurchinc.org
We are Grace
In February of 1971, five families from Foscoe Christian Church set out with the dream to establish a Christian Church Community in the Vilas area. After a few years, the church was able to buy land and they settled on the name “First Christian Church of Boone”. Having gone through a period of discernment and reformation, the congregation of First Christian voted to change their name to “Grace Christian Church” in July of 2023. This was done to recenter the church on its goal to preach the grace-filled Gospel of Jesus Christ to the community and the world, but don't worry! We are still a friendly nondenominational, ecumenical, Congregational Christian house of worship that desires to grow more into the image of Jesus Christ! All are Welcome!
Leadership
Rooted in the Congregational tradition, the church is self-governing, with decisions made prayerfully and democratically by its members. The Church Council, elected by the congregation, plays a central role in this process—providing spiritual leadership, overseeing ministries, and guiding the church's mission and operations. Together, the congregation and council seek to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit with a spirit of unity, grace, and mutual respect.
Affiliations
We are an interdenominational, ecumenical, and Congregationalist Christian church rooted in three historic streams: the Stone-Campbell Movement, the Community Church Movement, and the Congregational Christian tradition.
The Stone-Campbell Movement is a call for Christian unity centered on the weekly celebration of the Eucharist, Bible-based preaching, a commitment to seeking truth, and a deep compassion for others. This movement includes the Independent Christian Churches/ Churches of Christ, the Disciples of Christ (Christian Church), and the Church of Christ (non-instrumental).
The Community Church Movement emphasizes breaking down denominational barriers and building bridges among all Christians.
The Congregational Christian tradition, a branch of Reformed Christianity, traces its roots to the Pilgrims who brought their faith to these shores in pursuit of freedom and spiritual integrity.
Together, these traditions shape a church that values unity, freedom of conscience, thoughtful worship, and service to others in the name of Christ. To learn more, click on the images to be linked to these orginizations.
Church History
The Stone-Campbell Tradition
Depending on whom you ask, our first tradition of Christianity was either born at an 1801 camp revival at the Cane Ridge Church in Kentucky, pastored by Barton Stone, or possibly on January 1, 183, when the leaders of two rapidly growing American religious movements shook hands, bringing together the Christians of Barton Stone and the Disciples of Christ of Alexander Campbell in mission and ministry. Either way, this early 1800s movement was born out of a conviction that divisions between Christians—manifested denominations and religious hierarchy—are barriers to experiencing the truth that:
The Church of Christ upon is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one; consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ . . . [and we declare that] division among Christians is a horrid wrongdoing, fraught with many evils.
—Thomas Campbell, 1809
The Stone-Campbell Movement was based on an academic understanding of the Scriptures. Fundamental to that view was the commitment of people who saw the Church as a barrier-free community of believers.
These disciples swept the early frontier and became a driving force in American Christianity, establishing the first-ever uniquely American Christian tradition! They quickly became activists promoting missions and cooperative work among all denominations. They emerged as advocates for women’s suffrage, the rapid abolishment of slavery, care for orphans and in need, temperance, anti-war movements, and many other causes stemming from their understanding of the Love and Grace of God for all people. The rapid growth of congregations and followers became a religious phenomenon in late 19th and early 20th-century American culture that has not been duplicated. The early founders came almost entirely from the Presbyterian tradition. Powerful leaders soon joined them from the Baptist and Methodist traditions.
The entire history of the Independent Christian Church movement has demonstrated a profound commitment to keeping doors and hearts open to all expressions of faith and mission, representing a remarkable diversity of beliefs and views. From here, the mission of this Movement would sadly splinter into three distinct branches: the Churches of Christ, Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ (Instrumental), and the Disciples of Christ (Christian Church). The Church of Christ represented the far-right of the movement, restricting Christian worship to those practices not directly mentioned in the New Testament. Because of this, the Church of Christ does not use mechanical instruments in worship; some of them even go as far as not allowing the building of fellowship halls or the use of individual cups for Communion. In contrast, the Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) formed an official denomination, evolving the ideas of both Stone and Campbell into a movement that would become highly regionalized. Many of the churches, including the precursor to Grace Christian, comprised the "center" of the movement and became "Independents," refusing to align themselves with the the fundamentalist Churches of Christ.
The Community Church Movement
Community Churches in the United States date from the mid-1800s. They are a result of the desire to eliminate over-churching in some communities and solve attendant economic and staffing problems, to replace the restrictiveness and divisiveness of some denominationalism with self-determination and Christian unity, and to refocus primary loyalty to an organization outside a community to the community itself. By addressing specific needs in various places they hope to promote a more relevant religion. The earliest national organization began in 1923. The current one resulted from a 1950 merger of two previous councils, one comprised of churches with predominantly black and the other of churches with predominantly white memberships.
The ICCC is directly related to each community in which its local congregations are located and encourages each local church to take an active part in all ecumenical affairs within its community. It seeks to encourage every local church to share its faith with other Christians and people of other faiths. Its stance is that of representing ecumenical Christian religion in the local community. In concert with other mainline religious bodies it seeks to bring the light of Christian faith to bear upon all problems of society, political, social, cultural, etc. Its concept of the "people of God being one in the place where they are" is of great influence in drawing people of different backgrounds together in action to build the good community. Because it was the first significant merger of predominantly white and predominantly black religious bodies (1950) it has always had as one of its major emphases the overcoming of racism. The ICCC does not have its separate "missions" or "outreach" programmes or institutions but encourages its member congregations to support interdenominational mission programmes or those of other religious bodies.
The ICCC sees racism as one of the major issues it must tackle, along with combating all forms of prejudice, organized and individual. The growing threat of war and poverty and their effect on people are yet other issues. The implication of Christian principles and the Christian faith on these problems is a central concern. Along with these is the emphasis the Council has always laid on ecumenicity, both locally and worldwide. Increased effectiveness of the church in local as well as national and international life is sought through annual conferences in which representatives of the churches come together for worship, education, ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and to offer mutual support and encouragement.
The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches
Grace Christian embraces its roots in the Protestant Reformation and the Reformed Tradition of Christianity, also identifying with Congregationalism. This movement in United States originates from the Puritans of New England who established the Cambridge Platform of 1648 to outline church's autonomy and its relationships with other churches. Congregational churches from New England to New York, the Old Northwest, the American South as settlers migrated. Positioned between Presbyterianism and Baptists within the Reformed tradition, Congregationalists have adopted various confessional statements, such as the Savoy Declaration and the Cambridge Platform. Unlike Presbyterians, Congregationalists follow congregational polity, allowing local church members determine worship practices, select their leaders, and manage their affairs independently. This governance reflects a core belief in the priesthood of all believers, as expressed by Congregationalist minister Charles Edward Jefferson, who stated, "Every believer is a priest and ... every seeking child of God is given directly wisdom, guidance, [and] power."