History
Grace Baptist Church (GBC) was formed as a merger between Boe Road Baptist Church and Faith Baptist Church, two likeminded churches in Grand Bay, Alabama. The members of these two churches saw the value of joining together to form one stronger church that could glorify God and minister more effectively. The heads of families from both churches met together in August and September of 2016 and officially adopted Bylaws and constituted the church on September 25, 2016. Paul Meredith, who had served as pastor of Boe Road Baptist Church, was later called to be the first pastor of the newly formed church. The new church currently meets in the buildings located on the property formerly owned by Faith Baptist Church on the corner of Border Drive and Pecan Street in Grand Bay.
Doctrinal Position
GBC is an elder led, reformed Baptist church. All matters of belief and practice of the church are derived from Scripture alone. The church holds to traditional Baptist beliefs including the eternal security of the believer and baptism for believers only by immersion only. In addition, the church believes that justification (salvation) is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. In its teaching and preaching, GBC embraces the “Doctrines of Grace”, including the total depravity of man, unconditional election, particular redemption, irresistible grace, and the perseverance in the faith of all true believers. The elders of GBC teach that regeneration by the Holy Spirit (the New Birth) precedes repentance and faith, which are both necessary for conversion.
Affiliations
Although Faith Baptist Church and Boe Road Baptist Church were both at one time affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), GBC is currently functioning as a non-affiliated church at the state and national levels. This means that GBC does not financially support the Cooperative Program of the SBC. Instead, the church supports a number of independent ministries and mission endeavors at the international, national, and local levels. A list of these ministries and missions is available elsewhere on this web site. GBC is currently listed as an affiliated member of the Mobile Baptist Association, but this affiliation is currently under review by the elders of the church.