HISTORY | PASTOR | MISSION & VISION | VALUES | BELIEF STATEMENT | FAQ

our history

There's been a Church at 991 Deborah Ave. since Westminster Presbyterian Church dedicated our building on April 2, 1961. From that point on The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been faithfully proclaimed in the Eagle Heights Community of Elgin, IL. On August 7, 2016 Elgin Community Church became Greater Grace Community Church of Elgin to reflect the recent bonding of Elgin Community Church with Greater Grace Church of Elgin together as one church as well our desire to affiliate with Greater Grace World Outreach whose home base is located in Baltimore, MD.

Our Pastor

Jack T. Wheatley, III was unanimously elected Lead Pastor and Presiding Elder on April 24, 2016. Pastor Jack was called to ministry at a Greater Grace Men's retreat in Youngstown, OH in 1998 as he was finishing up his B.A. in Finance from North Central College (Naperville, IL). Pastor Jack received his Bachelors of Biblical Studies from Maryland Bible College and Seminary in 2009.

  • OUR MISSION

    To know Jesus, The Light of the World, and to be the Light as Jesus asks us to be.

  • OUR VISION

    A spirit-filled, energetic, and compassionate Community Church where all are loved, where all come to know Christ, and where all grow in Christ.

our values

 

matthew 22:37

Love God with all our hearts, our souls, and our minds

 

2 thessalonians 3:1

Pray for the brethren

matthew 22:39

Love our neighbors as ourselves

 

philippians 4:8

Think on the honest, true, and praiseworthy

philippians 2:3

Esteem others better than ourselves

 

Hebrews 12:1

Run the race with patient endurance

colossians 2:2

Comfort each other in the knowledge of Christ’s Resurrection

 

our beliefs

 

about the bible

 

All Scripture contained in the Old and New Testaments is verbally, plenarily, and inerrantly inspired by God. It is the authoritative guide for all Christian understanding, life and ministry.

 

about god

 

There is but one God eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each is infinite, eternal, and almighty.

 

about
jesus christ

 

We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son, is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and He lived a sinless life. He died, shedding His blood in His substitutionary death for sinners, then was buried, arose from the grave, ascended into heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father.

 

about the
holy spirit

 

The Holy Spirit is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son as the third Person of the Godhead. The Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment and unites man to Jesus Christ by faith. We believe the Holy Spirit seals and indwells all believers. The filling of the Holy Spirit is not an unconditional promise to all believers; the indwelling is.

 

about man

 

Man was created in the image and likeness of God. It was by man's free volition that he disobeyed God, incurring physical and spiritual death (separation from God). Each human being is born with a sin nature. Because of this each human is a sinner by nature and is in need of a divine salvation.

 

about salvation

 

Salvation is a gift from God. This was accomplished by Christ's substitutionary death; all who believe in Him are justified by the shedding of His blood. Because salvation is given by grace, the believer's salvation is eternally secure.

 

about the baptism

 

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is sent upon all who believe in Jesus Christ. This takes place in each believer at the moment of salvation. Continual infilling may follow. Each gift given by the Holy Spirit is for the edification of the Body of Christ, and is still present today.

 

about the great commission

 

We believe that the fulfillment of the Great Commission is the responsibility of all believers.

 

about the church

 

The church is the body and the bride of Christ. It is dedicated to the worship and service of God and the observance of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. The primary task of the church in all ages is to teach all nations and to make disciples through the preaching and teaching of the Word of God.

 

about eternity

 

Christ will return to rapture His church. Immediately following this event will be the seven-year tribulation period. Concluding this, Christ will come again to the earth and establish His rule for a 1,000 year period. The Great White Throne judgment of the unsaved, coupled with Satan being cast into the lake of fire, will then allow Christ to establish a New Heaven and a New Earth. This is the consummation of all things.

FAQs

  • We offer 2 Weekly services – Sundays @ 10:30AM - and Wednesdays @ 7:30PM.

  • Our address is: 991 Deborah Ave. Elgin, IL 60123. You can get turn by turn directions by clicking here.

  • Our services last about an hour and 20 minutes and contain music and teaching from the Bible that will apply directly to your life.

  • No. Feel free to dress in clothes that are comfortable for you. You can “dress up” if you want, or wear casual clothes. God is interested in your heart, not your wardrobe.

  • You are our guest. Each Sunday there are people just like you who are checking out us for the first time. Everyone is greeted by our friendly greeters and visitors are offered a welcome packet that introduces who we are, what is it that we do, as well as opportunities to get to know us.

  • Greater Grace has a Children’s ministry where your kids will be taught the Bible in age-appropriate classes. Our goal is to make church on Sunday the best hour of your kid’s week. Children dismissed to class after congregational singing.

  • Greater Grace is a cross generational church, we don't think that the Body of Christ should be age segregated. In 21st century church culture we see more and more age segregation. Music and praise/worship seems to be a major player in the change from the congregations of mixed ages and preferences to what is often seen now. Music is one of the main ways that a church shows its stylistic preferences and a way a church identifies itself.

    We don’t box the worship of God in song. Our goal is a mix of blended worship, well-known hymns and choruses as well as contemporary choruses. We offer classical hymns as well as those done in a more modern arrangement. You'll hear music from contemporary praise and worship writers and artists. Greater Grace uses multi-generational praise and worship teams that we feel foster unity and sensitively merges styles and cultures.

    ​

    Our philosophy isn't to have preference oriented services such as traditional, classical and contemporary. We believe the uniting factor in the Body of Christ, in the local church, is the Gospel of Grace. The beauty of the gospel is that it brings together people who would not naturally choose to be together. The gospel brought Jew and Gentile together into a new creature (Ephesians 2:15). The differences weren't magnified, peace was the standard as The Audience of One was worshiped. The Holy Spirit knows that a united people in one church will displays the beauty of the gospel brilliantly.