In the Bible, names were very important. “Adam” was the Hebrew word meaning “man”, so it is no surprise that God named the first man Adam. The patriarch Jacob was a deceitful man for much of his life; his name means “to supplant or scheme”. The name “Jesus” means “salvation”, and that is exactly what the 2nd person of the Trinity accomplished through His perfect life, death, & resurrection. Here at Grace Reformed Church, names are also very important.

Grace

Our church’s first name, “Grace”, is meant to reflect the strong emphasis on this vital attribute of evangelical Protestantism. Here at GRC, we desire to display 5 marks of a Grace-filled Christian, because we believe that a Grace-filled Christian is a Christ-like Christian:

G—Gospel Focused (Acts 20:24)

R—Repentant & Humble (James 4:6)

A—Assured in Christ (Ephesians 1:7-14)

C—Charity or “agape” love (1 Peter 4:8-10)

E—Energized by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

Reformed

Perhaps it is obvious, but our church’s second name, “Reformed”, brings to mind that period in history known as the Protestant Reformation. Godly leaders like Martin Luther, John Calvin, & John Knox, were called by God to trumpet the fact that men are saved by faith alone, through grace alone, in Christ alone. Following in the Reformers’ footsteps, our church seeks to continue spreading historical Reformed truth to a world that is perishing for lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4:6) We seek to respond to the needs of our culture through a high view of:

S—Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

O—Orthodoxy/Theology (2 Timothy 2:15)

S—Sovereignty of God (Romans 9:16)

Church

The name the theologians give to the church of Jesus Christ currently on the earth, still engaged in holy warfare, is the church militant. At GRC we think of the church as an army that must practice both good defense & good offense. Good defense involves guarding our relationship with God in worship, and guarding our relationship with one another in community. Loving God & others through defense is primarily inward focused.

Good offense involves loving God by proclaiming Christ before men, and loving others, by sharing Christ in evangelism and mercy. Loving God & others through offense is primarily outward focused. Our goal is to be a church, which displays a healthy balance of focus on protecting the truth defensively & proclaiming the truth offensively!

In summary, our highest goal at Grace Reformed Church is to glorify God by preaching “Christ & Him crucified” (2 Corinthians 1:23).

Grace Reformed Church is proud to be affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is a conservative, evangelical denomination. We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God: holy, inerrant, & infallible. Our form of church government is Presbyterianism; in other words, led by a group of elders called a Session. Each of the elders on the Session are elected by the members of the congregation, (based upon requirements for leadership given in 1 Timothy 3, 5, & Titus 1), to lead the church. The pastor is a teaching elder, while laymen in the church who are elected by church members are called ruling elders. The combination of teaching elders & ruling elders make up the Session of the local church. The Session is responsible for the spiritual vision & direction of the church, and has the final say on all matters of church administration. Deacons are also elected by church members, (based upon 1 Timothy 3 & Acts 6), and are responsible for the physical needs of the church. A majority of their duties involve dispensing mercy, collecting money, and overseeing maintenance of the church building/grounds.

Grace Reformed Church has been part of the PCA since it began as Trinity Presbyterian Church on June 29^th, 1980. For more information on the PCA, visit the official PCA website. For more information on the PCA's Platte Valley Presbytery, of which Grace Reformed Church is a part, visit our Platte Valley Presbytery page.

Our goal is to see at least eight PCA churches in Omaha by 2038 ("8 by '38"). Please join with us in praying for this goal. We believe that we ought to "Attempt something so great for God that it is doomed to failure if He is not in it!". To learn more about this endeavor, listen to the 2008 State of the Church address by Pastor Eric Olson, available on our Sermons page.