Do you know the story of a church that defied a pandemic. Let me tell you about Grace Community Church. It stands here as a testament to faith and resilience.
Grace Community Church has a rich history. It began as Grace Community Church of the Valley in 1956. First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood founded it. The first public service happened on July 1 1956. Don Householder became its founding pastor.
The church quickly grew. Within a few years Grace Community Church moved to its present location on Roscoe Boulevard. To accommodate the growing congregation two Sunday morning services became necessary.
After Householder’s death in 1965 Richard Elvee became pastor. The church continued to grow until he died in 1968. In February 1969 John F MacArthur assumed the pastorate. During MacArthur’s early ministry the church doubled in size every two years. This led to the building of the Family Life Center in 1971. A new Worship Center followed in 1977. In 1972 Moody Monthly magazine featured the congregation. The title was “The church with nine hundred ministers”.
Grace Community Church is elder-ruled. It teaches Calvinist theology. It is not aligned with a denomination. Grace Community Church believes in the cessation of supernatural spiritual gifts. They believe in Lordship salvation. The church affirms the sufficiency of Scripture. Grace Community Church teaches believer’s baptism by immersion.
In August 2020 the church faced controversy. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic the leadership permitted defiance of local health orders. People did not wear masks or practice social distancing. Pastor MacArthur told the congregation “The good news is you’re here you’re not distancing and you’re not wearing masks. And it’s also good news that you’re not outside because it’s very hot out there. So the Lord knew we needed to be inside and unmasked”.
The State of California and Los Angeles County tried to prevent large indoor services. Grace Community Church was represented by Jenna Ellis in the legal battles. She was Senior Legal Advisor to the Trump 2020 Campaign.
In early September 2020 Los Angeles County Public Works Department sent a notice to the church. It advised them of the termination of the church’s parking lot lease. The church had held the lease since 1975. Lawyers for Grace Community Church said this was in response to holding indoor worship services during the pandemic. Restrictions were lifted November 12 2020.
On October 22 2020 three cases of COVID-19 were reported among Grace Community Church attendees. Jenna Ellis confirmed the positive cases but disputed the use of the word “outbreak”. The Department of Public Health defines an outbreak as three or more cases. Grace Community Church continued with in-person services. This was in defiance of a court order.
After the COVID shutdown ended MacArthur promptly sued the city and the state. He sought to recoup lost money from being unable to meet in person. In September 2021 California courts ruled. They said that Grace Community Church’s constitutional right to religious liberty had been violated. The State of California and Los Angeles County governments agreed to a settlement. They paid the church $400k each totaling $800k in legal fees. What the church did with this money is yet to be determined.
In March 2022 Grace Community Church announced it would produce The Essential Church. This feature-length documentary is about the global church persecution and its response to COVID-19 restrictions.
Grace Community Church faced another controversy. On September 19 2024 information about Steve Lawson was removed from their websites. He was a disgraced pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Dallas Texas. He frequently preached at Grace Community Church and The Masters University.
In March 2022 The Roys Report published an investigation implicating Grace Community Church and John MacArthur. Several women victims of domestic violence were reportedly asked to return to their husbands under threat of excommunication. Carey Hardy an associate pastor allegedly told a victim to lead by example and “suffer for Jesus” by enduring her husband’s abuse. A church elder John Cho allegedly urged MacArthur to reconsider the victim’s request who told him “forget it”. In 2005 the victim’s husband was sentenced to 21 years in prison for aggravated child molestation corporal injury to a child and child abuse.
Grace Community Church stands as a beacon. It is a testament to faith and perseverance. Its story is complex. It reflects both triumphs and tribulations. It invites reflection on faith community and the challenges of our time.