People often ask whether there are any Free Grace denominations. They want to belong to a local church that preaches grace and need to know where to look.
The short answer is there are no Free Grace denominations.
The more complicated answer is that some denominations are more accepting than others.
If you can find a denomination that does not contradict the grace message and combine it with a pastor who studied at a school with Free Grace teachers, you have a good chance of finding a local church that is friendly to the grace position.
I find that most of our supporting pastors and donors come from one of the following traditions:
- Baptist
- Plymouth Brethren
- Calvary Chapel
- Bible Church
- Evangelical Free Church
- Doctrinal (R. B. Thieme-related) churches
(I’ve even known some Anglicans who, while off on many issues, are Free Grace friendly.)
If you can find a church that affirms 1) faith apart from works, 2) eternal security, and 3) dispensationalism, and if they 4) reject Calvinism, you have a very good chance of finding a Free Grace-friendly church. (See our church tracker here).
Of course, the other option is to meet as the first Christians did, i.e., in your own home, around the Lord’s Supper, inviting fellow believers to attend. That’s how Christianity spread from house to house and from city to city. I think that’s how the Free Grace message will spread, too.
In any case, I thank God for the ministry of all the local churches and leaders who preach and teach God’s Free Grace and the promise of eternal life. Pray for the pastors, elders, deacons, missionaries, and Sunday school teachers who painstakingly teach the good news of grace to people bound up in a works salvation mentality.
