Grace Baptist Church sits on 24th Avenue South in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where it has gathered since 1963. What began in 1909 as a German-speaking mission congregation of eighteen charter members is now a multigenerational Baptist church known in its city for expository preaching, reverent music drawn from all eras of the faith, and a deep commitment to families. On Sunday mornings at 9:30 the same address fills with worshipers who move through prayer, Scripture reading, congregational singing, and a forty-minute sermon that works verse by verse through a book of the Bible.
From German Prayer Meetings to Grace Baptist (1904 - 1963)
The congregation's story begins in 1904, when a group of German immigrants from Russia made their home in Grand Forks. Four families, led by a pastor named Burkdorff, began meeting for prayer in their homes and later in an empty auto garage. They were drawn into contact with First Baptist Church of Grand Forks, but language quickly became a barrier: to grow spiritually, they needed to hear God's Word in their own tongue. First Baptist applied to the German Mission Board for an under-shepherd, and in September of 1909 eighteen charter members organized the First German Baptist Church.
The next several decades saw the church transition from German to English services, change buildings, and welcome a succession of pastors. By the 1940s the church was known as Grace Baptist Church. A new facility was built on 24th Avenue South, and the congregation moved into its current location in 1963. Twelve years later a growing church ran out of space, and an addition brought classroom space and a full-size gymnasium. In the flood of 1997 the building suffered roughly $250,000 in water damage; current and former members and attendees funded the repairs. The congregation describes its history as a testament to the providence of God and looks forward to what God will continue to do in the Grand Forks community.
Sunday Mornings: Worship, Word, and the Enrichment Hour
Grace Baptist Church runs two Sunday morning blocks. The main worship service begins at 9:30 and ends at 10:45, with a forty-minute sermon plus prayer, Scripture reading, and congregational singing. The music is reverent and God-focused, drawing songs from all eras of the Christian tradition, and the preaching is expository, working through books of the Bible from beginning to end to draw out the original meaning and apply it to present life.
After the service, a short fellowship time leads into the Enrichment Hour, which runs from 11:00 to 11:45. During this hour, classes for all ages dig deeper into God's Word in an interactive setting, and Grace Kids, the children's Sunday School program, meets for students from kindergarten through sixth grade.
First-time visitors can stop at the welcome desk before or after the service for help with check-in or questions. Services are also available via livestream on YouTube for those who cannot attend in person.
What Grace Baptist Believes
The church's purpose, vision, and mission shape its ministry. The Purpose is to glorify God. The Vision is to be a community of true disciples. The Mission is to advance the kingdom of God. Six paths carry out that mission: Worship, Spiritual Growth, Evangelism, Doctrine, Community, and Service.
The Statement of Faith, drawn from the church constitution amended in December 2023, begins with the Bible as the trustworthy, sufficient, error-free Word of God given by divine inspiration. Grace Baptist Church affirms the one true God existing eternally in three coequal persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and confesses that the Father reigns over all creation, the Son became fully man in Jesus Christ to provide salvation through His atoning death and bodily resurrection, and the Holy Spirit indwells, seals, empowers, and produces Christ-likeness in all who yield to Him.
The church teaches that salvation is redemption by Christ of the whole person, offered as a free gift and received through repentance and faith. The ordinances are believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper. The form of church government is congregational; each local church is self-governing under the lordship of Christ, and local churches voluntarily form associations and a conference for fellowship and counsel. On marriage, the constitution holds that the Bible teaches marriage is the covenant relationship exclusively between one man and one woman, as God instituted it from the beginning.
Raising Kids Who Glorify God in All They Do
Children are at the heart of the church's family ministry. Grace Kids, the children's ministry led by Director of Children's Ministries Angie Fewster, partners with parents to raise kids who glorify God in all they do. The tagline shapes everything from curriculum to policy.
During the 9:30 service, nursery care is available for children from birth through age five. Kindergartners and older stay with their families in worship. The children's check-in desk sits at the bottom of the ramp in the children's wing.
During the 11:00 Enrichment Hour (school year only, with no summer classes), the children's wing fills again. Nursery (ages 0 - 3) and preschool (ages 3 - 5) meet downstairs, while kindergarten through fourth grade also meet downstairs and fifth through sixth grade meet upstairs. The curriculum is theologically robust: nursery through age three uses "A Sure Foundation" from Truth78, a curriculum of simple truths about God and Scripture memory; ages three through twelve use "Generations of Grace," a three-year, biblically-based curriculum that walks children through the narrative of God's redemptive plan.
A Healthy Kids Policy requires that children be free of fever, cold or flu symptoms, green or yellow runny nose, persistent cough, diarrhea, vomiting, eye discharge, rashes, or contagious disease for at least 24 hours before entering the nursery or children's areas. A Child Protection Policy and a separate Youth Protection Policy govern safety in these spaces.
AWANA and Wednesday Evenings
AWANA, the church's mid-week children's program, runs Wednesday evenings from early September through early May. A ministry meal from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. welcomes parents, kids, and volunteers before club time. AWANA itself runs from 6:25 to 8:00 p.m. and serves children from age three through sixth grade with Bible-centered teaching, Scripture memory, and games in a structured club atmosphere.
gbc Youth: Helping Students Know God and Serve His Purposes
The student ministry at Grace, known as gbc youth, seeks to come alongside parents to help their children know God for who He said He is, grow in applying His truth in day-to-day life, and serve His purposes in the world. The ministry aims to lead students to learn from God's Word, build relationships with one another, and connect with the church. It also commits to support and equip parents as they train their youth's hearts toward maturity in Christ.
Wednesday evening youth gatherings complement Sunday programming, and the church invites parents to walk alongside the ministry in these important, challenging, and fun years of their children's lives. A dedicated Youth Ministry Policy governs safety in student ministry.
Men, Women, and Life Groups
Grace Baptist's Men's Ministry aims to alert men to their calling, arm men for action, and assist men for the battle. Men's Bible Study meets three Saturdays a month (the first, second, and fourth) from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. On the third Saturday of each month, men gather for a bring-a-dish breakfast from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. Game Night falls on the first Thursday of each month from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Throughout the year the ministry hosts a men's retreat at Crystal Springs Camp and service projects around the building and grounds.
Women of Grace encourages, enables, and equips women of all ages to hold fast to the confession of their hope without wavering. Bible studies, mentoring relationships, special events from teas to game nights to renewal series, and small groups give women varied ways to grow in faith and deepen community. The mentoring ministry aims to meet each woman where she is, build honest and vulnerable relationships, and develop women who accept Christ's call, learn and share the gospel, and disciple others.
Life Groups, small groups for Bible study, fellowship, and prayer, meet at various times throughout the week. Additional Bible studies for both men and women run on rotating schedules; the church encourages visitors to consult the calendar or call the office for current days and times.
Weddings, Funerals, and the Building
Grace Baptist Church hosts weddings and funerals for members and, by approval, for those outside the congregation. The church's wedding materials emphasize that marriage is sacred because God ordained it, and that a wedding is more than a ceremony; it is the beginning of a covenant. Couples work through a Wedding Planner and complete a Wedding Application. Funeral planning resources help families navigate a difficult season with decisions about the service, music, and reception.
The 1963 building, expanded in 1975 with classrooms and a full-size gymnasium, is also available for ministry-related and outside events. Outside requests must be submitted at least two months in advance and are reviewed by a Facilities Committee; ministry needs take priority. A Facility Use Policy and a Facility Use Request form are available for those interested in renting space.
Giving and Staying Connected
Online giving is available through Tithe.ly. A church newsletter is offered by email signup. The church maintains a public calendar of regular activities and meetings, a public church library, and a YouTube channel for sermon archives and livestreams. Services are livestreamed each Sunday for those unable to attend in person, and recordings remain available afterward.
Grace Baptist Church continues to look forward. With over a century of ministry behind it and a Lead Pastor in Josh Steely, whose M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School equipped him to preach and shepherd across three previous pastorates, the congregation looks to keep advancing the kingdom of God in Grand Forks through worship, expository preaching, intentional discipleship, and ministries that walk alongside families from nursery through adulthood.