Grace Church of Tallahassee sits at the corner of Gadsden and McDaniel Streets in mid-town Tallahassee, a few minutes from the Florida State University and Florida A&M University campuses. The congregation describes itself as a Bible-teaching, elder-led body that exists to exalt God, edify believers, and evangelize the lost, and it pours considerable energy into the students and young adults who shape the neighborhood around it. Long-time members and first-time visitors alike find the same thing on a given weekend: a friendly welcome, blended worship, expository preaching, and a packed calendar of ministries for every stage of life.
Sunday at Grace Church
The Sunday schedule is built around three rhythms. Sunday School meets at 9:30 am for children and adults, the Worship Service begins at 10:45 am, and a once-monthly evening service gathers on the second Sunday at 5:00 pm. A typical morning includes announcements, blended worship music, Scripture reading, prayer, the offering, communion on the first Sunday of the month, and expository preaching. The service meets both in person in the auditorium and online via livestream; the service is also shown on a screen in the Fellowship Hall for those who would like more space.
There are no restrictions on distancing or masks, and anyone with COVID-like symptoms is asked to worship from home. Communion is observed the first Sunday of the month and is open to believers who are not living in unrepentant sin. Baptism, the church teaches, is for believers by immersion as an outward sign of faith and union with Christ in His death and resurrection; baptism services are scheduled periodically and members are interviewed by the elders before baptism.
Where to Park
Three parking areas are available on Sundays. The main lot sits across from the sanctuary on Gadsden Street, with access from both Gadsden and Calhoun. On Sundays only, additional parking is available at the Moore Bass Consulting Inc. lot on McDaniel Street. Visitors are encouraged to leave the spots near the church open for those who have difficulty walking or who have small children, and to be considerate neighbors by not parking in front of homes or by yellow curbs. On-street parking along McDaniel, Gadsden, and the surrounding neighborhood provides overflow.
What First-Time Visitors Find
The congregation is warm and intentional about welcoming newcomers, whether they are investigating Christianity for the first time or have followed Jesus for decades. Visitors can expect announcements, blended music (not solo), expository preaching through books of the Bible, a friendly atmosphere, and plenty of ministries for children and students. Sunday School is offered for every age, the nursery cares for infants through kindergarten during Sunday school, the worship service, and Sunday evening, and elementary children have their own classes.
The "New to Grace?" page on the church's site lists service times, parking details, nursery availability, children's programs, youth offerings, and a description of a typical service so newcomers know what to expect before they walk through the door. A contact form and email address are also available for any question.
Pastoral Leadership
Grace Church is led by a team of four elders who share teaching and pastoral oversight.
Rod Bunton, the Senior Pastor, moved to Tallahassee in 1973 to attend Florida State University and was drawn to Grace by its expository Bible teaching. After graduating and marrying his wife Ann, the Buntons went to Dallas Theological Seminary to prepare for ministry. After a brief season in the business world, Rod returned to Tallahassee and became Senior Pastor of Grace Church in December 1985.
Charlie Greenwell is the Missions Pastor. Charlie and Cindy Greenwell returned to Tallahassee from eight years of ministry with the Navigators in South Korea in 1990 and have been members of Grace ever since. Charlie has spent decades investing in international students and oversees the church's international ministry.
Doug Link is Pastor to Families. Doug began at Grace as a youth ministry intern while a student at Florida State, earned a B.A. in Music from FSU, and completed a Master of Divinity at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. He returned to Grace as the full-time youth pastor and now oversees the middle and high school ministries. He and his wife Carrie have three sons.
Ben Khazraee is the College and Administrative Pastor. Ben grew up at Grace, graduating from Leon High and Florida State, and earned his Master of Divinity at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He leads the College and Career ministry and helps oversee the church's administrative life.
The pastoral team is supported by a Music Minister, Dr. Jim Canter, who has directed music at Grace since 1985 and holds degrees from Tennessee Tech, Sam Houston State, and Florida State. The elders are also supported by a deacon team that handles the practical life of the body. Keith Myhre oversees greeting, ushering, and missions. David Kennedy cares for the children's building and ministries. Larry Reinhard handles technology, including audio, video, networking, and the website. Mark Inman oversees facilities, maintenance, and small repairs. Scott Forrester leads safety and security, coordinates the security and parking volunteer teams, and trains volunteers.
Becoming a Member
Membership at Grace is taken seriously and walked through step by step. Prospective members first attend the Membership Matters class, a six-week study offered two or three times a year during the Sunday school hour. The class covers the church's beliefs and practices, and attending it does not commit them to join. Those who wish to continue complete a Membership Information Sheet, sign the Statement of Faith and Member Commitments, and meet informally with one of the pastor-elders to share their testimony. Finally, they are introduced to the congregation at the end of a worship service. Membership Commitments and the Statement of Faith are posted publicly online.
Children's Ministry
The children's ministry exists to support Christian parents as the primary disciplers of their children. The role of the church, parents are told, is to reinforce the biblical teaching already taking place there.
Nursery care is available in the Annex during the Sunday school hour for children from birth through preschool. Toddlers hear a short Bible story and preschoolers receive a Bible lesson that is reviewed during the worship hour. During the worship service, nursery care continues for children from birth through second grade. The church encourages parents to begin bringing their children into the worship service with them by the time they start first grade; those who need more time can keep their children in the nursery through second grade. Children who are elementary age attend Sunday school classes in the Children's wing of the Annex.
Volunteers who work with kids go through an application, background check, and nursery training, and a child protection policy and nursery parent handbook are available by request.
Youth Ministry
The youth ministry is led by Pastor Doug Link and exists to exalt God, edify parents and youth for spiritual growth and service, and evangelize the lost. Three commitments drive everything: the Bible, the gospel, and the parents. Middle school and high school students meet together on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am in Building 425 and on Wednesday nights for Bible study during the fall and spring. Throughout the year, special activities include separate Sunday school classes for each age, discipleship groups, social activities, summer mission trips, Vacation Bible School, and service projects. Parents are always welcome to participate in youth activities.
College and Career
Grace Church sits less than two miles from the campuses of Florida State and Florida A&M, and the College/Career ministry is built specifically to reach students and young adults. The aim is to disciple young adults in their unique stage of life while connecting them to the wider church family.
Activities include a weekly Bible study during the fall and early spring semesters, a free lunch after the worship service on the first and third Sundays of the fall and spring semesters, a Labor Day beach retreat, and small groups that meet every other week for Bible study and fellowship. The church will connect students and young adults with a family in the congregation for occasional meals and life in Tallahassee, and the pastoral team will help match them with a more mature believer for discipleship if they would like that. Pastor Ben Khazraee is the main contact for the ministry, and the team also helps arrange rides for those who need them.
An Instagram account, @gcotcollege, keeps students and young adults connected.
Women's and Men's Ministry
Women's Ministry focuses on the Word of God, evangelism, discipleship, and practical service. Opportunities include ladies' Bible studies, discipleship relationships, fellowship events, ladies' retreats, and service roles throughout the church. Men gather for the Courageous Churchmen Men's Bible Study on Tuesday mornings from 6:30 to 7:30 am in the Fellowship Hall, with occasional men's retreats and prayer breakfasts scheduled throughout the year.
Adult Ministry and Service Opportunities
Adults at Grace find a long menu of weekly Bible studies, an adult Sunday school class, men's and ladies' prayer breakfasts, occasional retreats, and Bible conferences with guest speakers. Service opportunities are woven through every part of the church and include nursery and Sunday school teaching, property maintenance, hosting or leading Bible studies, music (choir and instrumentalists), greeting, kitchen work, the meals ministry, security and parking, evangelism (including the Good News Club and international ministry), and sound, video, lighting, and projection. Special events support ranges from fish fries and church-wide conferences to the fall picnic and the Fall Festival / Fall Fellowship Dinner.
International Ministry
Because Tallahassee is a college city, the international ministry is a major part of Grace's identity. The church welcomes individuals from every country and offers a class designed for those new to the Bible or Christianity and for whom English is not their first language. During the fall and spring semesters, Charlie Greenwell leads an international Bible study on the Florida State campus for FSU students, FAMU students, and visiting scholars. Members of Grace who want to be involved can join him in building friendships with international students.
Speak for the Unborn
Speak for the Unborn is a ministry of evangelistic sidewalk counseling and prayer at the abortion clinic in Tallahassee. Grace describes it as a local chapter of the national Speak for the Unborn network, and the church considers it a gospel-driven effort to bring hope to women facing unplanned pregnancies and to see abortion ended in their city.
Global Missions
Grace Church's elders have adopted a formal missions policy to guide the church's support of missionaries and ministries, and the congregation supports a wide circle of gospel work around the globe:
- Stephen & Esther Napier with Global Outreach International in East Africa and Alaska.
- Slavic Gospel Association, working across Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
- HeartCry Missionary Society, serving in South America, Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
- Steve & Valarie Keating with Reaching & Teaching in Ireland.
- Charlie and Cindy Greenwell with The Navigators in Tallahassee.
- Child Evangelism Fellowship of Florida, Big Bend Chapter, serving the Tallahassee area.
- Camp Crosspoint in Pelham, Georgia.
- Brent Slade with FCA Atlanta.
- A Women's Pregnancy Center in Tallahassee.
- 9 Marks, a ministry that encourages biblically healthy churches.
The congregation also supports several additional missionaries whose locations prevent their information from being posted publicly.
What the Church Believes
Grace Church's Statement of Faith runs twelve articles from Scripture to Last Things. The Bible is the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, infallible, inspired by God, and the supreme authority for faith and conduct. There is one true and living God, perfect in holiness, justice, wisdom, power, and love, who exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is the sovereign planner and sustainer of all things. The Son, Jesus Christ, is fully God and fully man, born of the virgin Mary, who died on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice, was physically raised, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return bodily. The Holy Spirit inspired Scripture, convicts of sin, regenerates and permanently indwells believers, and gives gifts for the building up of the church.
Man was created by God, male and female, in His image. Through Adam's fall the entire human race fell, and every person is, by nature and by choice, under God's just condemnation and unable to seek Him. God, according to His elective purpose, saves sinners from condemnation through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus, granting the repentant sinner the righteousness of Christ, forgiveness of sin, and the promise of glorification. The church is the living body of which Christ is the head, with both a universal and local expression, and the local church is charged with worship, evangelism, and the edification of believers.
Two ordinances are observed by the local church: baptism by immersion of believers on a credible confession of faith, and the Lord's Supper, observed in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice until He returns. Marriage is the union of one man and one woman, designed to display the union between Christ and His church. Civil government is of divine appointment, and government officials are to be prayed for, honored, and obeyed except in matters opposed to the will of Christ. The church looks for the bodily return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, final judgment, the everlasting joy of believers with God, and the permanent punishment of the unrepentant.
The longer Doctrinal Statement adds detail in several areas. The Bible is interpreted by the literal-historical-grammatical method, and its meaning is singular even if the applications are many. The Holy Spirit permanently indwells believers and enables progressive sanctification. The sign gifts (apostle, prophet, healing, miracles, tongues) authenticated the early church and are not in effect today, though God continues to heal. Creation took place in six literal twenty-four-hour days, and human life begins at conception. The church teaches a pre-tribulation rapture and a pre-millennial return of Christ to set up a literal thousand-year kingdom before the final judgment. Israel retains a distinct future in God's redemptive plan, and the covenants made with her will be fulfilled.
Bible Conferences and Special Teaching
Each year Grace Church hosts Winter and Fall Bible Conferences that bring in gifted guest teachers. Past speakers have included Dr. Bruce Ware of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (themes have included the Beauty and Blight of Human Life, Worship, Parenting with Grace and Truth, and Understanding What Is to Come), Dr. Don Whitney (Prayer; Life Together in the Local Church), Dr. Thomas J. Nettles (the Five Solas), Dr. Michael Haykin (Lord, Revive Us!), and Jim Newheiser (Biblical Peacemaking). Jodi Ware has led the Women's Conference, and the church hosts a ladies' luncheon each year. Sermon recordings and notes from most conferences are available in the Sermon Archive.
Sermons and Bible Teaching
Sermons are central to life at Grace. The Sermon Archive stretches back many years and can be browsed by topic, series, book of the Bible, speaker, or date. Recent series include Jude, 1 Samuel, Ephesians (a long-running, verse-by-verse series), Snapshots from Acts, Psalms: The Joys and Struggles of the Faithful, Attributes of God, The Book of Ruth, What the Bible Says About Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage, and The Book of Judges. Senior Pastor Rod Bunton has preached the largest share of the archive, with significant contributions from Doug Link and Ben Khazraee and additional sermons from guest speakers such as Adam Stallard, Bobby Mayer, Charlie Greenwell, Dr. Bruce Ware, Jason Southerland, Josh Hollingsworth, and Mark Jeffries. Sermons can be watched, listened to as audio, or downloaded as MP3s, and an audio podcast and a video podcast are available through major podcast platforms.
Counseling, Library, and Resources
Grace Church offers Biblical Counseling as one of its ministries. The church also maintains a Library, a Distinctives page that explains what is unique about Grace, and Accountability resources to help members walk faithfully with one another. A Church Blog and members-only content provide ongoing communication to the congregation, and an Online Giving portal allows one-time and recurring gifts, with options to direct giving to the General Fund, the Benevolence Fund, or the Building Fund. Gifts can also be given by check or cash in the offering boxes in the back of the auditorium and the hallway near the Fellowship Hall, or mailed to 425 McDaniel Street.
A Word About the People
Grace Church is a congregation that takes its doctrine, its members, and its neighbors seriously. It teaches Reformed, evangelical theology through expository preaching, observes the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper, supports a wide circle of missionaries at home and abroad, and intentionally welcomes international students and scholars into its life. The pastoral staff, deacons, and ministry volunteers are organized around the conviction that the local church is a body in which every member has a role, and that ministry belongs to every Christian, not just to the staff.
First-time visitors who want to learn more are encouraged to stop by the church office at 731 North Gadsden Street, call 850-224-9606, or email info@gcot.org. Mailing correspondence can be sent to 425 McDaniel Street, Tallahassee, FL 32303. The livestream, sermon archive, and calendar are all kept up to date, and the church's social channels share Sunday services and other highlights with those who cannot be there in person.