Grace Baptist Church sits on Montclair Street in Madison, Indiana, a little more than half a mile south of the Madison High School football stadium. The building itself is not visible from Wilson Avenue, but a church sign at the road marks a short lane that leads back to the parking lot, and the building is about 60 feet down that lane. The church describes itself as a conservative, Bible-believing church dedicated to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and fostering authentic relationships with one another, and its motto, "Helping People Know and Follow Jesus Christ," appears throughout the church's print and online materials.
Try Five Sundays
For anyone considering a first visit, Grace Baptist extends a simple invitation called "Try Five." The idea is to attend five consecutive Sunday services before deciding whether the church feels like home. The morning and evening services, the Wednesday Bible study, the children's programs, and the fellowship between them together give a fuller picture of who Grace Baptist is than a single Sunday can. There is no dress code beyond a simple "come as you are," and the congregation tends to dress casually to semi-formally. Visitors are not expected to give, and the church says everyone is welcome regardless of background, beliefs, or life experience.
A Sunday at Grace Baptist
Sunday at Grace Baptist begins at 9:45 AM, when men and women gather separately for Bible study and children head to age-appropriate Sunday School classes. The morning service starts at 10:45 AM and runs to about noon. The first portion of the service is devoted to congregational singing, followed by an expository sermon - a careful, verse-by-verse explanation of a passage of Scripture applied to everyday life. The church defines biblical preaching as both faithfully and clearly explaining the meaning of the text and lovingly and practically applying its purpose, in accordance with God's original intent and in a manner consistent with His character.
A nursery is available throughout the morning service, and children ages 5 through 6th grade are dismissed after the singing to Junior Church, a separate program with its own songs, Bible lesson, and crafts. Families who prefer to keep their children with them in the main service are always welcome to do so.
A second Sunday service at 6:00 PM gives the church another time to sing and hear preaching. From 5:45 to 7:15 PM, Kids4Truth offers children ages 5 through 12 a club-style program built around Scripture memory, Bible teaching, singing, and games. On Wednesdays, the church gathers at 7:00 PM for prayer and Bible study, a midweek anchor for those who want to keep going deeper between Sundays.
Music: Hymns and Carefully Chosen Contemporary Songs
Music at Grace Baptist aims to honor God and draw hearts toward Him. The church sings a blend of traditional hymns like "Amazing Grace" and "It Is Well with My Soul" alongside contemporary songs that line up with biblical truth, such as "His Robes for Mine" and "God of Wonders." Piano and/or organ support the singing, and the church emphasizes congregational participation. Among members, personal music preferences vary, and the church respects that diversity while encouraging everyone to fill their lives with edifying, Christ-glorifying music, in keeping with Colossians 3:16.
Pastor Eric Mossman and a Half-Century of Pastor Joel Almaroad
Senior Pastor Eric Mossman and his wife Christine came to Grace Baptist after about twenty years of cross-cultural mission work. He describes his passions as spending time in the Word, sharing his faith with others, helping new believers grow in Christ, and biblical counseling. In his spare time, he enjoys a good coffee, strategic games, organizing, and the outdoors. The Mossmans have three daughters and three grandchildren.
Associate Pastor Joel Almaroad and his wife have been part of the ministry at Grace Baptist for fifty years. He frames his calling with two passages: 1 Timothy 1:12, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry," and 2 Timothy 2:2, about committing the faith to "faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." He notes that the church family welcomed them with open arms and hearts.
Children, From Nursery Through Sixth Grade
Children's ministry is a major part of who Grace Baptist is. The church provides a clean, safe nursery for newborns through age four during all Sunday morning and evening services, with a check-in and check-out system, a two-worker policy at all times, background checks for every childcare worker, and first aid kits on hand. A nursery worker greets each family on arrival, and children are released only to the parents who checked them in.
Beyond the nursery, the church uses curriculum from Regular Baptist Press across its Sunday School classes, grounding each lesson in the authority and reliability of God's Word and tailoring it to each age group. Junior Church, during the morning service, gives children ages 5 through 12 their own time of singing and Bible teaching. Kids4Truth, on Sunday evenings, takes a more club-style approach with Scripture memory, singing, a Bible lesson, discussion time, snack time, and game time. None of these programs require church membership; the church says any child in the community from ages 5 to 12 is welcome, and children may join at any point in the year. A summer Vacation Bible School, free and open to the community, rounds out the year and serves as a popular outreach to families in Madison.
A Detailed Statement of Faith
Grace Baptist holds to a detailed statement of faith that runs from bibliology through eschatology. The church teaches that the Bible, as originally written, was verbally inspired and absolutely free from error, and that it is the sole authority for faith and life. The church accepts the Genesis account of creation and believes that man came by direct creation of God, not by evolution. God exists in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - equal in every divine perfection, executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
Jesus Christ was miraculously begotten of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is both truly God and truly man. His death on the cross was a substitutionary sacrifice - the just dying for the unjust - and He rose again bodily on the third day. The church teaches that salvation is a gift received by faith, not earned by works, and that good works are a fruit of salvation rather than its ground (Ephesians 2:8, Titus 3:5, James 2:18).
Two distinctive notes in the statement of faith are worth mentioning. The church does not accept speaking in tongues as evidence of the Holy Spirit's presence, and it teaches that the Holy Spirit seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer without that sign. In a section titled "Separation from Unbelief and the Ecumenical Movement," Grace Baptist declines to support the National Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches, or any organization that is ecumenical in method or spirit, citing Revelation 17-18. The church teaches absolute separation from apostasy and liberalism and from those who align themselves with such.
The church holds that a local church is a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel, observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word. Its only Scriptural officers are Pastors and Deacons. The local church has the absolute right of self-government; on all matters of membership, cooperation, policy, government of discipline, and benevolence, the will of the local church is final.
Grace Baptist practices baptism by immersion of believers and observes the Lord's Supper with open communion preceded by self-examination. The church teaches the eternal security of the believer, conscious eternal suffering for the lost, and everlasting joy for the saved. It holds to the personal, visible, pre-millennial return of Christ and related end-time events, including the resurrection of the dead and the rapture of the church. Civil government, in the church's view, is of divine appointment and is to be obeyed except in matters opposed to the will of Christ, who alone is Lord of the conscience. Sermons on contemporary issues such as alcohol, homosexuality, and abortion are part of the teaching ministry and can be found in the sermon archive.
Missions in Brazil, the Philippines, and Beyond
Grace Baptist supports missionaries through three sending organizations: Gospel Fellowship Association, Baptist World Mission, and Baptist Mid-Missions. Specific partners include a family serving in Brazil under Baptist Mid-Missions, a partner in the Philippines under Gospel Fellowship Association Missions, and a medical missionary reaching unreached people groups, also under Gospel Fellowship Association Missions. The church prays for and supports work in these regions of the world, partnering with missionaries from a variety of mission boards, and welcomes prayer support and interest in the work from members and friends.
Getting There, Giving, and Staying Connected
The church building is at 920 Montclair Street in Madison, with parking on both sides of the building and handicap-accessible parking around the back, along with a handicap-accessible ramp. Services are livestreamed on YouTube Sunday mornings at 10:45 AM and Sunday evenings at 6:00 PM. Online giving is available through a secure Subsplash page. The church maintains active Facebook and Instagram pages, and a YouTube channel hosts the full sermon archive along with topical playlists on the Gospel of John, the Book of James, and sermon series like "Radical Transformation" and "Have Faith in God." Recent sermons have included "The Mind of Christ" and "Enter Into God's Rest."
For questions, the church can be reached by phone or text at 936-320-1567 or by email at gbc.indiana@gmail.com.