A Network of Campuses Around a Single Mission
Grace Church began in Northeast Ohio and has grown into a network of campuses that share one name, one mission, and one Senior Pastor. From the Bath Campus that anchors the work to neighborhood locations in Akron East, Barberton, County Line, Medina East, Norton, and Stark North, plus a Town Center Campus in Georgia, the family of congregations is united by a refrain that shapes everything they do: Know It, Live It, Give It Away.
For Grace Church, the "It" is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Senior Pastor Jeff Bogue leads the movement, and the staff frames its purpose as helping people come to know the story of Jesus, to live like Him, and to give their lives away as He did. A stated ambition is to launch thirty campuses in thirty years, planting in places where the gospel is not easily accessible or clearly presented. Each campus is led by a campus pastor who raises a team of staff and volunteers to make the gospel make sense in that regional context.
What Grace Believes About God, the Bible, and People
Grace Church holds to a thoroughly evangelical set of beliefs that begin with the Bible and end with the hope of spiritual transformation. The church confesses that the Old and New Testaments were inspired by God, written through several chosen people, and in the original writings are without error. The Bible is the unique and final authority on all matters of Christian faith and practice, and individual followers of Christ bear the responsibility of knowing and studying God's word both personally and with a community of believers.
God is one, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is creator, law-giver, and protector, with a plan for individuals and humanity known as His will. The Son, Jesus Christ, gave up his privileges as God to become human and live on earth. He lived a perfect, sinless life, offered his life in love and took the payment of our sin. After three days, He was raised from the dead, returned to heaven, and now serves as the only mediator between a perfect God and imperfect people. The Holy Spirit brings conviction of the need for salvation, then guides, instructs, and gives supernatural gifts to followers of Jesus for godly living, acts of service, and spiritual unity with other believers.
People were created in the image of God and designed for an intimate relationship with Him, yet all have chosen to live independent from God, which the Bible calls sin. The effects of that separation, including loneliness, unhealthy behaviors, selfishness, and lack of love, can be reversed when a person accepts salvation and allows God to define and direct life. Salvation is a gift; there is nothing to earn it, and each person can access it equally. Spiritual growth is the natural result of a close relationship with God, producing transformation as a believer becomes more like Christ.
A Local Body With Elders and Pastors
Grace Church believes that wherever God's people gather to worship, pray, receive teaching from the Word, reach out to help others, use their gifts, encourage one another, and participate in communion and baptism, there is a local expression of the body of Christ. Jesus Christ is the head of His Church, and each local church chooses leaders, called elders and pastors, to make decisions for the congregation. Grace Church has several distinctive practices, including a unique expression of baptism by triune immersion and three-fold communion.
Baptism by Triune Immersion
At Grace, baptism is practiced by immersion in water, and the church defines baptism by the passages that speak most clearly on the topic. Baptism is not a work that earns salvation; it is a response to the free gift of God in Christ. Just as Christ was crucified and buried, a believer is immersed in water to symbolize the burial of the old ways. Just as Christ was raised from the dead, so the believer is raised out of the water to symbolize new life in Christ. The apostle Paul writes, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ is raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:4). The only requirement for baptism is a personal decision to believe and accept the salvation of God through Jesus Christ.
Three-Fold Communion: Foot Washing, Love Feast, Bread and Cup
Grace Church observes communion through three elements: Foot Washing, the Love Feast, and the Bread and the Cup. Communion is a sharing in common, a symbolic practice to remember and celebrate key aspects of the faith. The three elements together demonstrate Jesus saying, "I love you," to His bride, the Church.
Foot Washing is more than an outward cleansing. Jesus told His followers, "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet" (John 13:14), and the practice is a time of introspection and self-examination. It is a statement that Jesus does the real cleansing on the inside and that believers must take hold of His cleansing power and forgiveness on a daily basis.
The Love Feast is the celebration of eating together, which reminds the congregation not only of the bond to Christ but also to each other. Scripture promises a future occasion, the ultimate Love Feast, with Jesus himself as host. The church points to John 13 and 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 as the basis for the practice, continuing what Jesus included in the Last Supper with His disciples and what the early church perpetuated.
The Bread and the Cup symbolize Jesus' broken body and shed blood, the price paid on the cross for the sins of humanity. Because of Jesus' perfect sacrifice, direct communication with God is possible without animal sacrifices or priests to intercede. The symbols are joyful for believers, yet solemn and holy. The church warns, in line with 1 Corinthians 11:27-30, to examine one's life before participating.
Anyone who shares faith in Christ is welcome to attend communion, and the church welcomes anyone who would like to observe the symbolism without participating.
Eight Values That Shape the Network
Grace Church organizes its culture around eight values. The first is "We Live to Make Jesus Make Sense," a commitment to any necessary sacrifice to make the story of Jesus clear and accessible to anyone seeking after Him. The second is "We Share Life Together," a refusal to live without honest relationships and a resolve to love God, love each other, and live on mission together. The third is "We Have No Spare Parts," the conviction that everyone in the church has an essential part to play.
The fourth value is "We Are Fully Committed to Kids and Students," an unapologetic devotion of major resources and energy toward shaping a God-centered world view during a person's prime developmental years. The fifth, "We Live to Give," is a practice of joyful generosity in time, resources, and ideas. The sixth, "We Do Our Best With Everything We Have," is a commitment to excellence and effectiveness for the gospel. The seventh, "We Do Hard Things," chooses the option no one else wants to tackle and intentionally goes where hope is hard to find. The eighth, "We Actively Seek Ministry Partnerships," leverages the strengths of diverse organizations and churches to pursue the movement to which God has called Grace.
E4 Studies: A Library of Discipleship Resources
One of the most visible expressions of its mission is the E4 Studies library, named for Ephesians 4, to equip God's people for works of service. The studies are designed to be used in one-on-one or small-group settings and are discussion-based, with downloadable discussion guides paired with session videos. The library covers topics across the Christian life.
The Basic Beliefs of the Church study walks through twelve key teachings: the Bible, the one true God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, man, salvation, the church, the Christian life, the ordinances, Satan, the second coming, and future life. The Gospel study works through a biblical definition of the gospel, looking at the gospel "in the air" and "on the ground," the gospel and the individual, the gospel and the world, and the gospel in everyday life. The Disciple-Making study, six sessions long, explains how disciples of Jesus will make disciples of Jesus and offers a practical pathway for that work.
Family Disciple-Making is a seven-session study that examines God's design for the family and equips parents to disciple their children, drawing on Reggie Joiner and Carey Nieuwhof's Parenting Beyond Your Capacity. The 5 Assumptions About God study, written by Senior Pastor Jeff Bogue, looks at common assumptions that keep people from understanding God and challenges the reader to put aside preconceived ideas and listen to Jesus' own words from the Bible.
Other studies include Interpersonal Relationships, which uses the Johari Window and Larry Crabb's Understanding People to navigate relationships and conflict; The One Anothers, an eight-session study on the importance of biblical community; Reset, a nine-session study that gets back to the original meaning of following Jesus; How to Study Your Bible, a six-session practical tool for observation, interpretation, and application; Evangelism, a nine-session study on connecting the gospel with those in everyday life; Missions, a six-session study on taking the gospel to people groups and cultures; and Spiritual Gifts, a ten-session study on the variety of gifts present in the church.
New Testament Survey and Old Testament Survey round out the library with book-by-book overviews that help readers see the contribution of each book to the Bible's overarching narrative.
Internships, Residents, and the Grace College Partnership
Grace Church is known for investing in leadership development. The Internship and Residency Program offers part-time and full-time opportunities across ministries, with interns and residents mentored by a skilled pastoral staff while serving and leading in effective ministries. Interns can be renewed annually to a maximum of four years, and the goal is to develop high-potential leaders into experienced pastors.
Every internship includes three essential elements. First is experience: interns are involved in every part of ministry, assisting and partnering with pastors and teams to gain knowledge of real ministry. Second is education: every intern is enrolled in the Grace College at Grace Church program, and in four years can graduate with a bachelor's degree in biblical studies, with courses taught by qualified local professors and a strong emphasis on practical ministry. Third is responsibility: every intern has responsibilities in their area of ministry, and as experience and trust grow, so does influence and impact.
Areas of ministry for interns and residents include Student Ministry, Creative Arts (worship and production), Children's Ministry (POWER Kids), Sports Ministry, and Biblical Community. Sports Ministry, in particular, is framed as creating game-changing athletic environments for the purpose of life-changing experiences, with interns creating Bible-based curriculum, spiritually mentoring students, and organizing teams of volunteers.
A separate Worship and Tech Summer Internship, located at the Bath Campus, provides a twelve-week, twenty-five-hour-per-week paid experience in worship and tech, with weekly mentorship, weekend service commitments, local housing provided at host homes, and a customized experience to qualify for school credit. A 360 Internship offers a ten-week mentoring program for students who have completed ninth through twelfth grades, with hands-on training at the Norton and Barberton campuses.
Underneath the internships sits Grace College Akron, an undergraduate seminary run in partnership with Grace College. Students earn a Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies while being trained in ministry by experienced pastoral leaders. The program is approved by the Higher Learning Commission, the accrediting body of Grace College, and the Ohio Department of Higher Education. A Master of Arts in Local Church Ministry is also offered through Grace Seminary at the Akron location, a forty-eight-credit-hour degree that focuses on theology, cultural aptitude, pastoral ministry skills, and leading effectively in the local church. Each class is taught by a combination of credentialed teachers and effective local church leaders.
The Pastoral Team and Campus Leaders
Jeff Bogue serves as Senior Pastor of Grace Church and leads the wider movement. Each Ohio campus is led by a campus pastor: Ryan Rodeman at Akron East, Joel Gregory at Barberton, Matt Stone at County Line, Tony Livigni at Medina East, Dan Gregory at Norton, and Aaron Key at Stark North. The Bath Campus, the largest campus and home of the Senior Pastor's office, is led by Executive Campus Pastor Joe Caruso and Lead Pastor of Campus Culture Ezra Wimberly. David Black serves as the Town Center Campus Pastor in Georgia. Four elders, Rick Perren, Todd Young, Brian Tindall, and Dave Purdy, share in the spiritual oversight of the church alongside the pastoral team.
Children, Students, and the Sports Connection
Children and students are a stated priority. POWER Kids is the children's ministry, and the church unapologetically devotes major resources and energy toward shaping a God-centered worldview during a person's prime developmental years. The Family Disciple-Making study exists to help parents partner with the church in that work.
Student Ministries meets students where they are and helps make Jesus make sense to them, creating an environment where students find community, have fun, and explore who Jesus is. Sports Ministry runs alongside the other programs, framing the mission as creating game-changing athletic environments for the purpose of life-changing experiences. The Sports Ministry Associate Program Manager oversees Sports Ministry Day Camps, Grace Race Sponsorships, Gameday Cheerleading, and the TROOPS short-term sports ministry workers program.
Giving, Communication, and the Churchwide Network
Grace Church accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and ACH donations through checking accounts. Giving online through a checking account is the most cost-effective option; processing fees for most major credit cards run at 2.35 percent, American Express at 2.80 percent, and ACH at 0.35 percent plus thirty cents per transaction. Gifts of stock, donor-advised funds, qualified charitable donations, and other mechanisms can be arranged by contacting the finance office, and gifts by check can be mailed to the finance office at 211 N. Cleveland-Massillon Rd., Akron, OH 44333.
The church operates an SMS alert system for event reminders and ministry communications, with carriers including Alltel, AT&T, Boost, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Virgin Mobile, MetroPCS, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular. Recipients can stop messages at any time by replying STOP, and questions are handled at 330-666-8341 or by email.
Getting Connected Across the Campuses
Each of the seven Ohio campuses and the Town Center Campus in Georgia runs as a regional expression of the same gospel-centered movement. Baptism classes and communion services are open to anyone who shares faith in Christ, and observers are welcome. The E4 studies can be downloaded and worked through with a friend, a small group, or a Bible study. Internships, residencies, and the Grace College partnership provide a long pathway for anyone sensing a call to vocational ministry.
Grace Church's vision remains the same wherever a new campus is planted: a community where the gospel is known, lived out, and given away, with elders and pastors shepherding a body that gathers around the Bible, the ordinances of baptism and communion, and the call to share life together on mission.