You don’t remember 99% of the meals you have eaten, but they have grown you into who you are today. The nutrient density of the food you take in reflects in your physical health. Similarly, what you have fed your heart, soul, and mind through spiritual disciplines reflects in your spiritual health. This is especially evident in the sermons you take in on a weekly basis.

There are two main ways to approach sermon preparation and philosophy of preaching in a church: expositional and topical.

Expositional preaching focuses on a specific section of Scripture, explaining its meaning and applying it directly to our lives. The message comes from the text itself, allowing the Bible to set the agenda.

In contrast, topical preaching starts with a particular theme or topic (like “forgiveness” or “patience” or “politics”) and then pulls verses from various parts of the Bible to support that idea. While both approaches can be valuable, expositional preaching digs deeper into Scripture and helps us understand God’s Word in its full context.

Why Expositional Preaching?
We live in a world full of opinions, trends, and messages—some are helpful, others not so much. Expositional preaching keeps us anchored in scripture. Instead of a pastor selecting a topic, setting his agenda, and then looking for Bible verses to back it up, expositional preaching starts with scripture itself. This approach keeps the focus on God’s message, rather than human agendas, popular culture, or the need to address every trending topic.

The nutrient density of expositional preaching is similar to nutrient dense food you eatto sustain you —think of it like your protein, healthy carbs, fruits, and vegetables, packed with everything you need to grow strong and stay healthy. Topical preaching, though it can be fun, enjoyable, and even beneficial on special occasions, it doesn’t lend itself to long-term sustainability and spiritual growth.

A healthy diet of expositional sermons on a weekly basis benefit us in a variety of ways:

1. Demonstrates the Primacy of Scripture: Expositional preaching takes the message straight from Scripture. It gives us the original meaning as the author intended, which helps us understand the context and truth of the Bible without twisting it to fit our preferences.

2. Establishes a Strong Foundation: Imagine trying to build a house by laying bricks wherever you feel like, instead of following a blueprint. By preaching through entire books of the Bible, we get a steady foundation of truth, one brick at a time. This kind of teaching helps us connect the dots between different passages and understand God’s Word as one cohesive message. This may take years to accomplish, but it is worth it. Your sanctification and spiritual growth is a long game.

3. Reveals the Arc of Scripture: Expositional preaching helps us see the “big picture” of what God is doing in the Bible—from creation, to the fall, to redemption, to restoration.  When we skip parts of the Bible, by only hitting the “big topics” or only look at isolated verses, we can miss out on seeing God’s bigger plan.

4. We are Confronted by the Reality of God’s Truth: Sometimes, the Bible confronts us with uncomfortable truths or difficult teachings. By working through Scripture in an expositional way, we’re pushed to wrestle with the tough topics, not just the “easy” or “feel-good” passages. This helps us grow spiritually, teaching us to rely on God’s wisdom, even when it’s challenging.

5. Strengthens our Faith for times of Difficulty: When we consistently hear expositional preaching, we learn to read and understand Scripture for ourselves. It equips us to apply God’s truth in our jobs, relationships, and personal struggles.

6. Pastoral Accountability: Expositional preaching holds pastors accountable to the Word of God. When a pastor commits to working through entire books of the Bible, they’re less likely to skip over challenging or uncomfortable passages. This approach ensures that the pastor presents the full counsel of God’s Word, even when it might be difficult or unpopular.

Expositional preaching keeps our church grounded in the Bible, aligns us with God’s truth, and builds us up as followers of Jesus who are equipped to live out our faith daily. It’s not just about hearing a message each week—it’s about building a life anchored in God’s Word.

If you’ve made it this far, we are currently working through 1 Peter and I invite you to join us on Sundays at 10am for worship.

We meet inside Co:Mission Collaborative Co:Working at 10548 Harrison Ave. Suite 2000.

I’d love to see you there.

– Pastor Austin

At Grace Church, we believe that worship is not just for adults, but for everyone. This is why we welcome children of all ages to join us in our worship services. Some may question why we include children in our services, but we believe that there are several reasons why this is important.

Every Sunday (except for the last Sunday of the month), kids are included in our worship services with their families. Following our morning worship and prayer, the kids are dismissed to Grace Kids for age specific ministries and lessons. On the last Sunday of the month, kids stay for the duration of the service and play “Sermon Bingo”. This has become one of our favorite Sundays.  To keep the kids engaged with the message, a bingo card is created with sermon points and relevant scripture. Upon getting five in a row, they yell, “Bingo!”. Upon conclusion of the service, they can redeem the complete bingo card for candy. It’s great!

Yes, it can be a distraction, but it is a distraction that is well worth it to have kids and families worshiping together and getting them involved in the life of our church.  Yes, children may be more active and may require more attention, but this is an opportunity for us to show them love and care.

So, why do we do this?

Firstly, kids learn by modeling. When children see their parents and other adults participating in worship, they learn that it is an important part of life. They learn about prayer, song, and the importance of community. Your kids model your behavior more than they model what you say to them. By creating environments for families to worship together, parents are given a prime opportunity to model worship.

Secondly, kids are an important part of the church community. As members of the church community, they should be included in all aspects of church life, including worship. They feel a sense of belonging and learn that they are valued members of the church.

Thirdly, kids contribute life and vitality to our worship services. Children have a natural sense of wonder and curiosity that can bring new life to our worship services. They are not afraid to ask questions and challenge our assumptions, which can lead to deeper conversations and a greater understanding of our faith. They also have a unique perspective on worship that can help us to see things in a new light.

Fourthly, kids who participate in worship are more likely to stay connected to the church. By including children in our worship services, we are helping to nurture their faith and give them a sense of belonging within the church community. Children who grow up attending worship services are more likely to develop a strong faith foundation that will stay with them throughout their lives. They are also more likely to remain connected to the church as they grow older and become adults. This way, when they “graduate” from kids ministry, they are already a part of “Big Church” and don’t have to try to fit in to something they have never been a part of.

Lastly, families are strengthened when they worship together. When children are included in the service, parents and children have the opportunity to share in the same experience and talk about it together afterwards. This can help to strengthen family bonds and create a sense of unity within the family. By worshiping together, families can deepen their relationships and grow in their faith together.

At Grace Church, we include children in our worship services because we believe that it is important for their faith development, for the church community, for the vitality of our worship, and for strengthening families. We believe that children are an important part of our community, and that they have much to offer us.

Some (most) may not even know, but yes, Grace owns and operates a business separate from the church. It’s a different concept, but not entirely foreign. In 2015, I (Austin) had the privilege of attending the SEND Conference in Nashville, TN. Speaking one night, David Platt, the then president of the IMB, said something along the lines of, “God has orchestrated the global economy in such a way that we get to send people all over the world and we don’t have to pay for it. The job of the local church is to disciple their people so when they are sent, we are not losing them, but we are sending them to the foreign mission field.” Immediately, this got me thinking – if we can leverage the global economy for foreign missions, how can we leverage local economies for the local church?

After years of this just being an idea in my head, in February of 2023, Co:Mission Collaborative officially opened.

So, why do we do this? The reasons are many, but they almost all fall into one of three categories: stewardship, relationship, and presence.

Stewardship

In ministry, every dollar matters. It is the responsibility of leadership to steward resources well. People give to and through the church through tithes and sacrificial giving, so there is an incredible responsibility in managing those finances for the glory of God and the mission of the church. In church planting, not only does every dollar matter, but every dime matters. Did you know the number one reason church plants fail is finances? Many church plants work on shoestring budgets as they raise outside funding from partnering churches and networks as a foundation of financial support. Typically, this support will tier-down year after year, and dissipate within five years at which point there is an expectation of self-sustainability.  It becomes a race against the clock to grow. I began thinking of ways to mitigate the risk of financial failure, while stewarding resources well, and leveraging the local economy to generate revenue for the church and mission.

We now meet in a space in which the business carries all operating expenses – lease, utilities, Wi-Fi, etc. Grace Church as the sole-owner of the business has complete access to the space, however the business generates revenue to lower church overhead and operating expenses. Additionally, once the business reaches profitability, those additional funds are going to be used to directly support missions and church planting.

In light of the trending decline in church attendance, which has led to a decline in financial giving and has quickened the death of many churches, it is time to start getting creative and proactive in considering the long-term viability of the financial ministry plan in our churches.

Relationship

Church planting is hard. It is highly relational, and church planters look for every possible avenue to engage people. If the statistics are true, most people living in the community surrounding your church will never walk through your doors on a Sunday morning. They are far less likely to walk through your doors Monday-Friday when the church is “closed”. If you were to consider how to intentionally engage with people in your community in an effort to fill a gap, meet a need, and simultaneously benefit the mission of the church, what would that look like?

If we could create another way to enter conversations, establish relationships, and connect with people in our community on multiple levels, and we aren’t compromising our mission shouldn’t we do it?

Even if you aren’t producing revenue by having people in your building Monday through Friday, you can still create an environment to cultivate relationships with your community by opening the doors for Mom groups, homeschool co-ops, Trail Life, community organizations, and other groups in your community looking for places to meet.

Relationships are built over time. Consider how to build and cultivate these relationships in ways other than the front door on Sunday mornings.

Presence

As a church, we are intentional about being involved in our community on multiple levels. Each month during the summer we host a Party in the Park, while also serving our city during their summer concert series by providing activities for kids. We are still new, and not as recognizable as several of the more established churches in our city (which do great things for our community, have been awesome in welcoming us, and we are grateful for their presence). Even though we are smaller, newer, and limited by resources, we are never going to stop loving our community. We ARE going to be a presence because we know that is how we are going to reach people.  By operating a business, it allows us to add to our community presence by engaging different spheres through participating in local commerce and filling needs in the marketplace.

The mission of the Co:Mission Collaborative is not just to make money. It is deeper than that. It is to be good stewards the resources the Lord has given, to engage in relationships that may otherwise be out of reach, and be a consistent presence in our community.

We believe this is a way forward for churches to remain financially viable, engaged in their community, and pursue the mission the Lord has given them through multiple avenues. We are not saying this is the only way to plant or to operate as a church. We are not even saying this is the right way for everyone. However, we believe this is what the Lord has placed before us, and though it is a risk, is there a better way to exercise faith than stepping into the unknown?