My Evaluation of Grace Central Church, Gilbert SC

Being recently retired from secular employment, I have been looking to join with a local congregation.  My employment was a traveling job and kept me away from home.  I lean in the direction of a good Evangelical presbyterian church.  The only churches in my area in that category are either Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), or Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP).  The choices are few.  Lexington PCA near me in Lexington, SC is part of the Tim Keller social justice nonsense and the Revoice movement, which legitimizes sexual orientation as an inborn predisposition rather than a sympton of total depravity.

The ARP churches are mixed.  The small ones are not much better than the large PCA church I just mentioned.  First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC has traditional worship and is fairly conservative, though there are few signs of compromise.  One minister suggested that Jesus didn't really fast for forty days in the desert; instead Jesus took other sustenance along the way.  Also, the ARP churches ordain women to the office of deacon, a clear violation of the qualifications for deacons as the husband of one wife.

So when I heard about Grace Central Church in Gilbert, SC, I thought why not give it a try.  The church purports to be in the same line as John MacArthur.  The pastor, Bud Moss, reports that he is a graduate of The Master's Seminary in California.  

I have visited there several times without any problems.  The worship was from the hymn book published by The Master's Seminary.  The sermons are fairly exegetical, though I detected a few times that the pastor was not adequately prepared.

What troubles me most are a few red flags.  First, the church has no doctrinal statement posted on the church website, other than a few brief distinctives here:

Distinctives:  Grace Central Church

 . . .We offer the following 7 Distinctives of Grace Central Church.

The Sovereignty of God

Grace Central Church affirms God’s sovereignty over all things (Psalm 115:3). Therefore, we will maintain a high view of God and a low view of man in terms of our worship, our view of salvation, and our philosophy of ministry.

The Sufficiency of Scripture

Grace Central Church affirms that Scripture is inerrant, infallible, and sufficient (Psalm 19:7-14). Therefore, we will feature expository preaching and biblical counseling.

Biblical Eldership

Grace Central Church affirms what the Bible teaches about church leadership (1 Timothy 3:1-7). Therefore, we will be ruled and served by a plurality of biblically-qualified elders.

Church Membership

Grace Central church affirms the importance of Christians being added to a local body of believers (Acts 2:41;47). Therefore, we will practice formal church membership.

Church Discipline

Grace Central Church affirms the Scriptural mandate to keep the church pure and free from the leaven of unrepentant sin (Matthew 18:15-20). Therefore, we will practice church discipline.

The Family

Grace Central Church affirms God’s creation of the family, and His designation of the roles within the family. Therefore, we will encourage families to obey God’s design for husbands, wives, parents, and children.

Evangelizing Children

Grace Central Church affirms God’s sovereignty over salvation and man’s responsibility to preach the gospel. Therefore, we will preach the gospel to our children while trusting the Lord’s sovereignty over their salvation.

I for one do not trust churches with bulletin lists of preferences, rather than a somewhat detailed doctrinal statement.  You will notice that there is no mention of believer's baptism versus infant baptism.  There is no mention of continuationism or cessationism in regards to the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  In fact, I encountered one guy who said that he was formerly a member of a Calvary Chapel church.  The young man then claimed that Grace was a non-denominational church, to which I responded that there is no such thing as a non-denominational church.  This is my first red flag.  Any church that claims to be non-denominational is basing its ministry on a blatant violation of the 9th commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness . . ."

Although there is an indirect admission that the church is dispensational, to learn this information you would have to hear the pastor preach on his views on eschatology.  Furthermore, there is no mention in the doctrinal statements about any commitment to the trinity, the incarnation of Christ as both God and man, no mention of the doctrine of sola Scriptura or any of the other four solas of the Protestant Reformation.

There is no mention of Lordship Salvation, though this emphasis on sanctification is one of John MacArthur's primary emphases.  Also, where is the mention of justification by faith alone?  MacArthur himself does not have a detailed doctrinal statement on his website, but anyone can listen to his sermons and gather that he has at least some commitment to the doctrines of the London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689.

Last Sunday, the pastor, Bud Moss, preached a sermon on pride and attacked anyone who didn't agree with his church as proud Pharisees.  He also attacked presbyterians as either postmillennialists or amillennialists, while affirming his own views on the rapture, the premillennial rapture, and a thousand year reign of Christ.  Apparently, Moss did not realize that some presbyterians, including the late Dr. Gordon H. Clark, agree with a premillennial return of Christ.  Furthermore, the Westminster Confession itself does not specifically mention the rapture.  It does, however, mention the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to judge the world, but does not specify exactly whether it is premillennial, amillennial or postmillennial:

III. As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, both to deter all men from sin, and for the greater consolation of the godly in their adversity; so will he have that day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come; and may be ever prepared to say, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.  WCF  33:3.

I was more than willing to join the church and support it if I were in fact welcome there.  But after learning that I am not welcome there, I won't be returning.  In fact, in the sermon on pride, Moss suggested that if you believe anything other than what he teaches, you should find another church.  His sermon sounded more like some of the Pentecostal sermons I have heard decades ago that suggested that you should never question the pastor's sermons because that would violate the principle of "touch not mine anointed".  ( 1 Chronicles 16:22; Psalm 105:15). You can listen to the sermon here:  The Pain of Pride Part 2.

In this sermon the pastor, following the Pentecostal view, suggested that we should never question the doctrinal positions of other churches because they are doing the Lord's work: 

And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us. (Lk. 9:50 KJV)

Unfortunately, Jesus also said that whoever is not for him is against him:

He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. (Matt. 12:30 KJV)

I for one do not equate berating other Christians with exegetical preaching.  It's also sinful to accuse other Christians of being proud for having differing views of what the Bible teaches on non-essential matters.  It was interesting to note that Moss admitted that there is no such thing as a non-denominational church, while doubling down on the fact that his church is a non-denominational church. 

I understand that planting a new church requires strong leadership.  Pastors do not want to deal with anyone who is knowledgeable about the Bible and might question certain aspects of the ministry.  But if a pastor is that insecure, what's the point of starting a new church?  I noticed that there is little emphasis on studying the Bible for oneself.  The other problem I have with the church is the use of a modern translation for preaching.  I am not sure if the preferred translation is the ESV or the Legacy Bible.  Either way, it is based on highly questionable textual criticism.  If I were to use a modern translation it would be the New King James Version.  However, I still prefer the KJV.

Another issue for me is that it seems that church discipline is only about moral issues, not doctrinal issues.  Suppose a church member was pushing a heresy or causing disruption over a doctrinal distinction?  Would that be cause for church discipline?

I will close here.  This is an impromptu response.  I could have missed a few other complaints I had about the church.  In short, though, I would not feel comfortable with recommending this church.  I would prefer either a Reformed Baptist church or one of the more traditional Presbyterian churches in the Lexington or West Columbia area.