Grace Fellowship Church of Oak Forest is a non-denominational church in the south suburbs of Chicago, committed to making disciples of Jesus Christ through the clear, careful proclamation of God’s Word and its application to everyday life.
Grace Fellowship Church exists to glorify God by preaching and teaching His Word, the Bible — desiring to see people everywhere changed into passionate, growing followers of Jesus.
Recognizing our absolute dependence upon the Holy Spirit, we prayerfully embrace these essential core values:
We care about God and His glory… therefore:
• weekly, we gather corporately to worship our great God
• daily, we seek individually to reflect His great glory
We care about the Bible and its authority… therefore:
• we preach expositionally, systematically delving into its rich, inerrant truths
• we instruct appropriately, allowing the Word to transform children, students, men, and women
• we lead Biblically, encouraging men to sacrificially love and lead their families and our Church
• we seek daily to have our minds renewed by Scripture’s truths, applying them in all our relationships and responsibilities
We care about the Gospel and affirm its power… therefore:
• we support a world-wide outreach effort, sharing the good news that God loves us through His Son’s death and resurrection, saving all who acknowledge their sins and turn to Him in faith
• we endeavor to equip for impact in our own community, seeking to creatively communicate God’s truth and grace with not-yet-believers
We care about people and their needs… therefore:
• we strive to love one another and all within our reach
• we strive to welcome newcomers to Grace
• we strive to equip our people for compassionate service to others
• we strive to assist those in our midst in crisis
• we strive to counsel Biblically those who are in need
• we strive to train our people to be excellent stewards
• we strive to encourage each other to actively engage in relational ministry with one another, including fellowships groups, small groups, and Bible studies
Elders & Deacons
Grace Fellowship Church has a plurality of elders that lead and provide spiritual oversight to its members. GFC is committed to functioning with a plurality of elders. Our current elders are:
- Bob Crain
- Mark Carrera
- Greg Coutts
- Len Hardt
- Mark Johnson
- Tim Kledzik (chairman)
- Dale Ralston
Assisting the elders is a body of deacons that help provide for the local congregation's physical needs with spiritual oversight. Our current deacons are:
- Geoff Aggen
- Peter Colangelo (chairman)
- Tom Deuter
- Phil Hines
- Jim Garrison
- Steve VanZee
Pastoral Staff
Our pastors tend to the spiritual needs of our church body as they teach and facilitate worship.
Bob Crain - Senior Pastor
rcrain@gfcoakforest.org
Robert Crain has served as the Senior Pastor of Grace Fellowship Church since January 1997. He received his Bachelor's Degree from Pittsburg State University and his Master of Divinity Degree from The Master's Seminary. Bob and his wife Linda have three daughters and six amazing grandchildren.
Len Hardt - Associate Pastor
lhardt@gfcoakforest.org
After retiring from public school education after 32 years, Len Hardt was added to the Pastoral Team as Associate Pastor in June 2011. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Governor State University and a Masters Degree from Olivet Nazarene University. He also studied at Trinity Theological Seminary in Indiana. Len has served the Grace Fellowship congregation as an elder and Bible teacher for over a decade. Len and his wife, Colleen, have two children and four grandchildren.
Greg Coutts - Music Pastor
gcoutts@gfcoakforest.org
Dr. Greg Coutts has served as Associate Pastor of Music Ministries since June 2001. In addition to his duties at GFC, Greg is an Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and Chair of the Music Department at Saint Xavier University of Chicago. Greg and his wife Lisa have two married children and one adorable grandson.
Sam Bray - Associate Pastor
sbray@gfcoakforest.org
Sam Bray joined the staff in 2019 as Associate Pastor of Christian Education and Outreach. He is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Biblical languages. Sam and his wife Emilie have two sons.
Stephen Anderson - Youth Pastor
sanderson@gfcoakforest.org
Stephen Anderson came on board as our Youth Pastor in 2019 while finishing his studies at Moody Bible Institute in Biblical languages. He is currently working on his Masters at Trinity Theological Seminary. Stephen and his wife Nikki have one son.
We invite you to worship with us some Sunday. You won’t find an organ or a rock band in our services. We prefer to blend the new and old together. We love the classic hymns of the faith, but we also find the contemporary hymns to be worthy of corporate praise.
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