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 love sacrificially 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 worldwide 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 community, seeking to communicate creatively with not-yet-believers God’s truth and grace
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 engage actively 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 (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:
- Geoffrey Aggen
- Doug Bruinius
- Peter Colangelo (chairman)
- Jim Garrison
- Phillip Hines
- Brian Josephs
- Steve Van Zee
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 Master's 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 five 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 the Saint Xavier University of Chicago. Greg and his wife, Lisa, have two married children and three adorable grandchildren.
Steven Dell - Associate Pastor for Youth
sdell@gfcoakforest.org
Steven Dell joined the pastoral team as the Associate Pastor for Youth Ministries in October 2023. Steven joins us with over ten years of experience in youth work, having received his bachelor’s degree in Youth Ministry from Trinity Christian College in 2012. He and his wife, Kari, both grew up in the South suburbs. Kari has been actively involved at Grace for many years, and Steven grew up in Oak Forest and attended Grace’s Awana program. We are excited to see all that the Lord has in store for Steven, Kari, and our church family as we serve the Lord together.
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, and we also find the contemporary hymns worthy of corporate praise.
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