Grace Church will open its doors to the public on August 20. Excitement and hopeful anticipation abound among the new congregation as the public launch date draws near. Amidst the preparations, Pastor Ryan Keeney took time to sit down with Benbrook Life and discuss the motivation and vision behind the new church plant.
Benbrook Life: Let’s start with the name. Why did you choose to call it Grace Church?
Pastor Keeney: The Bible’s deepest message is God’s grace to sinners and sufferers. Grace is unconditional love toward a person who does not deserve it. While everyone desperately needs it, grace is not about us. Grace is fundamentally a word about God: his un-coerced initiative and pervasive, extravagant demonstrations of care and favor. In grace, God gives nothing less than Himself. Grace is not a third thing or substance mediating between God and sinners, but is Jesus Christ in redeeming action. Jesus—the grace of God to sinners and sufferers—is what Benbrook needs. It needs extravagant grace that flips the normative religious message in our region of “do good to earn God’s favor” to “look at what Jesus has done to secure God’s favor for you.” This grace is our message. It is also our culture. A culture where it’s okay not to be okay. A culture where people don’t hide their sin and suffering but can and do honestly expose it. A culture where we don’t trust in our earnings, deserving, or meriting, but in God who “cares and stoops and rescues.” A culture that extends to others what we’ve received from God. We will be a forgiving, merciful, pursuant, gracious, and loving community.
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“Grace is our message. It is also our culture. A culture where it’s okay to not be okay. A culture where people don’t hide their sin and suffering…”
Benbrook Life: Why are you planting a new church?
Pastor Keeney: For more people to meet Jesus.
Benbrook Life: Many places probably need new churches. Why did you choose Benbrook?
Pastor Keeney: We are planting in Benbrook because the Greater Fort Worth area is growing. The people who are filling our neighborhoods are hurting. Because we believe that God’s grace will change these hurting lives, they can be used by God to change North Texas, the South, the U.S., and the world. Fort Worth is one of the fastest-growing large cities in the United States. This means the City of Benbrook is growing as well. It is projected to reach its ultimate population of approximately 48,095 people in the year 2050, nearly twice the 2010 population. It will be a changing landscape as young families continue to move in. The unchurched need to hear of the grace of God to them–sinners and sufferers. And so do the scores that the church has burned or neglected. Also we see Benbrook as a hub to send out church planting teams to other suburbs and small towns in the Southwest region of the Metroplex (think from Weatherford to Granbury to Burleson).
“The people who are filling our neighborhoods are hurting. Because we believe that God’s grace will change these hurting lives, they can be used by God to change North Texas, the South, the U.S., and the world.”
Benbrook Life: What kind of people are you hoping to reach with your message?
Pastor Keeney: Not people who are currently a member of a local church. People who have never been a part of a church or were burned by a church. People who are skeptical, antagonistic, or have run away from the church. That’s who we are starting this new church for.
“People who are skeptical, antagonistic, or have run away from the church. That’s who we are starting this new church for.”
Benbrook Life: Why are your Sunday gatherings at the Korean Central Church?
Pastor Keeney: The Korean Church gathers at 2:00 p.m. on Sundays, which allows us to gather at a more traditional time (10:00 a.m.)… which is a great time for us. Our relationship with the Korean congregation also helps minimize set-up for us and has provided opportunities for us to help them with their facilities. We have young families who can update and work on the landscape and buildings.
Benbrook Life: What is your vision for serving the community of Benbrook at large?
Pastor Keeney: We encourage our people towards: participation, restoration, conversation, and multiplication. Participation is getting involved in our community through seasonal events, shopping local, being regulars, tipping generously, joining the YMCA, and being a blessing in the workplace. Restoration is the intentional effort to meet the needs of others in such a way that they experience a kind of help or renewal, even if temporal. It helps people transition from trouble or need into a place of safety or satisfaction. Historically, Christians have called this type of ministry “works of mercy.” Our church focuses on foster care and adoption, the Benbrook Elementary School, and the widows in our neighborhoods. Also, we have individuals who volunteer in other ways (e.g., pregnancy center). Conversation is exchanging words and ideas with others at every level of human experience. Specifically, we mean when a Christian speaks with a stranger in the coffee shop, as well as when he or she talks about Jesus with a coworker, and so on. Multiplication is about planting other churches and helping revitalize declining churches.
Benbrook Life: How do you envision your church working with other churches in the area?
Pastor Keeney: At our first gathering as a core team, we prayed for the other churches in the area by name. I already have friendships with a few of the pastors in Benbrook and look to grow that. I want to work together, particularly collaborating to plant more churches. Many of the churches in Benbrook were planted in the past few decades, and we want to join in on that movement—especially with the projected growth of Benbrook over the next few decades.
Many of the churches in Benbrook were planted in the past few decades and we want to join in on that movement—especially with the projected growth of Benbrook over the next few decades.”
Benbrook Life: What are your expectations for the first 5 years of your new church?
Pastor Keeney: I want to plant a family here that loves one another and is committed to Benbrook over the long haul. I want us to be a people who bless our community. I want to baptize people in the park twice a year. I want to send out a church planter (or two) with teams.
“I want to plant a family here that loves one another and is committed to Benbrook over the long haul.”
Benbrook Life: Lastly, where can people go to learn more about you and your church?
Pastor Keeney: Anyone who wants to know more about Grace Church can visit our website (gracebenbrook.com). They can join us this Sunday, August 13, for our “Preview Service”. I’m also available for lunch or coffee (ryan@gracebenbrook.com) if anyone in Benbrook wants to meet up and discuss our new church.
Grace Church gathers on Sunday mornings at 10:00 am in the Korean Central Church building located at 200 E Mildred Ln in Benbrook, TX.
