About us – GRACEHILL MISSION CHURCH

OUR VISION

“A gospel movement that is a mirror of God’s image and a channel of His love to the world.”

OUR MISSION

“Building People in the Word to Impact the World.”

OUR MINISTRY MODEL

Grow deeper;
Build every member and every family in the word to impact the world

Reach wider;
Release every gift to serve and fulfill the Great Commission

Affirm the body of Christ;
Build God’s kingdom by participating in the life of the body beyond our church

Connect with one another;
Build a loving, sharing community through small group fellowships and ministry teams

Expand our ministry capacity;
Build our resource capacity to achieve our God-given vision

OUR CONTINUING STORY OF GRACE!

Gracehill Mission Church was born out of a vision shared in a Missions class for Masters students at the International Leadership University (ILU), formerly NIST. The Missions professor, Dr. Peter Chin, while teaching a course in urban missions shared with the class his desire to plant a church targeting young urban professionals. Eight students joined Dr. Chin in the pursuit of this vision. After months of discussion, prayer and retreating to seek divine guidance, Nairobi Mission Church was born as an independent evangelical congregation. We held our first service under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Peter Chin on 14^th January 2001 in the ILU hall with an attendance of about 20. From this small beginning, the Lord has graciously grown the church to include several congregations and many impacting ministries. The church is led by a team of elders, pastors/staff team, and deacons.

Dr. Chin left Kenya in 2003 for ministry in the U.S. and Korea and the church leadership passed to the current senior pastor, Rev. Peterson Rukenya. In 2018, the Church acquired and moved to its current facilities in Kikuyu, Thogoto. From here, many ministries and church plants continue to be born.

CHANGE OF NAME — FROM NAIROBI MISSION CHURCH TO GRACEHILL MISSION CHURCH

It is this continued growth beyond Nairobi that necessitated the change of name from Nairobi Mission Church to Gracehill Mission Church. Besides, the church is located on a beautiful hilly landscape that reminds us that we are a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. We are a lighthouse shedding the light of the gospel far and wide.

Gracehill Mission Church is set on a hill in the Thogoto area which has a rich missions’ heritage that has shaped both our nation and our region. From this hill, the Lord is spreading his grace all around. As we look at our neighborhood and our world, we cling to the promise of Ezek. 34:26:

“I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.” Ezek. 34:26, NKJV

We are a Jesus-loving family that is passionate about his word and his kingdom. We are passionate and emphatic on missions (as our name affirms), the expository and wholistic teaching and application of the Bible, the priesthood of all believers (everyone equipped and facilitated to serve), the discipleship of the whole family, community transformation, student ministry, and excellence and faithfulness in the stewardship of all that God has entrusted to us.

We believe that God is shaping and writing our stories for his glory and his honor. We also believe that corporately and individually, we are pens in the hand of God—he is using us to wrote his story in his world as obey his word and pursue his commands. We are glad to be part of the beautiful kingdom story that God is writing! Welcome and be part of the unfolding story!

OUR CORE VALUES

We value the accurate teaching and practical application of God’s word

We are committed to the proper exposition of the word of God in our services, in our small groups and in the life of every believer. We believe the Word of God ought to be taught, studied, understood and applied for fruitful, transformed living in every sphere of life.

We value the family

We believe family is the building block of the church. We are committed to building every member of the family— children, youth, and adults.

We value community

We are one family in Christ. We express our shared life in small groups. We are committed to growing as one big family expressed in many smaller families called Jirani Teams. Jirani Teams give us a platform for fellowship, accountability, growth and mutual encouragement.

We value prayer

We believe prayer must be at the core of all we do. We are committed to prayer at the individual, small group, Jirani teams and the wider church family.

We value holistic ministry

We are passionate about community transformation. We believe the Great Commission is about reaching and discipling the whole person and the whole community.

We value good governance

We are committed to honoring Christ by serving Him with integrity. We are committed to biblical structures of ministry. We will have ministry structures that enhance integrity and good governance.

We value partnership
We are committed to partnerships and fellowship within the wider Church of Jesus Christ. We see ourselves as part of the universal Church—the body of Jesus Christ all over the world that is represented by, and expressed through many different local churches. We seek to work together with other churches and ministries to extend the kingdom of God.

OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH

We explicitly affirm our belief as follows:

a) The Bible

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, the sixty-six books of the Bible as contained in the Old and the New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed as the final authority in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises. (1 Tim 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21)

b) The Trinity (One God in three Persons)

We believe that there is one living and true GOD, eternally existing in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all things. (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:8, 48:16; Matthew 28:19-20; John 10:30; Hebrews 1:3).

GOD THE FATHER

We believe in the person of God the Father; infinite, eternal, self-existing, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all those who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 90:2, 102:27; John 3:16, 4:24; I Timothy 1:17; Titus 1:3).

GOD THE SON

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal, pre-existent Son of God. He appeared and ministered in the Old Testament. He became flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth and was born of the virgin Mary by miraculous conception and virgin birth. He is fully God and fully man; perfect deity and humanity. He lived a sinless human life, perfect by fulfilling the divine law and then offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of every person. He died on the cross, shedding His blood, in full substitution and atonement for the sins of all men everywhere. He was buried, and on the third day He arose bodily from the dead, alive forevermore. He later ascended bodily into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father, He now intercedes for those who believe in Him. He will come again to earth to judge the living and the dead. (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:23; Mark 16:19; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-2, 8:58,11:25; I Corinthians 15:3-4; I Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:8; I John 1:2; Revelation 1:8).

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit, who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower for ministry all who believe in Christ (John 16:8-11; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:26, 15:13,16; II Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 9:14). We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide (John 6:13, 14:16-17, 16:8-11; Romans 8:26).

c) Angels

We believe in the existence of angels who are created by God. They are superior to man, yet inferior to God. There are both good (holy) and fallen (demonic) angels.

Good angels

The holy, elect angels minister on behalf of God to believers, the nations of the world, and to unbelievers. They carry out God’s instructions. Holy angels had significant ministry to Christ. These angels are not to be worshipped, prayed to, or commanded by human beings. They worship the triune God alongside all believers and do not accept worship from man.

Fallen angels (demons)

The fallen angels were persuaded to rebel against God by Satan, the fallen guardian angel. Satan rebelled against God out of pride and now actively opposes God at every level and by every possible means. His main scheme is to lead mankind away from worshipping God and seduce them to worship him (Satan). The fallen angels (demons) assist Satan in his scheme to lead humanity away from God. Eventually, Satan and all his demons will be judged by God and condemned to eternal punishment. (John 3:8, Eph 6:10-20, Rev. 20:1-3, 10)

d) Mankind

Man was created in the image of God. He sinned by disobeying God and he was alienated from his Creator. That historic fall brought mankind under condemnation. Man’s nature is corrupted. We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice, falling short of God’s standard and breaking His commandments—and therefore are under God’s righteous judgment. Yet, God saves and gives new life to all who come to Him in repentance and faith, trusting in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. At the cross, Jesus Christ died in our place as our substitute, absorbing God’s wrath that should have come upon us. Because Jesus died for the sins of the world, the invitation to believe is open to all, and whoever desires may come to Jesus for new life and for forgiveness of sins. Only through regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.

e) Death and Resurrection

It is appointed for man to die once. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead. At physical death, the believer enters immediately into eternal, conscious fellowship with God and awaits the resurrection of the body to everlasting glory and blessing. At physical death, the unbeliever enters immediately into eternal, conscious separation from God and awaits the resurrection of the body to everlasting judgment and condemnation. (Gen 1:26-27, 3:1-24, Rom 5:12-21, Titus 3:5-7, Rev 19:1-22:21)

f) Salvation by Grace

The salvation of man is wholly a work of God’s grace and is not the work, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness or religious ceremony. The shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit, and thus become children of God. (Eph. 2:8-10; Rom 3:21-26, John 1:12,13, John 5:11-13)

g) Assurance of Salvation

It is the privilege of all who are born again of the Spirit to be assured of their salvation from the very moment in which they trust Christ as their Savior. This assurance is not based upon any kind of human merit but is produced by the witness of the Holy Spirit, who confirms in the believer the testimony of God in His written word. (1 John 12:5-13, Jude 1:24, Rom. 8:16, John 10:29)

h) Baptism of the Holy Spirit

We believe in the Baptism with the Holy Spirit as a distinct and separate experience to that of regeneration, occurring either subsequent to or simultaneous with salvation, evidenced by a greater dynamic in the Christian’s life, enabling that person to be a bold and more effective witness. We believe in the gift of speaking in tongues as one of the evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit. We hold that the supreme evidence of the Spirit-filled life is the fruit of the Spirit in the life of the believer. We believe in the present-day ministry of the Holy Spirit in regard to the exercise of all biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit according to the instructions given to us (1 Cor. 12-14, Gal. 5:22).

i) The Church of Christ on Earth

We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is to be understood in two senses, namely universal and local. In the universal sense, the church is composed of all such persons everywhere who through saving faith in Jesus Christ, have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. In the local sense, a church is a called out living assembly of believers associated by a covenant of faith and fellowship, organized by New Testament principles, assembling regularly together under common leadership for edification in the word, worship, fellowship and mutual encouragement, observance of ordinances and for ministry.

(Acts 2:41, 42, 1 Cor. 12:20-28, Eph 1:22-23, 1 Thess. 4:13-18, Col. 3:16)

j) The Great Commission

The Lord Jesus Christ commanded all believers to proclaim the gospel throughout the world and to disciple all nations. The fulfillment of the Great Commission must be the priority and commitment of every believer and every local church. We commit ourselves to be witnesses of Jesus beginning from where we are and intentionally spreading the gospel to the furthest ends of the world.

We are to make disciples by the proclamation and teaching of the gospel. We are to integrate the new disciples into local churches which then nurture them into mature soul-winning disciples of Christ. (Matt 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:7-8)

k) The Priority of the Family

We believe in the sanctity of the family as created by God and as described in the Scriptures. A family is the product of the union between one man and one woman who are joined together in the holy union of marriage. We believe marriages must be performed in the manner prescribed in the Scriptures. The family, as instituted by God, is the foundation of a healthy society. God hates divorce. Marriage and the family must be treasured and guarded at all costs. We are commanded to bring up our children in the way of the Lord and the church has the responsibility to empower families towards that end. (Gen 2:24; Mal. 4:14-16; Matt 19:7-9; Eph 4:22-6:4; Heb 13:4)

l) Ordinances and Practices

Ordinances

We believe that the Lord, Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances for the church: water baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Water Baptism

Water baptism is by full immersion. Those who qualify to be baptized are believers who have knowingly and publicly confessed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. (Matthew 28:19; Matt. 3:16; Acts 2:38; Col. 2:12)

While there is no set age for baptism, we believe baptism is for all believers who have knowingly repented their sins and chosen to follow Christ. As such, children who have attained the age of at least seven years and have knowingly repented their sins and chosen to follow Christ qualify for water baptism.

Holy Communion

The Lord Jesus instituted the Holy Communion (also referred to as The Last Supper as The Lord’s Table) on the night he was betrayed and instructed the disciples to hold the ordinance in memory of his substitutionary death. The non-alcoholic elements used in the Lord’s supper are only an illustration and reminder of the body of Christ broken on the cross and his blood that was shed for us at Calvary. Believers are to share in the holy communion regularly. (Luke 22:19-20; I Corinthians 11:23-26). Children who have attained the age of at least seven years and have knowingly repented their sins and chosen to follow Christ qualify to partake in the Holy communion.

Practices