A BRIEF HISTORY OF
SOVEREIGN GRACE BIBLE CHURCH
Sovereign Grace Bible Church became a reality early in the winter of 2021. A few men and their families in the Austin area recognized the need for and desired to have a church that would nurture and be doctrinally sound for their families. A church that would hold to scripture unequivocally as inerrant, infallible and sufficient for all of life. These families started out meeting and holding services in their homes, along with other families joining shortly thereafter. Soon the need for a bigger space was apparent and the unnamed church had their first meeting in the Heartland Multiplex building in Macgregor MB on March 28, 2021.
Soon after meeting in this public building, the founding families named the church: Sovereign Grace Bible Church. Sunday school and worship was led by a small group of men and sermons by Pastor John MacArthur and live streaming of services from Grace Community Church in Los Angeles were a staple and an example of the kind of expository preaching and pastor/shepherding desired for this church.
It was the goal from the beginning to procure a Pastor/Shepherd after this order and various efforts to that end had begun. In April of 2022, the church hosted a guest speaker for a bible teaching conference. The speaker who was coming to our conference knew we were looking for a pastor and connected us with John Klassen, from La Crete Alberta, who travelled along to meet us and also agreed to speak at the conference. John came with extensive experience as a Bible Camp Representative, Missions Director, Youth and Associate Pastor and then serving as senior pastor for 7 years.
The conference and visitation went well and after a separate candidacy speaking engagement the weekend of May 9, 2022, John was accepted for the Pastor position at Sovereign Grace Bible Church and plans for his transition to Manitoba were underway. Pastor John and his family arrived the evening of August 3, 2022 and after settling in to their new home, began serving as the first Pastor of Sovereign Grace Bible Church, Sunday, August 14, 2022.
We are so thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed this body of believers and has graciously and abundantly supplied above all we could ask or think.
We are excited to see how the Lord will use SGBC going forward. We continue to stand by the doctrinal convictions set forth in our Doctrinal Statement. We know that the Lord will bless the teaching and preaching of His word to the salvation of sinners and the sanctification of saints. To Him be the Glory!
CORE CONVICTIONS
A certain set of core convictions drive all that we do as a local church. Our desire is to be a church where the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is proclaimed and where the Scriptures direct all that we do.
We believe without reservation that God has spoken through the Scriptures. The Scriptures are the word of God. As such, they are inerrant (without error), infallible (incapable of leading astray), and sufficient for everything that we are called to do as individuals and as a body. The Scriptures speak with the authority of God, and therefore we must submit to that authority.
We believe that God has chosen to glorify himself in this age by building his church. This work involves reaching the lost with the good news of the gospel and transforming the saints into the image of Christ. The primary means that God has appointed for this work is the preaching and teaching of his word. Therefore we aim to accurately handle the word of truth, which is able to guide us into sound doctrine and practice. The proclamation of God’s word is central to our worship.
We believe that our mission as a church is best summarized in the Great Commission and the parallel passages of Scripture (Math 28:18–20; Mark 16:15–16; Luke 24:45–48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8). We are to make disciples of Jesus Christ, first by bringing them to salvation through faith in Christ, and then by teaching them to live for him according to his word. Christ is the head of the church. Therefore, we must follow his directions and instructions rather than coming up with our own ideas on how to build the church.
We believe that man, as a sinner, is unable to deliver himself from the corruption, wickedness, and enmity that characterizes him in his natural state. Only by God’s regenerating grace can a sinner be transformed so that he comes to Christ in genuine faith and repentance. This transformation results in new affections—love for God and hatred of sin. It also results in a new desire to be obedient to God and His word. Because the Holy Spirit indwells genuine believers, we believe their lives will be marked by an increasing conformity to the image of Christ.
We believe that for God to be glorified through the visible church she must be kept pure. Therefore, we will follow our Lord’s instructions on dealing with sin in our midst. We will follow our Lord’s instructions in all areas of life and ministry because we do not exist to please men but to glorify God.
We will preach the word of God, evangelize the lost, baptize by immersion, teach the disciples, equip the saints, and partake of the Lord's Supper just as our Lord directed us.