A Congregation of Disciples
Grace Assembly of God in Greenwood, Indiana, has relaunched under a new name, Gracehouse Church, reflecting a refreshed identity concentrating more on making devoted disciples of Christ, not just dedicated attendees.
“As a church, we have become increasingly concerned that people in our church might be becoming more dependent on the church than on depending upon Jesus,” Wayne Murray, 56, lead pastor says. “We find in the book of Acts that followers of Jesus were sent and empowered by the Holy Spirit with more emphasis on making disciples who make disciples.”
Murray took over Grace Assembly in 1997 when he was 27 years old, after serving as a youth pastor in two other churches. He arrived in Greenwood, a suburban city of about 65,000 near Indianapolis, with his wife Traci, and six-month-old son, Braden. Grace AG had 23 members and was under the Indiana AG district’s supervision.
Early on he introduced and has sustained the spiritual disciplines of fasting and prayer, which continue today. Every January the congregation follows 21 days of corporate fasting and prayer.
“It has taken hold as part of the normal rhythm of our ministry,” he says.
In 28 years, the church has flourished and fueled five building programs, three new sanctuaries and a 30-acre campus. Current attendance exceeds 1,500 congregants, and the church ministers with a paid staff of 24 full and part time employees.
Although the church had seen significant growth, the Covid pandemic sparked a wakeup call. Some people permanently stopped attending the church, while others switched to viewing services online. Murray questioned if he had done a good enough job making disciples.
During the next few years, he did a deep dive into the book of Acts to rediscover the principles of how the first New Testament church did ministry.
While attending the Indiana AG district presbyters meeting in the spring of 2024, he was moved by Allen Tennison, theological counsel to the General Council, who addressed the pastoral audience with a challenging message: “We may be better at discipling people to be good church members versus discipling them to be good followers of Jesus.”
According to Murray, Tennison’s message clarified what the Holy Spirit had been revealing in his heart.
Studying the book of Acts, he gleaned seven core values for the congregation to adopt – the presence of God, biblical engagement, spiritual empowerment, a Great Commission culture, biblical community, everyone is a minister, and valuing every generation (each generation brings strength and wisdom contributing to the church’s vibrancy and health).
Emphasizing prayer, worship, community outreaches, and house groups continues as they seek to realign the church around these seven core values.
Elliott Murray, 24, Gracehouse creative director, leveraged his business administration degree from North Central University by providing expertise in communicating the gospel to the Greenwood community and helping guide the church’s new identity and the implementation details. “The Holy Spirit was actually the force behind our creativity,” he says.
For the team, joining the name Grace to house speaks family, belonging and community, and the idea that church is not just a building, but a spiritual home.
Overall, Gracehouse’s congregation has accepted and supported the rolling out of this new chapter. Since the beginning of 2025, several hundred new congregants have attended services.
Bruce Richardson, a former elder and member of the prayer ministry, sees seasoned Christians more comfortable praying with individuals at the altar during Sunday services since the shift towards making disciples. He prays for the church with 12 to 17 men on Saturday mornings at 6:30 a.m.
“I’m also encouraged about messages in tongues and the interpretations given,” he says. “Our services are more vibrant now when we give more room for the moving of the Holy Spirit.”
Mahota Williams, 46, a registered nurse and member of Grace’s medical, safety, and security team, has attended the church since 2002.
“Change can be difficult to wrap your brain around,” she says. “Initially I was slightly resistant to the changes, but I trusted pastor Wayne and his sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Before we were more focused on doing ministry, rather than focused first on God and the needs of people.”
She reports a new level of excitement in the church. And her prayer life has increased along with sharing her faith.
Murray’s illustrated sermons and other creative ideas have clearly presented the gospel, as well as addressed hard topics with truth and grace, but Murray gives all the glory to God.
He says, “We see this rebranding as the start of a new chapter in our ministry and one that will live beyond us. At the end of the day, we want to be obedient to what Jesus commanded us to do, which is to make disciples.”
