History
Grace Church really began in 1977 when twenty-four young believers met in the basement of a home in Maryland. They wanted to build a New Testament Church. Along the way, they became convinced that the pattern of churches in the New Testament is to start new churches as the primary means of telling more people about Jesus. They started a number of new congregations. Each time they did this, they sent members and pastors out to replicate their church life. They have grown to be the family of churches called Sovereign Grace Ministries.
In 1986, these believers in Maryland heard a call of God and sent a team of people all the way to Pasadena, California. The team started Abundant Life Community Church. That fellowship of believers developed. In 1997, they responded to God's work in their midst and gave birth. God called one of their pastors, Craig Cabaniss and his family, to San Diego to start Grace Church.
We began in Sabre Springs. Other churches in our family of churches sent helpers to lead worship, to let our new ministry be known, and to tell others about the Gospel. Grace Church took root and grew and began to train its members in our simple way of life together. God brought people to us from all sections of San Diego County and, more recently, Riverside County. God provided us with space to meet in various public schools.
In 2003 Sovereign Grace Ministries asked the Cabaniss family to consider a move to Dallas, Texas, to plant a church. After much prayer and counsel with the other pastors, Craig believed it was the call of God. But he would not leave until God provided his replacement. The pastors and our overseers began to pray for God to bring the new pastor to lead Grace Church.
In 2004 God provided Mark Lauterbach, a pastor with many years' experience and recently adopted into Sovereign Grace Ministries, to lead Grace Church and the pastoral team. He and Craig worked together for six months in a grace-filled transition. At the end of this time, Grace Church gave birth - we sent out our founding pastor and nine families to Dallas to begin Grace Church of Frisco, Texas.
Since 2004, God has brought new people to us to continue our mission to San Diego County. God has supplied us with a place of our own where we can meet for worship. Our small groups continue to multiply and new leaders are being trained.