Granite Springs FAQs
What kind of church is Granite Springs?
What is Grace?
What happens on Sunday mornings?
What does Granite Springs believe?
Is Granite Springs affiliated with a church denomination?
What about the celebration of Communion (sometimes called “the Lord’s Supper” or the “Eucharist”)?
What will happen to me if I invest in the life of Granite Springs and commit my life to Jesus?
How big is this Church?
How did Granite Springs begin?
Read an excerpt from Pastor Kevin Adam’s book, The Book that Understands You
What kind of church is Granite Springs?
Granite Springs is a Christian Church that welcomes you wherever you are in your spiritual journey. One word sums up everything we hope to be – Grace.
What is Grace?
It is unmerited favor. Or God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is best defined by story. Our favorite story is Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15). We believe that all of us have at one time acted like the younger or the elder son in the story. The younger son has run away from all that is good and true. The dutiful elder son is bitter and angry that his “goodness” hasn’t earned him anything. Each week, we invite younger and elder children to become spiritual parents like the father in the story. We believe that the father is full of Grace—generous, forgiving, long suffering, joyful, hospitable. He spares nothing to invite BOTH of his sons to the party.
What happens on Sunday mornings?
Come as you are. There is no dress code. Beyond that, we describe our Sunday experience as…
Eclectic: We sing hymns that swing, contemporary music with depth, Taize choruses, and a few original songs. Worship elements might include a song from St. Patrick, an instrumental offertory by Coldplay, or a Psalm from memory.
Multi-Generational: Children lead by praying, families recite scripture together, high school students play bass guitar, and retirees sing.
Hospitable: Each week we welcome people from all walks of life and all faith experiences. We have long-term attendees from backgrounds as diverse as Jehovah’s Witness, Mormon, atheist, and Gnostic. In an effort to be accessible to all, we avoid unnecessarily pious language and jargon.
Catholic (small “c”—meaning the church of all times and all places): We occasionally quote Dietrich Bonheoffer or St. Francis, sing a South African march, or recite the Apostles’ Creed or Lord’s Prayer. While most of our prayers are free form, we also use prayers written by saints from around the world.
Reformed: We believe that all God’s creation is a gift to be enjoyed and that, as Jesus-followers, we are called to bring renewal to every area of life. It’s equally God-glorifying to play soccer, make wine, invent computer chips, or teach high school students.
Gospel-Focused: While some divide people by labels such as “conservative” or “liberal,” “evangelical” or “mainline,” or into categories like “believers” and “spiritual seekers,” we point everyone to the grace of the gospel. We believe that the gospel unites people from every race, nation, tribe, and tongue. And whether you’ve been in the church five minutes or 50 years, all people need grace most and in greater quantity. Forgiving your spouse, reconciling with your neighbor, participating in the renewal of all things…we can all use help.
What does Granite Springs believe?
Our central beliefs can be summed up in an ancient creed shared throughout the Christian world—the Apostles’ Creed. While not every church recites this creed as part of their worship or even lists it in their tradition, we believe that every Christian Church would say yes to its content.
Is Granite Springs affiliated with a church denomination?
Granite Springs belongs to a denomination called the Christian Reformed Church—“Christian” because it aims to follow Jesus; “Reformed” because it aims to continually reform itself to what the Bible says.
The value of belonging to a denomination is that we can accomplish things together that would be very difficult for one church to do alone. Our denomination is involved with disaster relief and community development all over the world. It runs a liberal arts college (Calvin College) and seminary (Calvin Theological Seminary) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It supports agencies which promote the development of new churches in North America and around the world. It is involved with improving race relations and providing ministries to the disabled and abused. It owns a publishing company which provides educational materials for churches. It has a radio ministry program which is broadcast in dozens of countries and languages around the world.
The Christian Reformed Church is part of those churches that broke off from the Roman Catholic Church during the protestant reformation. Historically, the Christian Reformed Church is of Dutch descent. Today, it is an increasingly diverse church that takes on many forms.
What about the celebration of Communion (sometimes called “the Lord’s Supper” or the “Eucharist”)?
Communion is celebrated on the first and third Sundays of each month. All people who profess to follow Jesus are invited to participate. No one is required to participate. Communion is celebrated using an ancient form called intinction. Participants are invited to come forward. Each person receives a piece of bread which they then dip in a goblet of juice and eat before returning to their seat. Communion happens near the end of the service.
What will happen to me if I invest in the life of Granite Springs and commit my life to Jesus?
We hope you come to “Granite Springs 101” where we will help you answer that question in detail. But if we must summarize…well, we’ll invite you to become a spiritual parent (see FAQ #2).
How big is this church?
Approximately 350 people join us each Sunday for worship. Over a month’s time, Granite Springs serves nearly 700 people through its ministries.
How did Granite Springs begin?
Our first service was held April 5, 1992. But our history really starts before that. In 1989, representatives from the Christian Reformed denomination studied the fast growing South Placer County area and decided it was ready for a new church. Thousands of people were pouring into the area and relatively few had found (or were looking for) a church home.
These representatives contacted Kevin and Gerry Adams in June of 1990 to see if they were interested in leaving the snowy winters of Minnesota for the Golden State. Kevin and Gerry visited Rocklin that summer. Later, in November, Kevin received a formal letter of “call” to begin a new church. After a lot of prayer and soul searching, they turned down that call.
In February, God was still working on Kevin, calling him west. After many sleepless nights and a growing desire to get involved with starting new churches, Kevin asked to be reconsidered. He was. And the Adams moved to Rocklin in July of 1991.
That summer was a time of studying the area, demographic work, door-to-door interviews, looking for people with a vision and love for unchurched people, and building relationships. God was bringing people from across the state and the country to this place and at this time to start Granite Springs.
The fall of 1991 was a time of small group studies, planning, strategy meetings, and training designed to start the new church. A “launch team” of 15 adults and ten children came together to begin this new work.
In February 1992, the “launch team” with help from their friends, contacted 12,000 people via the phone and invited them to the Grand Opening Worship on April 5, 1992. 25,000 newspaper-type invitations were also sent. 192 people attended the Grand Opening Worship and 198 came on Easter, April 19. The miracle of a new church was being born.
Attendance that first year averaged about 120 people a week. The week of Easter 1993, Granite Springs sent out another mailing of 20,000 invitations. In October 1993, Granite Springs went to two morning services.
Granite Springs Church purchased five acres on East Joiner Parkway in Lincoln in 2001. In the summer of 2003 construction began on a 14,000 square foot facility. The first Sunday services in the new facility took place on October 4, 2004. On the first Sunday of April, 2012 Granite Springs Church will celebrate its 20th birthday.