Granger Community Church

Granger Community Church is a United Methodist mega church located in Granger, Indiana, USA, near South Bend. It was co-founded in 1986 by Mark Beeson, who is currently the lead pastor.[2] The church has five weekend services with approximately 4,000 attendees, making it the ninth-largest United Methodist church in the United States.[1]

Granger Community Church
Granger Community Church
LocationGranger, Indiana
CountryUnited States
DenominationUnited Methodist
Weekly attendance4,000 (2016)[1]
Websitegrangerchurch.com
History
Founded1986[2]
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)Mark Beeson

Granger Community Church is a multi-site church. The service times at the Granger Campus are Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.[3] There is also a campus in Elkhart, Indiana, with services on Sundays at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.[4] Childcare is provided for newborns through fifth grade.[5]

Pastors and staff

Mark Beeson is the senior pastor at Granger Community Church. In 1986, he and his wife, Sheila, started the church in their living room, with fewer than ten people. Their dream was to reach out to people who were not currently attending church, instead of pulling from other churches.[6] Tim Stevens, one of the co-founders of Grange community church, described the process as a "start up".[7]

Beeson has delivered the keynote address at Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Church Conference, and is an active member of Warren's Peace Coalition.[8] He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Ball State University, his Master of Divinity degree from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, and his Doctor of Ministry degree in leadership development from United Theological Seminary in Trotwood, Ohio.[6]

Mark Beeson, John Keim, Ted Bryant and Dave Moore make up the executive team at Granger Community Church as of 2019.[9] A former senior team member, Tony Morgan, is a blogger for Christianity Today and consultant for Christian churches.[10]

An administrative assistant for the church caused an explosion at her home in 2015,[11] and was given probation, but later committed suicide; the funeral was held at the church she worked at.[12]

Activities

Starting in 2009, Granger Community Church was one of the first large churches to stream their services online, which at the time was derided as "Christianity lite",[13] [14] a service that is common in 2019 for Protestant churches.

In 2019, the church hosted a national conference, the Global Leadership Summit.[15]

Granger Community Church hosts numerous weekly and annual programs. It has been a polling place for local, state, and national primary and general elections in 2018 and 2019.[16] [17] [18] The church hosts an annual "food drop".[19]

The church has a large and unique architecture that includes a "commons" - a dining area, library, coffee house, and pre-school.[20]

The church hosts support groups for people in recovery from drug addiction.[21]

Parishioners

Kristin Baker, a 2017 finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year, is a volunteer at the church.[22] The memorial for John Copeland Nagle, a prominent professor of law at Notre Dame University, was held at Granger Community Church in 2019.[23]

References
  1. "Statistical Resources". General Council on Finance and Administration. United Methodist Church. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  2. "Staff". Granger Community Church. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  3. "Granger Campus". Granger Community Church. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  4. "Elkhart Campus". Granger Community Church. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  5. "Granger Kids". Granger Community Church. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  6. "Meet the Staff". Granger Community Church. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  7. Stevens, Tim (April 7, 2015). "15 Ways to Revolutionize Your Workplace". Entrepreneur magazine. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  8. "Rick Warren and 1,700 Leaders Launch the Peace Coalition at Purpose Driven Summit". Christian News Wire. May 24, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  9. "Granger Community Church's Executive Team". Granger Community Church. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  10. Morgan, Tony (January 25, 2018). "The Multiplying Leader". Christianity Today. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  11. Black, Virginia (August 3, 2015). "Granger house explosion reveals a troubled life: Granger house explosion reveals her troubles". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  12. Bourgeois, Caleigh (November 8, 2016). "Out of the shadows: Michelle's story". ABC-TV 57. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  13. "Internet believers: Pastors open online churches". Associated Press. November 2, 2009. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  14. Kwon, By Lillian (June 7, 2012). "Why Go to Church When You Can Watch Online?". Christian Post. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  15. Hernandez, Darla (July 30, 2019). "Moms First: World class leadership summit to be hosted at Granger Community Church". WSBT-TV. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  16. "Get Indiana primary election results here". WSTB-TV. May 20, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  17. Ambrose, Aimee (November 5, 2019). "Election 2019: Turnout 'steady' so far in 2019 elections". The Goshen News. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  18. Schneider, Roger (November 3, 2019). "Election 2019: Absentee voting turnout tops primary, all of 2015". The Goshen News. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  19. "Granger church to host annual food drop". South Bend Tribune. January 18, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  20. Stetzer, Ed (July 21, 2016). "Trends in Church Architecture, Part 4: Here are seven "Third Places" churches have built in and for their communities". Christianity Today. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  21. Black, Virginia (January 3, 2017). "South Bend brothers with rocky pasts lean on each other now". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  22. Beabout, Leandra (September 22, 2017). "Kristin Baker, local finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year". The Goshen News. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  23. "Notre Dame professor John Copeland Nagle dies at 58". The Indiana lawyer. May 21, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
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