Free Grace United

Free Grace United is a multicongregational church based in Elk River, Minnesota.[1] Free Grace United (formerly called "The Crossing") is considered "a family of grace-based interdependent churches," currently made up of small churches throughout Minnesota with a vision to launch 100 churches by 2040.[2] Each church operates under the same name, mission, values, and statement of faith, but meet in different cities with different pastors. Each FGU church features live preaching. The locations range from a central church building to public schools and a local brewery.

Free Grace United
Free Grace United
45°26′33.3″N 93°35′40.7″W
LocationElk River, Minnesota
CountryUnited States
Websitefreegrace.tv
History
Former name(s)The Crossing at Woodland Fellowship, The Crossing Church
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)Eric Dykstra, Kelly Dykstra
Pastor(s)Jason Keech, Kevin Wilson, Silas Austin, Ben Saffrin, Reuben Deisch, Mike Curtis, Brian Sparks, Ean McClelland, Trent Bergeron
Laity
Music group(s)Free Grace Worship

Values and beliefs

Lead Pastor Eric Dykstra expresses that Free Grace United is "always, only about Jesus,"[3] and focuses on reaching out to the community with the Gospel. The church seeks to "embrace culture rather than disengage from it...to reach more people in an attempt to introduce them to Jesus".[4] Free Grace United's Statement of Faith is available on its website, as well as its code of values.[5] Sermon outlines are the same at each location, though preached live by different pastors, and are based on biblical principles.[6]

History

In 2004, Eric and Kelly Dykstra were sent by Grace Fellowship Church in Brooklyn Park, MN to lead an Elk River church plant, Woodland Fellowship. At the 2004 Sherburne County Fair the church was renamed to "The Crossing at Woodland Fellowship", based on the votes of fair-goers. Dykstra replanted the church with this vision: "To thrill believers with spiritual truths of an awe-inspiring God and to move seekers one step closer to a real relationship with Jesus." In October, The Crossing at Woodland Fellowship held its first Grand Opening at Marcus Theatres’ Elk River Cinema.[7]

2005 - The Crossing adopted Celebrate Recovery, a 12-step faith-based recovery group that welcomed people struggling with "hurts, habits, and hang-ups".[8]

2009 - The first permanent location of The Crossing at Woodland Fellowship was purchased across the street from Elk River High School. The church's name was abbreviated to "The Crossing," and plans were initiated to expand the church into neighboring cities. In October, The Crossing's first satellite campus was launched at Westwood Elementary in Zimmerman, Minnesota.

2010 - In February, The Crossing committed to fully support an orphanage in Haiti after the January earthquake that left the country devastated. In June, the first THRILL+MOVE Conference was held at the Elk River Campus. The new Big Lake Campus launched in September at a bar called The Friendly Buffalo in Big Lake, Minnesota. The church made local news when it gave away four pairs of Vikings season tickets on the opening weekend of its series "First & Goal." [9]

2011 - The Grand Opening of The Crossing's third satellite location occurred in January 2011, when worshippers gathered in January at the Princeton Party House in Princeton, Minnesota. In April, The Crossing made local news again when it gave away 3D televisions and Nintendo 3DS video game systems to new visitors on Easter weekend. 6,000 people attended 11 services at four campuses, followed by nearly 900 professions of faith. A permanent location was purchased for the Zimmerman Campus in May. In June, The Crossing hosted its second THRILL+MOVE Conference.

2012 - In April, The Crossing started its longest series yet. The twenty-week series, "What Christians Believe About:", promised to tackle the most difficult questions that believers and non-believers alike have about the basics of Christianity. In November, the Princeton Campus merged with the Zimmerman Campus.

2013 - The Crossing changed its tagline from "church for people who don’t do church" to "Guilt free. Grace full."

2014 - In February, The Elk River Campus's remodel and expansion opened, providing greater lobby space, a larger auditorium, and more parking.

2015 - The St. Cloud Campus launched in February.[10] A new building for the Haitian orphanage that The Crossing supported, Compassion for All, was completed.

2016 - In January, the church celebrated the launch of the St. Michael Campus in the newly opened St. Michael Cinema. In July, they held their first-ever "Summer at the Movies" series, and launched Wednesday night Cabin Services to provide a church service for weekend travelers.

2018 - The church launched five new locations throughout the Twin Cities area, as far north as Milaca and St. Cloud.

2019 - The church changed its name to "Free Grace United" on March 31, 2019, to reflect a new ministry philosophy.

2020 - Free Grace United offered online-only church from March 22 through June 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 - A church called Grace in the city from Downtown Minneapolis became a Free Grace United location in January. The church also purchased the former Milaca movie theater to use as their new meeting space in that town. In August, the St Paul location of Free Grace United became an independent, autonomous church called Second Story Church; they remain in the Free Grace United Network. Free Grace United also began a partnership with Pastors Timothy and Teresa Nyandika - pastors of four churches in Kenya - and integrated their four churches with Free Grace United. The church also resumed its ministry to Mille Lacs County Jail inmates.

Ministries and outreach

Free Grace Bible College

Free Grace Bible College (formerly known as The Crossing College) began in 2013 to provide an opportunity for people to grow in their faith. This is a church-based college that meets once a week. Courses teach Biblical and Theological Studies, Leadership and Ministry Training, Personal Development and Spiritual Formation, and Internship through two programs: a Diploma in Biblical Studies or an associate degree in Christian Leadership and Ministry.[11]

TWIRL

In 2010, Pastor Kelly Dykstra started TWIRL, the first women's ministry at Free Grace United. According to the church's website, "The purpose of TWIRL is to thrill the women of Free Grace United (and their friends) with the truth of their unique design from God, and to move them to TWIRL – with open arms, generous hearts, and meaningful friendships that together will change the world." Through TWIRL, the women of Free Grace United joined to support the A21 Campaign to help in efforts to abolish human trafficking and the sex slave trade. They have also raised money for various local and global initiatives.[12]

Free Grace Recovery

Free Grace Recovery is a 12-step, faith-based recovery group that "gives people a safe place to find freedom from anything: from past pain and present struggles to hard-core addictions." Hundreds of people in the Elk River area, including many teenagers, have found freedom from all kinds of addictions through the program.[13]

Haiti

Free Grace United sponsors Compassion for All orphanage in Haiti, through and Hunger Relief International. Since it first took up the orphanage in 2010, teams from Free Grace United have visited several times to encourage, bring supplies, and assist in repairing the facilities. The building the 33 children were living in was condemned, so Free Grace United organized fundraisers to collect enough money to purchase land and construct a new building. Fundraisers have also been organized at the church to provide the children with a clean water source, a propane stove, and a roof.[14]

Local outreach

Since it first began in 2004, Free Grace United has reached out to its surrounding communities in a variety of ways. An ad the church printed in a local paper stated, "not only do we want to see life change within the church, we want to see people’s lives being changed in a positive way in our communities and throughout the world." Outreach events have included food and clothing drives, packaging meals at Feed My Starving Children, hosting community 5Ks for various causes, and many others.

Published works

Grace on Tap

Pastor Eric Dykstra released his first book, Grace on Tap, in Fall of 2013. The book explains how God's approval does not depend on behavior; God's grace is free and unlimited for followers of Jesus.[15]

The People Mover

Pastor Kelly Dykstra's book The People Mover was released in May 2015. The People Mover describes an "effortless faith" that occurs when you choose to let God carry you through life instead of relying solely on your own efforts.[16]

Unhooked and Untangled

Pastor Eric Dykstra and Pastor Bruce Rauma of Legacy Church co-wrote Unhooked & Untangled: A Guide to Finding Freedom from your Vices, Addictions, and Bad Habits in June 2014. Unhooked and Untangled is a practical, step-by-step guide to breaking addictions and walking into the "full and satisfying life that God has for you."[17]

How To Twirl: A Lovely Way to Live

Pastor Kelly Dykstra's book How To Twirl: A Lovely Way to Live was released in April 2017. Readers are encouraged to "Treat this guide as if you’re sitting down with a big cup of coffee and your very best friend so she can pour wisdom into your life."[18]

Who Am I?: Why Am I Here? How Do I Live It Out?

Published in 2019, Pastor Silas Austin's book was written to help people find answers to the biggest questions in life.[19]

God's Perspective: 60 Important Topics and What God's Word Says about Them

Senior Pastor Eric Dykstra published a book in April 2021 "to give Jesus-followers the places in scripture where God addresses many of our biggest questions in life".[20]

What Is the Bible?

In 2021, Pastor Karli Phelps published a book to be an "interactive crash course on the Good Book".[21]

Grace is Life

Free Grace Worship's first full-length album, Grace is Life, was created and produced at Free Grace United by church staff and volunteers. It contains music that attempts to "resonate with our culture and the good news of God's grace".[22]

Found My Worth

The songs on Free Grace Worships's second album are meant to encourage worshippers while reminding them that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is what determines each individual's value.[23]

Start a Fire

This album, produced in October 2019, includes 13 tracks, most of which are Free Grace Worship originals.

Affiliations

Converge[24]

References
  1. "About Us". The Crossing Church. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  2. "Minnesota church 'pivots' to reach more people for Christ".
  3. Dykstra, Eric. "The Crossing Church Story". The Crossing Church. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  4. Edwards, Jennifer (2010-11-11). "See the church without the steeple". West Sherburne Tribune. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  5. "Free Grace United | Welcome".
  6. "Core Values Converge MIBC". Minnesota Iowa Baptist Conference. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  7. "Our Story". The Crossing Church. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  8. "Celebrate Recovery Homepage". www.celebraterecovery.com. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  9. Dykstra, Kelly. "The Crossing Church Giving Away Free Vikings Season Tickets". High Heels & Duct Tape. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
  10. "Local 411 - Crossing Church Grand Opening Thursday". MIX 94.9 FM.
  11. http://freegracebiblecollege.com
  12. "TWIRL". The Crossing Church. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  13. "The Crossing Celebrates 7 Years in Elk River". Ad. Star News. 2011-10-22.
  14. "Haiti". FreeGrace.tv. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  15. Dykstra, Eric (13 January 2016). Grace on Tap. Crossing Church Publishing. ISBN 978-0989682800. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  16. Dykstra, Kelly (May 2015). The People Mover Book Summary. ISBN 978-0996022323.
  17. "Unhooked and Untangled Book Summary". Amazon.com. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  18. Dykstra, Kelly (22 April 2017). How to Twirl: A Lovely Way to Live. Thrill and Move Worldwide. ISBN 978-0996022347. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  19. Austin, Silas (7 August 2019). Who Am I?. Plus 1 Publishing. p. 140. ISBN 978-0578472638. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  20. "Pastor writes book about 60 topics". Star News. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  21. Phelps, Karli (23 February 2021). What Is the Bible?. Winterlight Media. p. 213. ISBN 978-0578602387. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  22. "Album - Grace is Life". Crossing Creative. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  23. "Album - Found My Worth". Crossing Creative. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  24. "The Crossing Church - Elk River". Minnesota Iowa Baptist Conference. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
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