GCBC is a great church. It is a smaller and more intimate church where you can know your pastors…read moreand other church members. Expository preaching, doctrinally aware, welcoming and caring. Lots of young families. They teach and preach the Bible as the foundation to all of life. The music is a mix of modern worship and old hymns. You will find also a mix of dress style, from a suit and tie and dresses to jeans and a t-shirt. What one wears is not important, it is about teaching and learning from the Word. Nursery is provided to kids up to around 3 years old during the service which means there are a lot of kids in the church service worshiping together with the people of God. There is age appropriate Sunday school provided for kids of all ages after the service. This is a 5 star church family. Biblical, loving and solid on the gospel. Sadly there is a one star review. It is an unhelpful review and does not really reflect the church. I have been a member of GCBC since 2011 and could not recommend the church enough. Also perhaps check out also the reviews which are not recommended.

In hurtful churches you find the following seven characteristics:…read more 1. Power-posturing. Those in leadership positions spend a lot of time and energy reminding others of their authority. Authority is used to boss and control members of God's family. 2. Performance preoccupation. How people act is more important than what's really going on in their lives. People aren't what is loved and accepted. Behavior is the most important thing. 3. Unspoken rules. How relationships function is governed by rules that aren't said out loud, but in many cases these unspoken rules have more weight than the out-loud rules or even Scripture. The most powerful and damaging of all the unspoken rules is the "can't talk" rule. This rule keeps the truth quiet because the problem itself isn't treated as the problem; talking about it is treated as the problem. People who notice problems and confront them are labeled divisive and disloyal. People shut up and call it unity. 4. Lack of balance. There are disproportionate focuses and values placed on certain areas of the Christian life. For instance, you must agree that certain gifts of the Spirit aren't for today or you're labeled "unstable" or "deceived." In other churches, if you lack certain spiritual gifts or don't exercise the gifts in ways accepted by the group, you are considered a second-class Christian. 5. Spiritual paranoia. There is a sense that people, resources, and relationships outside the system are unsafe. 6. Misplaced loyalty. A sense of loyalty is built toward programs, things, and people, rather than toward Jesus. 7. Secretiveness. Certain information is deemed suitable only for those within the church or only for certain people within the church. The above was taken from the Spiritual abuse website. GCBC exhibited almost all of these. Several years later, I get anxiety walking into a church building, dealing with church people, and trying to be apart of a church. I hope they've changed since I've left, but chances are they are still doing the same. It is telling that when I left a review on other social media pages, they take down the review or the entire page. They are all about image control. When you first go there, they'll seem like they love you with lots of attention and love bombing. But once you question anything, expect the manipulation and power posturing and narc behaviors. I could give many examples, but here's one. The church would never publish to its own members what the pastors made and specifics of where the money went. They said if you wanted a copy, to email one of the pastors. We did. Crickets. If I still went here, that would be one issue I'd bring up. Why the secrecy? Upon leaving, the only thing I got was a request to gossip about another church member. And then people who said they were my friends shunned me. Such loving pastors!! I'm glad I left. Look up narcissistic personality disorder and narcissistic supply. Fits them to a T and that's why they got their loyal cronies who think I'm being an ass. I know several families who think as I do but won't say anything. It's not just me. PS of course men love this church. They get treated like gods for having male anatomy and they get to treat their wife and kids like slaves. You do the math. And loving people should extend outside the walls of your rented church building. Smash the patriarchy.

Beginning with a visit to downtown Farmington last evening for the civic event titled "A Spirit of…read moreGiving", I was so grateful to meet the people in this community. Today It's a beautiful day in downtown Farmington, Minnesota. Oh, can hardly wait to see the ice skaters and the children in this downtown Farmington location. I can hardly wait to get to know all the people. You know being born a native of somewhere else in the Midwest, adjustment to Minnesota can be difficult. Location location location as realtors say. Come SEE. In downtown Farmington come SEE. Yes, you are welcome. Farmington churches like Homestead will make you feel welcome just like coming home to grandmother's house.

Nice Service on Christmas Eve. They had three different times of service, which is nice. I liked…read morethe 4:30 time. If you are used to your typical Lutheran Christmas Eve Service, this it it! There was no sermon or a very short one if there was one, and we mostly sang songs which was super nice! They did the lighting of the candles for the last few songs and service was about an hour long. Perfect!

A great church still holding onto both the old world and pre-Vatican II esthetic. Services are…read moregood. However, there is NO Air Conditioning. So you're not sure if it's Catholic guilt that has you warm or the flames of bell.