Who We Are
Long Grove Community Church membership is derived from a broad geographic area with various religious backgrounds. We support missions locally, nationally and internationally. We envision a future that is totally dedicated to a biblical community to include children and adults maturing in Christ, Christ centered families and mission opportunities.
Mission Statement
Long Grove Community Church exists to glorify God by developing devoted followers of Christ through Worship, Instruction, Fellowship and Expression (WIFE).
Statement of Faith
FAITH -- This Church acknowledges as its sole Head, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of man. It acknowledges as brothers in Christ all who share in this confession. It looks to the Word of God in the Scriptures, and to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, to prosper its creative and redemptive work in the world. It claims as its own the faith of the historic Church expressed in the ancient creeds and reclaimed in the basic insights of the Protestant Reformers. It affirms the responsibility of the Church in each generation to make this faith its own. In accordance with the teaching of our Lord and the practice prevailing among evangelical Christians, it recognizes two Sacraments: Baptism, and the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion.
This Church is called by God to make this confession:
1. We confess our faith in the triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
2. We confess that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man. Because of our sin and estrangement from God, at the Father’s bidding the Son of God took on flesh. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, He became like us in all things apart from sin. He died on the cross to atone for our sin and reconcile us to God and on the third day rose bodily from the dead. He is the sole head of the church, the Lord and Savior of us all, and will one day return in glory, power and judgment to usher in the kingdom of God in its fullness.
3. We hold that the Bible is the written Word of God, the infallible rule of faith and practice for the church of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures have binding authority on all people. All other sources of knowing stand under the judgment of the Word of God.
4. We affirm that the central content of the Scriptures is the gospel of reconciliation and redemption through the atoning sacrifice of Christ and His glorious resurrection from the grave. The good news is that we are saved by the grace of God alone, the grace revealed and fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus Christ, which is received only by faith. Yet this faith does not remain alone but gives rise to the works of piety, mercy and justice. The Holy Spirit, who spoke through the prophets and apostles, calls us today, as in the past, to seek justice and peace for all races, tongues and nations.
5. We confess as our own the faith embodied in the great ecumenical and Reformation creeds and confessions, finding them in basic conformity with the teaching of the Holy Scriptures.
6. We confess that the mission of the church is to bear witness to God’s law and gospel in our words and deeds. We are sent into the world as disciples of Christ to glorify God in every area of life and to bring all peoples into submission to the Lordship of Christ, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We seek to obey this commission in the full assurance that our Lord and Savior is with us always, even to the end of the age.
COVENANT -- We covenant one with another to seek and respond to the Word and the Will of God. We purpose to walk together in the ways of the Lord, made known and to be made known to us. We hold it to be the mission of the Church to witness the gospel of Jesus Christ in all the world, while worshiping God, and striving for truth, justice and peace. As did our fathers, we depend on the Holy Spirit to lead and empower us. We pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God, and we look with faith toward the triumph of righteousness and eternal life.
Church History
The story of Long Grove Community Church begins in the mid 1830’s. German immigrants settled this area in the hopes of forging out a new and better life for themselves. Illinois was still a wilderness that had only recently become a state. The going was hard, but the land proved excellent for farming. When a second wave of immigrants came in the mid-1840’s, it was time to establish a church. Land was donated. A minister who served as a missionary to the Indians on Lake Huron came to be the pastor. In 1846, the first services were held, and for 10 months the congregation worshiped in a barn.
The men and women who founded Long Grove Community Church were German Evangelicals. They were scripturally-centered people who were especially concerned to live out their faith by reaching out to others in tangible ways. Throughout America, German Evangelicals established schools, orphanages, and hospitals. Prior to the Civil War, our church built a one room school house where German was taught. In the early 20th century, we joined with other German churches to establish an orphanage and care facility in Elmhurst.
With a new century, came many changes. The church widened her circle of ministry to include local people who were not German-speaking. Two denominational mergers took the church away from her Evangelical roots. By 1950, the church had grown so small that the denomination recommended the doors be closed. But God gave the people a vision. Instead of closing their doors, they built Sunday School rooms for children. As people migrated from the city to the suburbs, the area grew and so did the church. By the late 1960’s, we had transitioned from a small rural church into a suburban church.
But the two denominational mergers diluted the church’s direction and sense of mission. Church leaders recognized this and acted to move the church back to her roots .. finding that pioneering spirit and faith of the Evangelicals who first established the church. Once again, we became focused on being scripturally-centered people who are concerned to live out our faith in tangible ways. Missions are a priority within our church’s budget and ministry opportunities that reflect a commitment to local, national, and international missions. As in former days, the Bible is taught to be the Infallible Word of God that directs us and Jesus is proudly proclaimed as Savior and Lord.
As we continue to move forward into the future and back to our roots, we have a larger vision of reaching people within our immediate geographical area. We believe that God has planted us here for a reason and mission that is unique to us. This vision calls us to make an impact for Christ by being a family-friendly community where every generation is passionate about loving and worshipping God … where we are connected to one another in small groups, supporting and encouraging authenticity and spiritual growth … where we are eager to love and serve others by reaching out in ministries that ultimately encourage others to love Jesus … and where we are committed to empowering leaders and volunteers for ministry so that both “the served” and “the servants” are transformed by the Holy Spirit’s work.
