History of Grace OPC

Grace Church began its existence as an Orthodox Presbyterian church on June 15, 1978. Its history, however, looks back to June of 1963. Duane Edward Spencer was then a Methodist minister resigning from the Methodist Church because of its theological liberalism. Other members left with him and together they established Grace Bible Church of San Antonio. The first worship services were held in the ballroom of a Ramada Inn.

The church steadily grew and a seven-acre tract of land was purchased near the intersection of Interstate 10 and NW Loop 410. Military barracks buildings were moved onto the property and later remodeled into an attractive complex for church use. Eventually proceeds from the sale of this property would fund construction of the present church facilities at Interstate 10 and Utex Blvd.

Spencer was a popular figure on the Bible conference circuit and developed an international radio ministry. His method of preaching and teaching centered on what he called "key words of Scripture." This involved studying individual words of the Bible, in their original languages, as a means of interpreting Scripture. The result was a rediscovery of the truths of the Bible as taught by the Protestant Reformers.

Ultimately Spencer became convinced that the Reformation was a watershed in church history and that the faith of the Reformers (i.e., Reformed Theology) was solidly based on the word of God. In 1977 the congregation of Grace Bible, after investigating Reformed churches with which to unite, applied for membership in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

It should be noted that Spencer created controversy in the mid-1970's preaching from the Scriptures concerning election and predestination. In most churches these doctrines were either vilified or suppressed. The English reformer John Bradford once wrote, "Let a man go to the grammar school of faith and repentance before he goes to the university of election and predestination." For many, Duane Spencer opened the door to that "university."

Duane Spencer died on December 28, 1981. He was succeeded in the ministry by Jack Peterson, who was Grace's pastor for more than 20 years before being succeeded by our current pastor, Nathan Hornfeld.

This Week in Orthodox Presbyterian History

August 30

Presbyterian Guardian

On August 30, 1979, the Board of Trustees of the Presbyterian Guardian voted to merge the magazine with the Presbyterian Journal.

Frustrated with a subscription base of about 3,500, the Trustees joined with the Presbyterian Journal in order to "reach a wider audience (well over 20,000) with the Reformed faith." In his article, "Toward the Future of the Presbyterian Church" in the Guardian's final issue, Edmund Clowney wrote, "there is no good reason for [the two magazines] to remain separate, and every good reason why there should be one clear journalistic voice serving Machen's hope for American Presbyterianism." For many, the merger was a precursor of a denominational union that was perceived on the horizon. In Clowney's words, the merger "marks the growing unity of Bible-believing Presbyterians in the United States." The anticipated church union, however, would not take place. The Presbyterian Journal, even with a united voice and expanded subscription base, would cease publication in 1987, with its Board of Trustees transferring its assets to World magazine.

The 1979 merger ended the remarkable 44-year life of a magazine founded by J. Gresham Machen in 1935, an independent monthly dedicated to a predominantly Orthodox Presbyterian readership. Numbered among its editors were Ned B. Stonehouse, Paul Woolley, Leslie Sloat, Robert Nicholas, and John Mitchell.

- John Muether