This is great Church. The Pastors preach the Bible and impact the congregation to be like Jesus Christ in all of life. Pastor Mat Cassidy, Pastor Kevin Maurice & all the other pastors and elders are passionate preachers. God continue to bless and keep them. read more

Beautiful church , nice singing but felt like concert with the lights off.. congregation wasn't too friendly.. felt cliquey

Not for us. It's a good Sunday morning church, and we managed to find a good small group, but no inroads to actually get involved and really serve Jesus. Which is ironic, because the senior pastor made a plea on stage for "more volunteers who are willing to serve". Hello, like, I'm right here. There's virtually no hope of ever being part of the worship team--they're their own band, and you basically have to be friends with somebody in the band and get invited. I don't go to church to spectate. So we moved on from Grace a long time ago. Others who like the music, the friendly people, etc., they might like it here, but for me they were missing one key duty of any church: to enable their congregation to live for God. read more

This is the first church I've visited and find everyone friendly. I love the worship music because there's a sophisticated country music feel with multiple verses rather than feeling like you're singing a new age mantra over and over again like some worship music. I like the theme of the fruits of the spirit, and the stickers have been fun to attach to bills I paid and friends I wrote. I'm interested in some of the women's Bible studies, too. I'm just not sure the sermons are what I will grow listening to and want to experience a few more churches before settling in. I felt this was teaching from the mind vs. the heart if this makes sense. I didn't understand how the teaching was tied into the theme and need to visit again after another church service exploration. My Dad enjoys coming here when he visits and there appears to be a large senior and family attendance. read more

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First, the good. There are only a handful of churches in the Austin metro that really walk the walk. That's ballsy in this day and age, in a city that leans radically left, no less. Biblical doctrine is sound as a rock and GCC could care less about keeping up with the cultural zeitgeist. Gotta respect that. The grounds are immaculate and programming is well-run, thoughtful, and compelling. I wouldn't be surprised if some members of the worship team were professional recording artists -- their talent and the amazing sound quality of the amphitheater take you away to a beautiful, otherworldly place. Now, the ugly. When you begin getting involved and serving, you may encounter paternalistic, one-size-fits-all opinions about very personal areas of your life -- who you date, who you marry, how much energy you invest into your career, etc. This might not be so bad if such feedback was solicited by the recipient and then offered in a respectful, loving manner between equals. Instead, personal opinions which may or may not be grounded in scripture are foisted upon you, similar to how a philosopher-king might have "enlightened" one of his peasant-subjects back in days of yore. Mentors whom you thought cared about you will drop you like a hot potato if you don't conform to their model of a "good Christian." Just because someone doesn't live their life with outward displays and JESUS tattooed to their forehead doesn't make them lesser. God loves diversity and created humans so that they can serve in unlimited ways and styles. Jesus hung out with the misfits, the outliers, and didn't judge. The point is that it is spiritual tyranny for anyone to dictate to anyone else what they should or should not believe, who they should or should not marry, and HOW they should carry out the tenets set forth in scripture. Faith and a connection to the divine are intensely personal experiences. They are also personal freedoms that no one has the right to challenge. Lastly -- not unlike other conservative churches in Texas, the preponderance of SAHMS also fosters an atmosphere that's not super supportive of career-driven women. I do appreciate that they offer bible studies in the evenings for women, in contrast to the hopelessly outdated practice of churches that only hold women's gatherings during weekday mornings! lol Even with the negatives, I would still recommend GCC. Churches are still human-run organizations and like anything touched by human beings, they will have their share of dysfunction. These are fairly minor! read more

I grew up at Grace Covenant, and became a believer through its Kids' Ministry. Its youth and marriage ministries were well-developed and thorough, even then. My high school youth pastor went onto be the church's lead pastor while I was off for my last few years of college. When my fiance and I went back to Grace in 2017, a lot of new things were going on. The college and career ministry had matured into something called Forefront, the pastor was launching into a Back to the Basics campaign to help new believers understand the Bible at a very basic level, and other new ministries were starting. I have tried getting involved in a couple of these new ministries, and many of them are well-grounded in Scripture and designed by people that love the Lord. The Women's Ministry is top-notch! However, newer ministry programs are - for some reason - not at the same quality as the others. They still need fine-tuning so that everyone in the church community can take part in them. The current teaching are of things that are better for newer believers, not for believers who really want to sit in the Scriptures and breathe them in deeply. I do think Grace is a good church, overall. However, I would suggest it is not a fit for everybody. Grace is best for families with school-aged kids, good for those who are new to the faith or wanting to grow in their faith, and a great investment who want nurturing in their marriages. read more

Fist attended Grace when meeting in houses near the old Highland Mall and active in the youth group when first moved to 183 and 360. Overnight "Lock-in's" camp trips to Pine Cove, edifying and encouraging friendships as a kid and teen - always and consistently good experiences with Grace as an organization and with the people who were part of the fellowship. A blessing to me in my life to have been a part back in the beginning days and just glad to see the life continues to this day. read more

We have been members of Grace for a little over 2 years. I absolutely love calling this wonderful church my home. Services are 9:15 and 11:00 am. We like to get there right on time, because the worship (in the beginning) is my favorite. There is a live band/singers, and plenty of great songs to enjoy and praise. The facility is beautiful as well. There is plenty of seating, including stadium-like seating, in which you can sit high and in the back, if you'd like. The pastor is amazing, the team is incredible, and the message is real. I love how Pastor Matt always leaves us with a message to take home and think about. They preach in series, and you're sure to enjoy some jokes, laughs, and sometimes videos. They serve donut holes and coffee before and after service. The Grace Kids team is incredible as well. My husband and I serve in the children's ministry, and it is such a great place for kids. Come visit Grace, and I;m sure in no time, you too will call it home. read more

Grace Covenant Church - Churches Near Me - Austin, Texas

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It's definitely one of the best churches I have been to. I have been going here since I moved to Pflugerville. They have a family room for parents who have little ones. They even have Sunday classes for your children to attend. It reminds a lot of the CBC in San Antonio, TX. I was baptized here and they have a program to ensure you are ready to accept God in your life. They teach you the true meaning of being baptized. I enjoy coming here every Sunday when I come. The sermons have true meanings to them and you will learn a lot about and God how he we should follow the way he wants us to be. read more

My husband and I believe in continued marital education and were extremely intrigued when we chanced upon the Re|Engage Marriage Program offered by Grace. It was the first holistic and comprehensive biblical marriage program that we came across. It didn't take us long to join a small group for a 16-week curriculum of learning to place God on the throne of our marriage seat. The journey was an enjoyable and encouraging one. Our mentor couple were the most humble and loveliest of folks. They would begin each session with a giant bearhug for everyone that always put a smile on our faces. What inspired me most was their transparent sharing of their past and present struggles; they were not afraid to be vulnerable. It was very humbling and set the tone for all of us in the group when we began to share our own challenges. The takeaway at the end of it was that our struggles are not unique and we are not alone in them. read more

It's been years since I attended this church. I still have nightmares about the youth group practices they inflicted on us at those horrible camps. When I type it out, it sounds made up--a girl getting her ponytail cut off, locking us in a room until four in the morning yelling at us because we were in "hell." Writing things on kids faces in sharpie, tying them to chairs...none of us were old enough to consent to any of this. My last year, they crucified me in front of 300 kids. It was utterly humiliating, and it's taken me years to deal with the pain and trauma of all these experiences. At the time I was experiencing a desperate home situation with a severely mentally ill father. Having learned this after the crucifixion event, one leader told me they "never would have done that" had they known what I was experiencing. One leader did know, and chose to single me out for this anyway. I remember going back to my bunk, covered in fake blood and shivering for about an hour. My father died in 2013 from his illness. Several members from Grace flooded the funeral, and quite a few of them approached me asking about how he died. I was still shell-shocked, but remember saying on repeat "we are not sure. Thank you for coming." No one from Grace recognized his death formally. I am told Matt Cassidy used him as a nameless example in one of his sermons shortly after he died. I do not write this out of bitterness--the truth is, I've wanted to tell the truth, to anyone, for many years. I've posted reviews, then quickly deleted them, terrified of typing all of this out. It is so very painful to be invalidated. Thus, I leave my story here with no attachment, simply because I must do it. read more

My roommate and I decided to check out this church because we were missing some praise & worship in our lives (we both just moved to Austin fairly recently). As the music is the main reason we attend, we made sure to get there early to get good seats to be able to read the streets and singalong. The only problem was that most (if not all) of the songs were written by people at the church itself and they weren't well known Christian songs that have been playing on the radio, introduced at other churches, etc. The sermon was interesting but definitely directed to a more older crowd (I would say 40s-50s). It was an alright experience but unfortunately, we haven't found our home church. read more

I can't say enough about Grace! We started going about 4 years ago, it's a big church so make sure to get involved in a home group. With Pastor Matt's teachings myself and our family has healed allot from things that were hurting us. Love this place. read more

Grace Covenant Church - Churches Near Me - Austin, Texas

I have been a long time attender and find the church is a place where you can grow in the application of your faith to all areas of life: work, marriage, family, etc. The worship is great with very professional musicians. I find the leadership honest, genuine, and humble. The teaching aligns with Bible and encourages application and not just knowledge. read more

Today was my first time in a long time to visit Grace Covenant and it was so nice! It's a fairly good sized congregation but parking was easy. Then I was greeted at the door by a sweet lady who took the time to ask if I had any questions. When I told her that I was new she took me over and introduced me to another very nice lady at an information desk. Both ladies made me feel they were genuinely interested in making me feel welcome and in introducing me to some of the basic ways to get involved in the church community. Although it seemed like a professional group of people, they were not dressed in expensive clothes - just down-to-earth approachable people. Also, the message was surprisingly relevant to my life circumstances and the pastor delivered it in a way that was interesting and funny at times, without making too light of the scriptures. I am so glad I gave GCC a second chance! read more

People who have power and control issues with cheating on their spouses often enter ministries where they think the issue is resolved after conversion to Christianity, but then the control manifests itself in abusive religious authority. This seemed to be the case for our Re/Engage (marriage ministry) leaders who were demanding and verbally aggressive in a phone conversation with us. They targeted us because we did not agree with their theology that "God doesn't give you more than you can handle" (since in 2 Corinthians 1:8 Paul talks about the hardships of suffering and says he was under great pressure "far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life") and we addressed our theological concern politely and in private. They indicated to us that they were to be the sole interpreters of scripture for our group and not us. They angrily told us we are unsuitable for Re/Engage since we are angry people (which we weren't- just frustrated by their tone and bullying) and then they rebuked us harshly and repetitively. They demanded that we give them an answer by the end of the phone conversation whether we will continue in their group or not. We said we needed time to think and pray about it but they again demanded an answer by the end of the conversation. It was then we realized they were trying to push us out of the group, similar to cult group leaders demanding blind submission or else punishment of isolation. They succeeded in eliminating us from Re/Engage and the Re/Engage pastor would not assign us to a new group. We left multiple messages for the head pastors of Grace Covenant who never returned our calls, but weeks later said we had to go and speak (again) with the Re/Engage pastor who previously told us our leaders were his friends and he finds what we have to say "hard to believe." Later he said that these leaders never said, "God won't give you what you can't handle," which is so ridiculous, since an entire roomful of people witnessed this statement and that was the reason for our phone call with these Re/Engage leaders in the first place. We wrote a 6 page letter to every elder of this church and not one of them responded to us. What we experienced was a classic psychological reaction of predators when they are confronted with their predatory behavior: 1. Denial of the complaint. 2. Devaluing of the people making the complaint. 3. Removing the people to limit the damage. Since no one has indicated otherwise, it is likely these Re/Engage leaders will continue in their posts and repeat the cycle with other individuals they seek to exert control over. We strongly feel Grace Covenant church leaders should be protecting the flock and not acting as wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 10:16, 1 Peter 5:1-3). read more

This church is one of the most pleasant and contemporary churches I've been to. I am not one to hold on to the past, and, while the antiquated and classic churches have their place, they just don't attract what I am looking for anymore. I feel like the building instantly shows you that this church is new-age. The location is great and we all know that this is a wealthier area of town. The pastor was enthusiastic and captivating and his message was very relevant to someone who is success-oriented and hungry for progress and development. I have felt that the message at other churches has been to broad and not targeted toward my smarter and analytic mindset. Let's be honest--religion is on the downfall and it's harder to convince the current generation that it is even real or worth the time and mind investment, because it is a lifestyle change to follow and practice Christianity so regularly. I am a loose believer, and was raised Baptist by a family who was above-average in their use of religion in daily life and the way it shaped their opinion about everything. I have since lost interest for keeping up with the church because I feel that I have got the general message and most of the time pastors don't quote from the bible much and are all about pressuring people to join the church and to give tithing. I would like to add that the comfortableness and accommodations of this church are superb: they have padded seats and dimly lit rows that are even better than most movie theaters. It feels like you are at an upscale conference while you are hearing the word of God. Definitely not a bad thing! Overall I was highly impressed and this church is definitely for people at a higher level of thinking and who are business-oriented. For this non-church-goer, I will be back again, and I am glad that Austin has a church like this. read more

First time visiting as we are new to Austin. It is a very inviting and welcoming church. I really enjoyed the music and sermon. My boys enjoyed Sunday school as well. We will return next Sunday. read more

I love this church and Matt's sermons. I attend Riverbend Church but primarily for my church group, Journeys. But I love attending Grace Covenant. Matt is clever, funny and direct and his sermons always seem to talk to me. I listen and always learn something. In my opinion, this is a great church to grow a family and to grow your relationship with GOD. Thank you Matt! read more

Went here two weeks ago while visiting Austin. This church is absolutely beautiful from the outside, the landscaping and natural beauty is very welcoming. The church was equally impressive on the inside,the people there were friendly, the service was fantastic, from the moment I stepped on the property of this church I just felt overwhelming peace come over me. I can tell God is working in this church, the service was what I needed to hear, during the songs, they dim the lights which for me really helped me to emotionally connect to the song and the meaning behind it, and the female vocalist was superb. I wish more churches followed this example . The message was right on point, absolutely the best first visit of any church I have ever been to. There are people outside before the service mingling and having a great time of fellowship, lots of families, all kinds of dress, kind of a come as you are type ( I went to the 11am service), saw lots of different nationalities there, the singles groups were large and all having a great time outside the church before the service with fellowship with each other. I just felt at Home here and very comfortable at this church as soon as I walked in, they do alot of things the right way to make you feel comfortable and like you are welcome here. If I didn't live 3 hours away in Dallas, I would be going to this church if I lived in Austin. I highly recommend trying this church. read more

About two years ago, my daughter and I stumbled upon Grace. What an amazing blessing this turned out to be! Pastor Matt aka Matt provides a message which is always relevant to my needs. His surprising humor and very real angle on ministering keeps us returning each week. The music is energizing and so very uplifting to the Lord. I've never experienced a church like this. It's our Sunday booster shot for the week. The coffee is pretty darn yummy as well. read more