A Journey from The Brink to a Thriving Future

A quarter of a century ago, a small group of God’s faithful planted a new Lutheran church in the quiet town of Queen Creek, Ariz. With only one stoplight and a modest middle school that could double as a worship space, the town seemed like the perfect place for a Lutheran presence. The congregation was hopeful, their vision clear.

Today, Saving Grace Lutheran Church is a thriving community, sharing the saving hope of Christ in Queen Creek. But their journey was anything but certain. Along the way, Saving Grace faced a turning point so severe that, at one moment, their very existence hung in the balance.

A hopeful start and unexpected turn
Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) helped the church secure a loan to purchase the land, and everything looked bright.

But it was 2008.

The economy’s downturn the following year put the brakes on everything, and suddenly, the perfect piece of land to build a church in just the right spot wasn’t so perfect anymore.

Now, they were paying the local middle school rent for worship space because they still needed a building on the land they’d purchased in 2008. To make matters worse, the church lost its full-time pastor in 2011, so the next few years looked more like survival mode with dwindling attendance rather than the thriving church they’d hoped to be.

Saving Grace
Even still, the people of Saving Grace were faithful and hopeful.

“The church was close to closing in 2014—just weeks away from shutting its doors,” said Rev. Tim Lawson, pastor at Saving Grace. “Saving Grace would have to sell its property in order to pay the $3 million loan.”

“But LCEF said, ‘Don’t do that,’” Lawson said.

As a true partner in ministry, LCEF stepped in to alleviate the financial burden on Saving Grace. By holding the principal and interest payments, they allowed the church to focus on its mission and plan for the future, instilling a sense of confidence and reassurance in the congregation.

LCEF Vice President of Ministry Solutions Rev. Billy Brath led Saving Grace Lutheran through the Ministry Clarity process. He was invited to be a guest preacher at Saving
Grace during the process.

In addition to restructuring the church’s loan, LCEF also connected Saving Grace with LCEF’s Ministry Solutions team to plan the next steps for the church during this challenging time. They recommended that Saving Grace sell just six of its 12 acres to help pay off the loan and improve its financial position.

The church did just that, and the sale would allow it to become financially stronger and raise funds to finally build its church on the property.

“At the same time as all of this, a one-acre piece of property that was next to the land we’d originally purchased went up for sale,” Lawson said. “There was a house on the land, and one of the winter residents of Saving Grace purchased the house for the church’s use. We were able to move worship to the property—under a tent—for 14 months. There were some resilient folks here in 2014!”

Those who were left at Saving Grace eventually chose to gut the house and hold worship services inside in 2015. By God’s saving grace, more people began to join the congregation as they worshiped in the house, and before they knew it, they had the means to support a new full-time pastor once again. They extended a call to Lawson, who arrived in 2016—and the church finally saw consistent growth.

Things were looking up.

Getting back on track
By 2019, Saving Grace’s membership had doubled, and the church was finally able to launch a capital campaign for a new worship space and a seven-classroom preschool building.

But it was 2019.

The COVID pandemic would slow the project down, but Saving Grace was no stranger to challenging times—it was able to pull through.

Once again, with LCEF’s support, the church’s capital campaign was a success, and Saving Grace held its first worship service in the new building in December 2022.

“We’ve been in the new space now for nearly two years, and the church is on one of the most traveled roads in the Phoenix area, with exceptional viewability,” said Lawson. “Queen Creek is still growing, and it’s a huge blessing, a gift that God has given to us. We want to steward this gift well and don’t take it lightly.”

Saving Grace opened its new preschool in January 2023, and already, the school serves more than 100 students. The church has also been able to bring in an associate pastor and a worship director.

A hopeful future
“We’re now working with the folks at LCEF again, trying to figure out what’s next at Saving Grace,” Lawson said. “The church wouldn’t be here without them. To enter into the process with us as a partner in ministry was incredible. They’re not just a lender of money, but they care about reaching souls for Jesus, and that’s evidenced in their decision to not have the congregation pay principal and interest for a time and allow ministry to take place thinking that this community was a place that was going to grow. They knew that the harvest was ripe here. Now those decisions made years ago, we’re seeing the fruit.”

Lawson added that Saving Grace is “forward thinking about where God is leading into the future.”

“He was faithful even in the midst of tough times, and now we are celebrating at a time of growth,” he said. “We had been entrusted with this gift of a growing community and this church, and that we’re even here is a gift, so we want to manage and steward this gift well and continue see lives transformed.”