County of church: Gasconade County
Location of church: Monroe St. & 2nd St., Owensville, Phone: (573) 437-5714
I came to this site looking for the former elementary school, and across the street was this church, and a church structure just west across 32nd St. (which was abandoned).
But, the Grace Bible Church is active. They have the 10 Commandments prints on the outside west wall of the church, and a hand made church marquee.
This church does not have a web page of its own, but discovered they are affiliated with IFCA Churches during my research.
Sign Text:
GRACE BIBLE CHURCH
OF OWENSVILLE
BIBLE SCHOOL 9:30
WORSHIP: 10:30
BIBLE P H:4 37:57 14
IFCA Ministry
"Following the stock market crash in October, 1929 and during the Great Depression of the 1930s, while men groped for economic light, another kind of light illumined the hearts of a small group of men. In 1929 and 1930 they began what we today call IFCA International.
"In the 19th Century the philosophies known as Rationalism and Empiricism swept across Europe, leading to the theological expressions of Modernism and Higher Criticism. These anti-supernatural concepts crossed the Atlantic with European trained American students. Bible believing Christians saw the storm clouds gathering as those students assumed greater positions of leadership within American denominations and expanded their anti-supernatural teachings here in the U.S.
"Around 1900, national/interdenominational Bible Conferences were becoming loosely coordinated. In America they were in places like Niagara, NY and Sea Cliff, NY and Northfield, MA and Southfield, FL and Medicine Lake, MN and Winona Lake, IN. These Bible Conferences were organized by many of the same leaders who had already worked with D.L. Moody to conduct his local evangelistic campaigns. The Bible Conferences provided an ongoing platform for preachers to respond to the unbiblical teaching that was spreading among denominational leaders, seminary professors, and pastors.
"Then from 1910-1915, a twelve-volume doctrinal response to Modernism sequentially came off the presses. Entitled The Fundamentals, these twelve paperbacks ultimately contained ninety articles written by sixty-four authors from every denomination. Financed by Milton and Lyman Stewart, the wealthy founders of Union Oil Company, The Fundamentals were distributed free of charge to over 300,000 Protestant ministers, teachers, missionaries, theological professors, and Christian workers.
There were several results. First, orthodox theology was presented and defended. Second, apostasy was exposed. Third, Bible-believing Christians were galvanized into a more cohesive force. And fourth, those who opposed “Modernist Christians” were given a new name as Bible-believers: “Fundamentalists.”
"The “Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy” by the 1920s caused many congregations to withdraw from their parent denominations. Departure from their historic doctrines by the leadership and involvement in movements contrary to faith gave the churches reason to “come out from among them and be separate,” (2 Cor. 6:17). They did this at great cost, losing many benefits of association and often valuable properties such as church buildings, parsonages, and pensions. But they were “set for the defense of the Gospel,” and committed to an uncompromising stand for the truth of God's word. New churches were formed with these principles.
"The Scriptural need for inter-church fellowship, counsel and cooperation was recognized at the start by these new churches. The American Conference of Undenominational Churches was formed for this purpose." ~ IFCA International