Kia Ora!
Welcome to Grace Church Tauranga!
We are delighted to invite you to join us in worship and experience the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
Whether you are new to Tauranga, have lived here for a long time, or are just passing through, we warmly welcome you to be a part of our church.We gather for worship every week as the Lord has called us to come and worship him as his body, the Church. Man’s chief end is to glorify Christ and enjoy him forever. One way we do this is by hearing from him in his Word, singing together, praying together, and sharing a cup of tea. We are expressing our love for the Lord through community together.
You Are Welcome!
A note from our Pastor
Paul and his family are excited about being a part of God growing His Kingdom in Tauranga!
I am so thankful that you have come to visit our page. Please come and visit our church! If you visit our church you will find that we are just a bunch of normal people who love Jesus and are passionate for him. We come from all walks of life and many of us come from other countries too. You can read more about the church and how it got started under the “A Brief History” tab. But right now I would like to share with you a bit about myself and family.
I am not Kiwi but from the US along with my wife, Crystal and our four kids. I am passionate about the church which is not a building but the people God has called to himself. Ever since I was a little boy I had felt God calling me to serve him. As a result, just after university, we moved to Bangkok, Thailand to help in church planting under the Presbyterian Church in America. We spent a number of years there labouring for God’s kingdom until he called us back to the US so I could attend seminary. In 2012 I graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary and I was ordained as a minister of the gospel a few years later.
After Seminary God called us back to Thailand to begin a new church planting work in southern Thailand among the Muslims and Buddhists there. After a church was planted God again relocated us back to the US for a season of time. It was during this time that we learned of the wonderful opportunity to come and be a part of Grace Church Rotorua which is part of Grace Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. In January of 2020, we moved to Rotorua to pick up the reigns of Rev. Steve Panapa who had started the church. Then in August of 2024 we moved yet again to take over for the retiring minister Andrew Macpherson at the Grace Church Tauranga.
Isn’t it amazing how God directs our paths and leads. Twenty years ago I never would have imagined that I would be living in New Zealand working with this church. What I love about the church is that people are real and we continue to see God at work in our lives. We all bring baggage with us. We are all broken. But God is a big God and he takes that hurt, that pain, those struggles and he lavishes his grace upon us. He shows us his love through his Son because the church ultimately isn’t about us it is about Him.
If you are looking for a church home come and check us out. We would love to get to know you. If you have never been to church come and give us a try. All are welcome. If you have any questions please contact me and we can meet.
Pastor Paul Henry