The history of GracePoint Church

The Atlantic Evangelical Free Church came into being in June 1984 when Emmanuel Baptist Church and a Bible study group interested in planting an EFCA church in the area decided to combine fellowships. Terry Schoenfeld, who was pastor of Emmanuel Baptist at the time, was called to serve as pastor of the new church. 

Under Pastor Terry’s leadership, the church grew from a group of 25 to a congregation of over 200. As an outreach to the community, the church launched an AWANA program in 1987, and called Al Seehusen to serve as youth pastor in the early 1990s. To accommodate the growth of the congregation, the church built an addition for worship and classroom space in the mid-1990s. 

After nearly 25 years, Pastor Terry Schoenfeld accepted a call to pastor a church in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2008, the church called Donald McLean to serve as Senior Pastor. Under Pastor Don’s leadership, the church continued to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and to reach out to Atlantic, the surrounding area, and the world. Missionary support is a significant portion of the church’s annual budget, and many of our young people have gone on to be involved in world missions.

In 2013, the church commissioned Pastor Seehusen to plant the Bethany Evangelical Free Church in Brayton, Iowa. In the last few years, we have been involved in numerous community outreach ministries, including a jail visitation outreach, a Wednesday evening meal ministry, a pregnancy resource center, and a clothing closet for foster families.

In 2021, the church voted to change our name to GracePoint Church to better reflect our vision for pointing people to the Grace of God in Jesus Christ.