THE CHURCH
Saving Grace Church of the Nazarene in Battle Ground, Washington
THE CHALLENGE
Relaunch the church and commit to outreach.
ONE BIG IDEA
Provide the help and resources the community needs.
When a 75-year-old church in Battle Ground, Washington, came close to shutting down, a group of 25 people, including Will Swaney and his wife Jen, came together to save it.
“We said, ‘God is not done here yet,’” says Swaney.
After making updates to the facility, in May 2025 the church was named Saving Grace Church of the Nazarene, a rebranding that reflected their mission to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Their goal is to have a visible impact in the community by participating in one to two outreaches a month, including serving students.
“This community has endured multiple teen suicides,” reports Swaney, who is board chair at the church and for a time served as teaching pastor.
Saving Grace plans to host a conference on mental health where they will offer local resources through therapists and counselors.
“We want to help prepare administrators, parents and others to know the signs of mental health struggles,” says Swaney. “It’s not just a ‘pray harder’ situation. We believe God has equipped us with the tools to get better.”
Not that Saving Grace isn’t committed to prayer. Swaney has created new spaces of prayer for people by way of NFC (Near-field Communication) tags, which are like Apple AirTags.
“[These NFC tags] are little sticker tags that say ‘Need prayer?’ that we have placed around town,” he says. “If you place your phone to it, it automatically brings up a form for you to fill out to ask for prayer. It’s kind of like ‘tap to pay,’ but it’s ‘tap to pray.’”
Other outreaches include hosting a community cuts event at which professional stylists provide free haircuts. The church also has distributed snack and hydration packs to both the homeless community and members of the local fire and police departments. In addition, they have opened the church building to junior and senior high meetings, men’s groups and playgroups for young kids.
“We think people need to belong before they believe,” observes Swaney. “We want to have them actively see why we believe and encounter Jesus.”