A study was completed by the Outreach Pastor at Grace Chapel in 2003 in an attempt to locate the best area in which to intentionally launch a new church. Numerous areas were studied and prayed over. Criteria evaluated included a large number of families attending Grace Chapel living in the area and a small percentage of people attending evangelical churches. The study found that 99% of the people living in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire do not attend an evangelical church. The study also found that over 200 families from this region were in some way associated with Grace Chapel.

The church launch was a product of prayer and study by the elders and staff at Grace Chapel. Grace Chapel has been generous and supportive of the new church launch in order to help this church get off to a good start and eventually also to become a fully independent church.

GracePoint’s beginning is referred to as a “launch” rather than as a “plant” because when it began it was as close to a fully functioning church as possible. From the time of grand opening there were a worship team, children and family ministry, an outreach team, youth and family ministry, three Life Communities, child care during worship services, and Sunday School classes for children and adults.