Hoboken Grace Community Church — Attraction in Hoboken

First, let me start by saying I wanted to leave an honest review of my experience and thoughts because I feel like it is fair for people to have various opinions when searching for a church home. I am not trying to be rude or negative but want to be honest.

I wanted to feel connected to this church and call it home but I was dissapointed to see that there were no Bibles inside. Only an app for your phone and tvs by the stage that briefly display the verse (usually 1 or 2 verses referenced for the whole sermon). The auditorium is kept dark so maybe this is why there are no Bibles? How can you have a church with no physical Bibles present? The pastor does not preach from a podium, instead on stage there is a more relaxed vibe where there is a bar type table with a coffee cup placed on it. The pastor has a notepad on stage with him in place of the Bible.

At the beginning of the service young adults are displayed on the tv's and they share their story about how joining a group has helped them with their walk with God. It seems to be a recruiting tool to get people to join a dinner group and this has seemed to be the focus of service for 3 Sundays now.

I visited 3 times and it is very easy to go unnoticed as a visitor. Perhaps because there are 3 different services so no one really knows if you usually come to a different service? The pastor doesnt even acknowledge that you are new which is something I have never experienced before. Maybe he is not able to recognize his congregation because it is dark during service?

Everyone is encouraged to join a group which in theory is a good way to connect with other believers and build community but at the group there are also no Bibles? Just people talking about the message that the pastor delivered the previous Sunday.

The Next classes after the Sunday sermon are geared towards how to become active in the church. I was hoping they would be based on a strong biblical teaching or a Bible class. Where are the actual Bible classes??? For real can someone just pull out a Bible and not an app? Not trying to be rude but I thought this was church and it was supposed to focus on God's word?

If you want to take communion it is casually placed in 3 different areas of the auditorium and you can take it at your discretion/leisure. The last time I visited I was in line to take communion and the person in front of me was holding up the line and discussing their weekend with someone. I think communion should be a little more sacred than that? Perhaps I am seeking a more traditional service.

There are no offering trays passed around so if you want to tithe, give through the app. Yes, you can do everything needed through the app which to me, I come to church to connect with people, not go through my phone but perhaps I am too old school? I am sure they would say this is why there are groups but I would still like the option to tithe via an offering plate.

I am glad a lot of people are able to call Hoboken Grace their home. I wanted to do the same but I don't feel called to be there. I wish the members at Hoboken Grace nothing but the best. Everyone has their own worship style. It does seem like they have good hearts there and I do appreciate they are trying to build more of a community. God bless us all on this journey to draw...

The mission of Hoboken Grace is to help people find their way back to God. This is exactly my experience. Raised Catholic, I stopped going to church around 15 years old and didn’t start again until Covid. I started only online and slowly started attending in person as things opened back up. The Series feel more like a higher education course than my old experience of church. They breakdown scripture in a way I would never be able to on my own and then to meet with my dinner group and discuss and figure out how to implement in our daily lives has been incredibly impactful in deepening my understanding and relationship with God. When I first started going in person everyone was so happy and welcoming it was actually a little jarring to begin with lol (again, not my traditional church experience). Now I think how welcoming, friendly and accepting the vibe is is also one of my favorite things. Highly recommend, wherever you are in your journey, come try a couple Sundays and see...

I attended this church for several months hoping to find a Christ-centered community, but unfortunately, my experience left me feeling unsettled. I encountered a series of back-to-back situations that felt more strange than spiritually edifying. While I understand that no church is perfect, it seemed to me that the focus was often diverted from Christ and Scripture.

Rather than fostering a sense of humility, grace, and genuine faith, many of the interactions I had felt off- not just in tone but in spiritual direction. I left each week with more confusion than clarity. After prayerful consideration, I decided it was time to move on and seek a fellowship where Christ is clearly at the center and where spiritual growth is nurtured in a healthy, biblically grounded way.

I share this not out of bitterness, but in the hope that others who may be sensing the same things know...