Grace Church, Modesto is a presbyterian church, which refers to our form of government or how our church is structured. The word ‘presbyterian’ comes from the New Testament Greek word ‘presbuteros,’ or ‘elder,’ e.g. Acts 20:17, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, and Titus 1:5-9. The leadership of each local church may consist of teaching elders, ruling elders, and deacons. Acts 15 makes it clear that churches should be connected, and so we are members of a presbytery, or regional church, which is a part of our General Assembly where the whole denomination is represented by delegated elders from each presbytery. We are a congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
Dave Bush
Pastor David Bush is a member of our augmented session and also serves as Pastor of Oak Hill Presbyterian Church (OPC), Sonora, CA.
Dr. Jim Lemen
Dr. Jim Lemen is a member of our augmented session and also serves as ruling elder at First OPC, Sunnyvale, CA.
Jonathan Bartlett
Pastor Jonathan Bartlett is currently serving at Grace Church as “ministerial advisor,” as the Session searches for our next Pastor. Jonathan is Pastor of our sister church in Hughson, Sovereign Grace Community Church (OPC). Jonathan grew up on a farm in North Dakota, where he came to know and love Jesus Christ from an early age. In 2013, he moved to Georgia to work in project management for a commercial construction company. Over the years, the Lord gave him a…
Rev. Dr. Fritz Harms
The Rev. Dr. Frederik (Fritz) Harms is a minister in the United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA). Since February 2026, Rev. Harms began serving at Grace Church as regular pulpit supply after Pastor Shaun Bryant’s retirement. Pastor Harms has served three churches since he was ordained in 1994. From 2010 to 2020 he served as Chaplain at the all level care senior facility at Bethany Home in Ripon, California. In addition to being a pastor and chaplain, since 2011,…
Shaun Bryant
Pastor Emeritus Shaun Bryant served Grace Church for 32 years, from late 1993 through January, 2026. Upon his retirement, Shaun was given the honorary title in recognition of his long and faithful service. His journey to the pastorate took him through churches of various persuasions, during which time he became convinced of a call to the ministry, and also of a Reformed view of the Scriptures. He completed his studies for the ministry at Westminster Seminary in California. Shaun and…