graced based vs law (law/grace) based churches

"This (an acceptance-grace-based-only church) is a church responsive to the variety of needs found in an increasingly fluid culture. In that church, all the spiritual DNA for the city/community in which it exists is resident even in its embryonic form. However, a “solid” law-driven church will eventually find itself stranded from its culture. Many times its focus is behavior and not belief, growing in numbers and not in grace. It can become a “walled in” community. Organic church, founded on grace, is characterized by “presence among” and flows OUT. John 1:14 describes the Lord’s whereabouts in relation to culture as, “dwelling among… full of grace and truth”. I like the Message Bible’s rendering as well, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood…”

This going out, however, is the result of a church environment filled with and focused on the “Word of His grace”; an atmosphere of God’s love and acceptance building us up and bringing us into more and more of our inheritance in Christ. It’s the church as an “airport” where we land, refuel on God’s grace, and take off into culture empowered by the living God - overflowing acceptance and meeting needs redemptively. Acts 11:21 says of such a church that “…the presence of the Lord was with them with power, so that a great number believed and turned and surrendered themselves to Him”. These Scriptures describe a church culture, not structure. A culture bringing Christ near. No wonder it is said of them that “great grace rested richly upon them all”. (Acts 4:33)."

by Jim Hoag of Mission now (italics mine)