The Grace Christian Church, a non-denominational, evangelical, doctrinal church started out as a Baptist pioneering work in Bohol in 1967 and was initially named as the Tagbilaran Baptist Church. In the mid-70’s, Dr. Nelson D. Rio Sr., who was then the chairman of the Board of Deacons, started teaching doctrine in the church and his eldest son Nelson II started preaching in the pulpit for the Sunday Services. In 1981, the church became an autonomous, independent, and non-denominational local church when it separated from the Baptist.

Though small in number, the congregation continued in their bible studies and evangelism activities. The church building which is located across the airport terminal, in the district of Bo-oy, City of Tagbilaran has been the center of these activities. Bible studies were held every Friday evening on a once a week basis.

As the years went on, the congregation grew in number and on July 16, 1982 in a special congregational meeting, it was unanimously agreed to incorporate the local church in accordance with law so that a legal personality could be established. It was not until May 4, 1984 that the already completed Articles of Incorporation and the Constitution and By-laws of the Grace Christian Church was submitted in its final form to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for approval. By June 8, 1984 the Securities and Exchange Commission approved the registration of the Grace Christian Church and it became a juridical entity as “GRACE CHRISTIAN CHURCH-BOHOL, INC.” (GCCBI) under S.E.C Reg. No. 121032.

Meanwhile pioneering work went on outside Tagbilaran City and through the voluntary efforts of the members of the congregation, other local churches were established in the different towns of Bohol. Outreaches were also done in Mindanao and Cebu.

On December of 1987 the Grace Christian Church was officially registered as authorized to solemnize marriages in accordance with the Philippine law. Dr. Nelson D. Rio Sr. was officially ordained by the ordination council headed by Ralph La Rosa, Berachah Church missionary to the Philippines, and was officially designated by the Board of Deacons as the Pastor-Teacher of this local church ever since it became autonomous and independent in 1981. Bible classes were being held nightly then and was aired over a local radio station. His sons Nelson II and Robert were ordained as pastors on December 31, 1996. Both have been helping in the Grace Christian Church Ministries. The Nelson D. Rio family was designated as indigenous missionaries by Berachah Church.

The church has adopted the Isogogical, Categorical, and Exegetical method of doctrinal teaching of Berachah Church in Houston, Texas as the means ‘for the equipping of the saints’, ‘so that the man of God may be mature and thoroughly furnished unto all good works.’ (Ephesians 4:12a; 2 Timothy 3:17)

When Dr. Nelson D. Rio Sr. passed on to Phase III on January 12, 2004, his son Nelson II was called by the Grace Christian Church to succeed as its Pastor-Teacher. Church bible classes continue to be heard over a local radio station, and now is heard over several radio stations in Mindanao and the Internet. Nelson T. Rio II has been expounding categorical doctrines in the local dialect in order to increase the perspicacity of the local students of the Word.

Upon confirmation in the year 2007 that the certificate of registration of the Grace Christian Church as Grace Christian Church-Bohol, Inc. was deemed dissolved by being revoked since the year 2003 by the Securities and Exchange Commission due to reportorial deficiencies, the Grace Christian Church administration under the leadership of Nelson T. Rio II decided to reapply for registration. After a series of tedious readings, revisions, refinements, the final draft of the new Articles of Incorporation and the Constitution and By-Laws were ratified by the congregation and submitted to SEC. On June 19, 2008, the reregistration of the Grace Christian Church was approved as “GRACE CHRISTIAN CHURCH-VISAYAS, INC.” (GCCVI) with SEC Reg. No. CN200828295.

On July 2008, the Grace Christian Church as Grace Christian Church-Visayas, Inc. under the incumbency of Nelson II as Pastor-Teacher, was given membership status as “GRACE CHRISTIAN CHURCH MINISTRIES” by Operation Grace World Missions (OGWM) in Houston, Texas.

Notwithstanding the decision to organize Grace Christian Church as Grace Christian Church-Visayas, Inc., a move to push through the reactivation of Grace Christian Church-Bohol, Inc. was initiated resulting in the lifting of the revocation order by the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 25, 2010 and the resumption of Grace Christian Church-Bohol, Inc. The two corporations belong to one and the same church (Order, RTC-Bohol Branch 2, Civil Case No. 7620 dated March, 19, 2010). Currently, Nelson T. Rio II continues to be the Pastor-Teacher of the Grace Christian Church.