New Grace Pastor Installation Scheduled

This article was submitted by George Derringer

Grace Community Church in Marblehead will officially welcome its new senior pastor, the Rev. Eric Dokken, during a special installation service at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 9, at the church, 17 Pleasant St., Marblehead.

Dokken, 33, was most recently associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Manchester-by-the-Sea until he came to Grace Community Church in April. He previously served as interim pastor of West Cohasset Chapel, pastoral assistant at Edgeworth Community Church in Malden and youth ministry assistant at First Evangelical Free Church in Chicago, Ill.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, two master’s degrees at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton and did doctoral research in preaching at London School of Theology in England.

The June 9 service will be somewhat similar to a regular worship service but with a report from the Search Committee which recommended Dokken as the new pastor and charge to both the new minister and to the congregation by Dr. Scott Gibson, one of Dokken’s professors at Gordon-Conwell. It will be followed with a light reception at the church’s Fellowship Hall.

The new pastor’s wife, Tania, is a licensed marriage and family therapist with an agency in Peabody. Tania is originally from Manchester-by-the-Sea and Eric grew up in Minnesota.

 The Rev. Robert Dibbs retired in June 2011 after 32 years as senior pastor at the

213-year-old congregation. The Rev. Gary Moore served as interim pastor after Dibbs’ retirement until Dokken assumed his new position.

All are welcome to the installation service.