Grace Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie is a welcoming congregation with a long history of loving God and serving its neighbors. The church welcomes and celebrates people of every race, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, age, and family.
Alongside its worship and community ministries, Grace Church provides a substantial event facility with a convenient location and professional staff committed to supporting business and personal events. The venue is designed for conferences, large-group gatherings, meetings, training sessions, retreats, social events, expos, and competitions.
Grace Lutheran Church’s Mission and Welcome
Welcome to Grace Lutheran Church! We are a congregation with a long history of loving God and serving our neighbors. We welcome and celebrate all of you, including race, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, age, and family.
We welcome you to share fellowship with us in your joys and struggles. If you hunger for a good meal, a bag of groceries, the bread of communion, an opportunity to serve your neighbors, or a welcoming church home, there is a place for you at Grace!
In 2016, Grace officially made this our welcome statement and voted to become a Reconciling in Christ congregation, joining a network of Lutheran ministries affirming people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. Grace is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Our local ministry network is the Minneapolis Area Synod.
Church Community and Belonging
At Grace, people are invited to share fellowship in both joys and struggles. The congregation’s welcome extends to people exploring faith, seeking a church home, looking for meaningful service opportunities, or needing practical support.
Grace’s community life connects worship, learning, service, food assistance, hospitality, and neighborhood engagement. The church’s ministries reflect a commitment to creating a place where people can participate according to their needs, gifts, identities, and stages of life.
Worship and Music
At Grace we love to sing, and Jon enlivens our song! We give thanks for the ways Jon leads us in worship, along with directing the choir and playing with our house band.
Catch Jon outside of worship as the house musician for Brave New Workshop. Worship and music are central parts of the congregation’s shared life, bringing people together through song, prayer, and community.
Leadership
Pastor Andrew Baumgartner
Pastor Andrew joined Grace in March 2025, bringing with him a love of worship, a commitment to God’s reign of active justice, and a passion for connecting people with God and with each other.
Pr. Andrew graduated from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 2019 with a concentration in liturgy and preaching, and has served churches in St. Louis and Boston. When not working, he enjoys making extremely fussy coffee, making the rounds of twin cities repertory movie houses, and serving as the Twins’ newest bandwagon fan.
Congregational Administrator and Food Shelf Administrator
A gifted writer and a passionate advocate for food justice, Lynn amplifies the work and witness of Little Kitchen Food Shelf and Grace Lutheran Church. Interested in a volunteer shift? Want to submit a community update to our e-newsletter, The Scroll?
Church Council
In 2025, the Church Council President was Brenna Zeimet, with Sylvia Radford serving as Vice President, Sue Traxler as Secretary, and Sheena Schar as Treasurer.
Additional Church Council members were Bryan Boyce, Kathy Hubbard, Amanda Kaiser, Jon Hamlow, Eden Koski, and Steve Hinderaker. Pastor Andrew Baumgartner also served as part of the leadership team.
In the process of calling a new pastor, we claimed anew our congregation’s gifts, mission, purpose, and personality. The church provides information about its history, constitution, leadership, and ministry planning for members and ministry leaders.
Grace Center for Community Life
We’re the founders of Grace Center for Community Life, empowering lives through faith, learning, and service. The center connects the congregation’s religious mission with opportunities for education, community engagement, service, and shared life.
Grace Center also supports the use of church space for community and organizational activities. The venue offers numerous meeting rooms and facilities for gatherings of different sizes.
Events and Meeting Facilities
Grace Church provides you with three essentials for a successful business or personal event: an unsurpassed facility, a convenient location, and a professional staff committed to becoming a strategic partner in your event.
The perfect space for conferences, providing space for large group events as well as various size meeting rooms for breakouts.
- 4,200-seat auditorium
- State-of-the-art technical media support
- 55 meeting rooms
- Commercial kitchen
- Cafe and dining room
- Banquet area that seats up to 440 guests
- Ample exhibit space
- Parking for up to 2,210 vehicles
Event Types
- Corporate social events
- Expos and competitions
- Professional meetings
- Training sessions
- Conferences
- Retreats
Capacity
We can accommodate groups from 10 to 4,300. Numerous meeting rooms are available to support different formats, group sizes, and event requirements.
| Facility feature | Capacity or provision |
|---|---|
| Maximum capacity | 4,100 guests |
| Largest classroom style | 400 |
| Largest auditorium seating | 4,100 |
| Overall group range | 10 to 4,300 |
| Banquet area | Up to 440 guests |
| Meeting rooms | 55 |
Meeting Rooms and Layouts
Numerous meeting rooms to choose from. The range of available spaces makes it possible to organize large plenary sessions alongside smaller breakout meetings, training groups, workshops, committee sessions, and private discussions.
The conference center map and meeting space capacity chart provide information about room arrangements and seating limits. Floorplan layouts can be used to plan the movement of guests, the placement of equipment, and the relationship between general sessions and breakout spaces.
Technology and Technical Support
State-of-art facilities and equipment: Auditorium with high definition projection screens. Full-service meeting rooms include standard A/V technology: DVD, LCD, VCR, Wireless Internet, etc.
- Free guest Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi in meeting space
- Onsite technical support
- Projector
- Screen
- Microphones
- Sound system
- Custom lighting
The auditorium and meeting rooms support presentations, conferences, training sessions, lectures, ceremonies, panel discussions, and other programs requiring audiovisual equipment. The venue’s technical resources are intended to support both large-format events and smaller meeting-room programs.
Food and Beverage
Full service on-site food and beverage is available for plated dinners, receptions, buffet lunches, breakfasts, and breaks. The facility includes a commercial kitchen, cafe and dining room, and a banquet area that seats up to 440 guests.
In-house catering must be used, and external catering is not allowed. Guests can bring in their own food, and cultural catering is available. Food and beverage service is available onsite.
| Food and beverage provision | Policy or availability |
|---|---|
| On-site food and beverage | Yes |
| In-house catering | Must use |
| External catering | Not allowed |
| Bring in own food | Yes |
| Cultural catering | Available |
| Plated dinners | Available |
| Receptions | Available |
| Buffet lunches | Available |
| Breakfasts and breaks | Available |
Location and Transportation
Grace Church is located at 9301 Eden Prairie Road, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55347.
The venue is located just 18 miles from the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport. The nearby airport is Minneapolis/St. Paul, approximately 20 minutes away.
| Location or transportation point | Distance or time |
|---|---|
| Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport | 18 miles |
| Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport | 20 minutes |
| Bloomington | 5 |
| Minneapolis | 10 |
| St. Paul | 15 |
Parking and Accessibility
Parking is available onsite, with capacity for up to 2,210 vehicles. Car charging stations are not available.
The facility is ADA accessible and family friendly. Pets are not permitted.
Venue Policies
| Policy | Provision |
|---|---|
| Alcohol consumption | No |
| Smoking permitted | No |
| Cannabis industry-friendly | No |
| Cannabis consumption | No |
| ADA accessible | Yes |
| Family friendly | Yes |
| Pet friendly | No |
Nearby Accommodation and Dining
Nearby hotels are available, with a chart provided for partner accommodations. The accommodation information includes air conditioning and floorplan layouts.
Nearby restaurants, sports venues, and entertainment venues provide additional options for guests and event participants. A dining, sports, and entertainment chart can be used to identify nearby venues.
Community Service and Food Justice
Grace’s community work includes practical support as well as worship and fellowship. Little Kitchen Food Shelf is part of the congregation’s wider commitment to food justice and service.
The church offers opportunities for people to volunteer, support neighbors, participate in community updates, and connect faith with action. The congregation’s ministries bring together hospitality, service, learning, and care.
Church History and Ministry Information
The history of Grace Lutheran Church traces the story of three congregations becoming one. The church also provides a 2024 Annual Report and a 2024 Ministry Site Profile.
The Church Constitution is a resource for ministry leaders and members interested in governance. Church Council discussions and discernment are part of the congregation’s ongoing organizational life.
Why Grace Church Serves Different Gatherings
Grace Church combines a large auditorium, numerous meeting rooms, exhibit space, food service, technical equipment, onsite parking, and a convenient Eden Prairie location. This combination supports events ranging from small groups of 10 to large gatherings of several thousand guests.
The facility can accommodate conferences with general sessions and breakouts, professional training programs, business luncheons, trade shows, board retreats, receptions, social events, and competitions. The Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce has used Grace Church for programs including a spring trade show, business luncheons, and a board retreat.
The venue’s staff is very helpful, and the food always gets compliments. Its combination of event infrastructure and community-oriented setting makes Grace Church suitable for gatherings that require both practical facilities and a welcoming environment.