We believe we live in the presence of God all day long

It is interesting that we often pray "God, please be with us" when God's presence is always with us (He is "omnipresent" as we read in Psalm 139; Jeremiah 23:24; Genesis 28:15). When we quote Matthew 18:20 (which basically says "when two or three are gathered" then Jesus is present) as a way of explaining when God "shows up," this is actually a misunderstanding of the context. That particular passage was talking about settling disputes in the church and having more than one witness or perspective. What Jesus actually said regarding His presence was the assurance that "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). Worshiping God and praying can happen all day long, not just when we are at a church meeting or with other Christians. This means that we can "practice His presence" throughout the day: as we drive, as we eat, as we talk to others, as we work, and as we play.

We believe that we are utterly dependent on God's Spirit to make personal change

Human effort alone does not produce real change- it is the Spirit of God who convicts us, changes us, and ultimately empowers us to be transformed into followers of Jesus. Repentance (which means "to change one's mind" or "to turn") is part of change, because as we repent, we recognize where we have gone astray from God's will. Out of understanding where we have strayed, we can then ask God for the strength to continue changing into the person He has us to be.

John 14:26; Acts 9:31; Romans 8:27; 2 Corinthians 3:5; 1 John 2:20,27: Acts 1:8

We believe in the "priesthood" of all believers

The "priesthood" of all believers is the Scriptural teaching that every Christian is in full-time ministry, serving God in all they do. This means that vocations other than paid ministry are still ministry. God has scattered His people throughout varying times and places so that they could honor Him in all parts of life, regardless of what type of vocation they are in. Practically, this means that everyone from a Christian elementary school student to her stay-at-home mom to her electrician father can be holy servants of God, honoring Him in their respective vocations. The concept of the "priesthood" of all believers comes out of the truth that because of Jesus, we no longer need a human mediator or "priest" to communicate with and experience God. In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), there were "priests" who would go and intercede on the behalf of the people. But because Jesus is our High Priest and mediator, we are now all priests in God's kingdom.

Hebrews 3:1, 4:14; 1 Peter 2:4,9

We believe that you can't "go to church" because you "are the church"

Nowhere in the New Testament do you read that the followers of Jesus "went to church." What you do read is that the church (the people) gathered together. There is a big difference between the two. The church is the people, not a place or a meeting you attend. We believe that in the modern world, the "church" has become known as a place that people go to vs. people on a mission for God. We cannot underestimate the power of how words shape our understanding of what a "church" is and how it is supposed to function. Vintage Faith Church has large weekly worship gatherings, and will have various other classes and meetings that happen at a "place"- but foremost, we will be defined and function as a community of "people" who are living as the church all week long.

1 Corinthians 12

We believe that healthy followers of Jesus "feed” themselves from the inspired Scriptures throughout the week

We desire to set a culture where people strive to be "theologians" and learn to "feed” themselves from the Scriptures to mature and grow. This is a critical philosophical strategy for a church, because it means that we want to see people learning how to study the Scriptures outside of Sundays as part of the rhythm of their lives, not viewing the sermons on Sundays as the primary way they are being "fed" as a believer. The Scriptures are an absolutely critical aspect of growing and maturing as a follower of Jesus. Studying and knowing and living out the Scriptures must happen on a regular basis in the life of a believer.

Hebrews 5:11-13, Acts 17:10-12

We believe that our daily lives should be missional

Unfortunately, the word "mission" has a very negative connotation as it relates to Christianity. Being "missional" simply means being outward and others-focused, with the goal of expressing and sharing the love of Jesus. The church was not created for itself: it was created to worship God and to spread His love to others. We each were created for a missional purpose. Therefore, we won't have a "missions department" because the whole church itself is a mission. Jesus clearly told the church to "go and make disciples" (Matthew 28:18-20). For us today, this command is not exclusive to overseas missions alone (which we support wholeheartedly since global missions is extremely important) but is foremost to be lived out in our own communities, families, and day to day lives. Our prayers should be focused on other people and part of our lives should be built around developing and keeping friendships with people outside of the church, as opposed to only befriending and hanging out with those who are already Christians. In keeping a missional mindset for our lives, we will to want to reflect Jesus all the more as we interact with people who don't yet know Jesus. Every day becomes a missional adventure as we truly embrace what it means to be an "ambassador" for Jesus wherever we are.

2 Corinthians 14:21; Colossians 4:5-6

We believe the paid staff of the church serves to train, equip and care for the people of the church as we all serve on the mission together

The church is comprised of people gifted by the Holy Spirit in many unique and beautiful ways to serve God, each other and the mission of Jesus. The majority of the church staff will focus their efforts on helping people identify their gifts and passions so that they can serve in the church body and in the world as God has designed them. We believe that we can see the Spirit of God changing us as we manifest love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in our lives. Jesus most harshly criticized those who were the religious leaders of His day: these leaders knew doctrine and knew the Bible very well but their hearts were hardened. As the Spirit of God transforms us, we believe that every person who has committed their life to Jesus should be showing the fruits of the Spirit more and more as they grow and mature. We strive to be a community of believers where the fruit of the Spirit is evident in our lives.

Ephesians 4:11-12, 1 Corinthians 12, Galatians 5: 22-23

We believe we are to love our neighbors as ourselves and pray for our enemies

It seems so counter intuitive to many of us, but Jesus called us to pray for our enemies. He also taught us that the second greatest command is to love our neighbor as ourselves. All through Scripture, we see that a follower of Jesus is described as someone who desires to express love to other people. We believe that Christianity is not a self-oriented faith, but one that is about other people.

Matthew 22:39; Matthew 5:43-44

We believe we are called to care about the oppressed, the poor and those experiencing injustice

When we love our neighbors as ourselves and pray for our enemies, caring for the oppressed, the poor and those experiencing injustice is an extension of this love. All throughout Scripture we see the call to care for the least of these. Jesus exhibited this with integrity, grace and intention. 

Isaiah 1:17; Proverbs 31:8-9; Luke 4:18