What Fuels Our Fires
Our Core Values
People Matter. Love wins when we put Christ on display by seeing people through His eyes.
Open Handedness. Nothing we have belongs to us. We believe that if we hold on too tightly to what he has entrusted to us, we will kill it. But by opening our hands, we not only give away what he has given us, we catch what he has for us.
Bring Our Best. God is worthy of our best, and we believe our best is shown when we operate in raw authenticiy, striving for excellence in who we really are.
Healthy Things Grow. A healthy tree produces abundant and life-giving fruit. We believe indicators of a healthy church are growth, depth and breadth.
Entrepreneurial. We believe people should have the freedom to take risks, be creative and fail forward as they pursue the call of Christ on their lives.
Guiding Principles
The Sovereignty of God – It is about Him and not about us. Scripture clearly shows that all of creation, all circumstances, all events are about showing God’s Glory.
The Person of Jesus – Without compromise or apologies, we will focus our hearts, minds and souls on the person of Jesus Christ. We will study Christ’s teachings through the scriptures to guide us in our lives and teach us the best way to live.
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit - We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is active today…healing, interceding, counseling, etc… We believe that this church will be led by the Holy Spirit and his presence in our lives. (Luke 4/Isaiah 61)
Relevant Biblical Teaching – We will teach practical insights taken straight from scripture with the intention of developing followers of Christ. We believe that Biblical teaching should be the catalyst of developing and equipping everyone who enters the doors of Vineyard Westside.
Multicultural – We believe that Heaven is a place where “every tribe and tongue” will praise God. Jesus said “the Kingdom of Heaven is now”. Our desire is to have a racially diverse church that will allow true community that celebrates individual differences realizing that each person’s differences add strength and increase the functions of the communal organism.
Culturally Relevant Celebrations – We see our celebrations involving both Spiritual Secular Music and Contemporary Worship songs to engage both the believer and the un-churched as well as teachings that are relevant and timely with the issues faced by real people in today’s real world.
Multiple Gatherings – We believe that gatherings take place in three forms:
- Celebration – Larger community gathering where creativity and innovation are communicated and practiced and all are welcomed. Primarily targeting the un-churched, we will teach biblical truths around culturally relevant topics.
- Community – The organic union of individuals who come together with gifts and talents to move the Kingdom of God forward. Mid sized gatherings based on affinity, geographic location, and common life goals.
- Life Groups – Small gatherings where people study God’s word and develop intimate relationships by doing life together authentically and honestly.
Authentic Searching – We place a high value on interaction in the form of questions. It is very important that those who attend own their own faith in Christ and not a faith that was handed to them by a family member, or teacher, etc... If we are to develop true followers of Christ then we have to create an environment where they can seek Jesus for themselves.
Team Approach to Ministry - We envision the experiential aspect of events at Vineyard West Side to be conceived, developed, and carried out by a team approach. Individual gifts and talents will be used collectively to approach various learning styles, all pointing to the person of Jesus Christ.
Volunteer Investment in the Church - We believe Vineyard West Side will be run by empowered volunteers whose gifts are identified, developed and where those gifts are released for ministries throughout the week on the West Side. We believe that everyone has a role to play in God’s story.
Commitment to Children and Youth – Children’s Ministries will cover all aspects of teaching and worship for the smallest of the regulars and guests at VWS. From infant to fourth grade, our children’s Ministry will be a safe and welcoming environment for kids to worship and learn, all while still enjoying the beauty of being God’s kids.
God is an Artist - We believe it is God’s desire to reclaim the arts to him. We will incorporate the Arts into all venues and gatherings. This could come in many forms including drama, painting, photography, video clips, music, interactive creation, etc...
Worship as a Lifestyle – Our intent is to live out our beliefs in every aspect of our lives. We believe that the way we conduct our lives in gathering, prayer, worship, laughter, music, serving, loving, accepting, creativity and volunteering in the world will model Jesus for those who don’t know Him yet. Effectively modeling Christ is the single most compelling factor in others choosing to follow the model. If necessary, words can help.
Outward Focused – We believe in the model of serving our neighbors in practical ways to show them Christ’s love. As a result, we are committed to serving the City of Cincinnati into a loving relationship with Jesus. We believe healing results from serving.
Operating in the Spirit of Abundance – We will not hold onto anything too tightly as we see everything we have as God’s. Our desire is to be good stewards of what He blesses us with and to be able to give away what He gives us with an open hand. We will whole heartedly link arms with anyone who tells the story of Jesus not withholding anything we have capacity to give in assistance.