FAQs
As a center set church, we have a clear set of beliefs that are rooted in Christ and his teachings. We honor all Christian expressions of the Gospel that have developed throughout church history, adopting the practices that are specifically centered on Jesus. You don’t need to believe the exact same things to belong at LIFE Vineyard Church. We want to major on the major things and minor on the minor things. What that means is that at LIFE Vineyard Church, we have a broad and inclusive stance of baptism & Partnership (aka membership) that is predicated on an individual's profession of faith in Christ. We believe that to be clear is to be kind, so we want to be clear about some frequently asked about theological principles and pastoral practice. There are all kinds of questions that folks who are new to LIFE Vineyard Church ask about. We’ve included some of the most frequent questions here. If you have a question that you’d like answered, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask us.
Baptism?
Do you need to be baptized to be a Christian?
A person doesn't need to be baptized to be saved, a person is saved by faith alone in Christ alone. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9.
In Luke 23, the thief on the cross recognized who Jesus was, reached out to Him, and was promised salvation. That dying thief had no opportunity to be baptized. Yet the promise from Jesus our Lord and savior was made.
We are commanded however, to be baptized as a part of being a disciple. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Mt. 28:19) Baptism is one of only two ordinances or rituals that Jesus commands us to observe for all time. The other is The Lord’s Table, or what is often called communion.
How do we baptize?
LIFE Vineyard believes the best way to express the spiritual reality of God’s new life is to be baptized by immersion. We really die and rise with Christ. The meaning of the word "baptize" in Greek is to be immersed. This was also a common practice in the early church. So we hold in person Baptism services a few times a year.
When do we baptize?
Vineyard believes you should be baptized any time after you have personally trusted Christ for salvation and have been “born again”. Remember, you are not baptized to become a Christian. You are baptized because you are a Christian.
Can children be baptized?
Absolutely, as long as they thoroughly understand what they are doing. Vineyard requests that you wait until your children are around 10 years old so that they can make a thoughtful profession of faith that is their own.
Should I be re-baptized if I was baptized at another church?
We allow this to be a decision between the individual and God. If they feel led by the Lord, we aren’t getting in the way.
What if I was baptized as an infant?
Among orthodox Christians, there are different perspectives on the way to baptize. Some denominations (such as Reformed, Anglican, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic) baptize infants, while others (such as most Baptists) do not. If you were baptized as a baby, before you made your own personal confession of faith, then we would encourage you to consider being baptized again as an adult. At the same time, you certainly want to show respect to your parents and their viewpoint, as well as be grateful to God for any spiritual influence they had in your life. Our view of infant baptism is simply that it is more closely related to baby dedication.
Can I participate in the LIFE Vineyard without being baptized?
You can participate here in many ways if you have not been baptized; however, we do encourage all people seeking to become Partners at LIFE Vineyard Church to be baptized. Because we understand baptism to be our common entry point into the worldwide community of Christian faith, we make that a local stance as well. If you would like to learn more about baptism, email us.
Giving/Tithing?
We are well aware that finances can be a tricky topic and there have been examples in the past (and let’s be honest right now as well) where churches has abused their leadership to gain riches for their own gain and have manipulated people into giving for various reasons. That is despicable and wrong.
That being said, Jesus challenges us all to look at our heart, to test out heart and that major test is are you approaching the needs of your fellow humans with open hands ready to give or with a closed fist, clenching on to what you have?
So God is asking you, he’s asking us to be generous with your finances and we believe the starting point for that generosity as a disciple of Christ is the tithe of 10%.
Our position on LGBTQ+?
LIFE Vineyard sincerely welcomes the LGBT+ community to worship and join our family of faith.
LIFE holds a traditionally orthodox view of marriage, sexuality, and gender. This means that our church is not considered ‘open and affirming’, but we do endeavor to be ‘welcoming and including’. It is our desire to be a home for all who are trying to follow Jesus with their life. Anyone, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, is welcomed into our community, including: worship, baptism, communion, partnership (LIFE’s membership) and volunteering.
We repent of the way that LGBT+ persons have been excluded from many church settings, and it is our deep desire to stay open and humble as we endeavor to make our church a safe place for everyone.
While everyone is invited into Partnership, Vineyard churches hold a traditional theology and practice regarding marriage (I.e. our Pastors do not officiate same sex marriages) and our leadership commits to practicing a traditional sexual ethic of abstinence outside of marriage as expressed in Scripture.
We understand that our position can feel uncomfortable and out of step with mainstream culture, but as followers of Jesus first, we are compelled to surrender to God’s vision for human sexuality as expressed in the Bible.
The bottom line is that we celebrate all movement toward Christ, and we welcome all who seek him to join us on the journey.
What is partnership? How do I become a member?
I’m sure like me you’ve had a gym membership you rarely used. You were a member but did you actually participate? Heck you might have a Blockbuster Membership still, doubt you’ve been there recently.
We call membership, Partnership intentionally, because as the church partners with the Spirit to make disciples of all nations including Columbus, OH. We want disciples to partner with us to participate in that work.
You become a Partner at LIFE Vineyard by:
1- Attending a Partnership Interest Class
2- Committing to:
Regular attendance and participation in Sunday Worship.
Being in and sharing LIFE with community by small groups and volunteering.
Being generous with your time and financial resources through the tithe.
3- Life out the life that God has called you to!
If you are interested in becoming a partner email us.
What does LVC believe about women in leadership?
Spoiler alert our lead pastor is a female. :) The Bible gives us examples of women leading and participating in the work of God throughout history. From Miriam, the prophetess, to Deborah the
judge, Esther the Queen, and Jael the warrior, we see God using women alongside men to liberate his people.
LIFE church has a woman lead pastor. This is still controversial in many churches, who believe that only men should Pastor. We love and value the Bible as the inspired word of God, and we feel passionately about releasing both men and women into Kingdom work. So how can we view the same text differently? Everyone reads the Bible through a ‘lens’ - which is why we have thousands of denominations. Each denomination reads the Bible through a specific set of guidelines, doctrine and dogma, but here at LIFE vineyard, we read the Bible through the lens of Jesus Christ and his Kingdom theology that He demonstrated while on earth. The way that Jesus interacted and empowered women to evangelize, preach, participate and engage the scriptures was revolutionary in the culture of the day. There was a common prayer in the Jewish Talmud that begins with this bracing line, “Blessed are you O God, King of the Universe, Who has not made me...” and conclude, respectively, “a goy [Gentile],” “a slave,” and “a woman.” This was the common view of women in the Jewish culture that Jesus was born into, but as you will see in the gospels, Jesus radically overturned this view of women, and in so doing, elevated women as co-heirs of the Kingdom of God.
Our heart at this church is one of gifting over gender. We are called to steward well the gifts that God has given us, for the benefit of the body of Christ as a whole. We believe Jesus, when he said that the fields are ripe for harvest. We want to release everyone, through the power of the Holy Spirit to serve, minister and lead in their gifting, including the office of Pastor.
When Paul made his famous declaration in Galatians 3:28, He was directly contradicting the Jewish prayer of exclusivity. Remember, the prayer thanked God that the Jewish man was neither a gentile, a slave or a woman. ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ Galatians 3:28.
The three things that gave the Jewish man status, Paul dismantled. There is no difference between a Gentile and a Jew, a slave or a free man, a male or a female. Exclusivity is submitted to Jesus. This is why we ordain both men and women who fit the criteria of an overseer. We believe that the few mentions of silence and/or qualifications of leadership found in some new
testament letters were specific to the church that the letter was addressed to, and reading the Bible through our Christ centered lens puts these instructions into context. As a Vineyard church, our position is supported and encouraged by the movement as a whole, and they are committed to raising up both men and women for Pastoral ministry. You are free to pursue the call of God on your life for ministry at this church, regardless of your gender, not in rebellion, but as a commissioned and empowered child of God.