WHAT IS THRIVE?

THRIVE is an important invitation for us. Jesus invites us into a new life where we are able to thrive as we grow in relationship with him and his people, the church.  So "thrive" is the name we use to describe the four core priorities for discipleship as we move into authentic relationship with God.

WORSHIP GOD

Every weekend, we come together to worship God, know Jesus better, and experience the Holy Spirit’s presence with us. We desire to foster an atmosphere where people can freely express their love for God in worship with the community of believers. God desires to have an interactive relationship with us, one where we come to him for anything, one where we are completely transparent. God listens to our questions, hears our frustrations, and celebrates our triumphs. When we spend quality time with Jesus and learn to hear his voice, the fruit that flows from such intimacy is life-changing.

HERE’S HOW TO THRIVE IN WORSHIP:

• Weekend Worship Services
• Personal Devotions
• Communion
• Biblical Teaching
• Prayer Time
• Kids Ministry
• Youth Ministry
• Baptism
• Intercessory Prayer
• Scripture Reading Plan
• Worship Nights

BE IN COMMUNITY

Spiritual growth happens best in the company of friends. Join together with others in a small group format to regularly worship, care for one another, and help each other grow toward a thriving relationship with Jesus. Community means meals together, spending quality time together, showing up at each other’s homes, serving others together, being there when there is a need, offering resources that we have to each other, and exemplifying a life that is surreal to most people today.  

HERE’S HOW TO THRIVE IN COMMUNITY:

• Life Groups
• Pods
• Men’s
• Women’s
• Life Together Dinners
• MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)
• Youth Group
• Rangers
• Recovery Groups

CONNECTING WITH EACH OTHER

We desire to establish deep relationships with each other outside of our Sunday gatherings by sharing meals together, having fun, and helping out when someone is in need. It's more than just a Sunday thing, it is a way of life.

Here at the Vineyard Church of Baton Rouge, we deeply value families. We challenge families to adopt Biblical principles in order to exemplify the character of Christ. He was selfless, loving, strong, and inclusive.  We want to be a church that supports and honors parents as they strive to find their place in the kingdom and, in turn, raise their children to be world changers too!  

We have a Family Month every June – we encourage families to do activities together for the entire month and award those who document the most accomplished activities. We also offer marriage and family counseling for any families that might find themselves in a tough place.

Some other family activities we host throughout the year include:

• Fall Fest & Spring Fest
• Father Daughter Dance
• Vacation Bible School (VBS)
• Escorting our float in the Jones Creek Christmas Parade
• Our annual Bake-Off competition
• BBQs, Potlucks, Brunches, and more

All these events are completely FREE so that we can bless each other and bless families in our community. Come join the fun!

GET EQUIPPED

People who are thriving in their relationship with Jesus never stop growing. The definition of being a disciple means being a learner. We want to build strong core competencies and practices that propel you forward into a lifelong journey as a thriving follower of Jesus. God’s desire for us is to become mature disciples in the Body of Christ and the world He loves. 

HERE’S HOW TO THRIVE BY GETTING EQUIPPED:

• Equip Course Categories
• Bible
• Theology
• Ministry Training
• Core Competencies
• Kingdom Practices
• Vineyard Institute
• Internships
• Vineyard 101

DO "THE STUFF"

Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working” (John 5:17). We want to follow Jesus’s model and constantly look to see what God is doing around us and then courageously join in. Take a risk, get messy, have fun, and make a difference by joining a ministry team. Much of Jesus’s life and ministry was living, serving, healing, and eating with those in which the world did not value. Jesus called these people “the least” because they are the people most forgotten, powerless, and outcasted in society. As followers of Jesus, we are also called to care for the least, and in doing so we are caring for Jesus himself.

HERE’S HOW TO THRIVE BY DOIN’ THE STUFF:

MERCY & COMPASSION

Much of Christ’s life and ministry was living, serving, healing, and eating with those in which the world did not value. Christ called these people “the least” because they are the people most forgotten, powerless, and outcaste in society. However, these are the very people Christ came to be with. These are the people Christ calls blessed, the first, and heirs of the Kingdom of God. As we search scripture, it is evident that as followers of Christ, we are also called to care for the least, and in doing so we are caring for Christ himself.

As we seek to love Jesus, it is a natural overflow of God’s grace for us that we are discovering how to love the “the least” through compassion, justice, peace, and mercy in our communities both locally and globally. All of this is what we at the Vineyard call “mercy & compassion.” A few of the ways that we have lived out justice in our community is by serving and eating meals with the homeless, giving away dipers to families each month, and partnering with local non-profit organizations. All of this is in hopes of participating in the work God is already doing in Baton Rouge and around the world.

INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS

Our mission field doesn't stop at the Baton Rouge city limits. Our heart for the nations has led us to partner with churches in other countries to help spread the gospel there, to train and equip the locals for ministry. We hope to build lifelong relationships and help transform a country into one that loves and follows Jesus. 

As the Vineyard Church of Baton Rouge, we simply desire to continue Jesus' expansion of His Kingdom.  We accomplish this through serving people by: church planting, church renewal, ministry to the lost, the poor, the orphan, the slave and the outcast.

A Church Planting Movement:
Our primary activity around the world is the growth and establishment of new churches expressing the values of the Vineyard, which in turn develop as communities of hope.  The result of these communities is "churches planting churches" through local, church-based missions.  This concept celebrates the local church as pivotal to God's plan for world evangelism and recognizes that initiative, responsibility and vision for global missions resides with local churches.

Our Target Nation:
We have seen the impact is greater when we commit to a specific country for longer periods of time.  Thus, we strive to keep a minimum of ten-year commitments to a country we minister in.  We have an onging commitment to Haiti.