indianapolis star interview: jim bricker

Questions:

1. You have had a Harley parked in the front of your church sanctuary lately for illustrative purposes. What is all that about?

We are currently doing a series at the Vineyard we are calling, “Route 66: Enjoying the Journey.”  Throughout this series I’m sharing stories from experiences I’ve had this summer as I rode my Harley Davidson out to California on Route 66, but the real point is that we’re all on a  spiritual journey, and I apply these experiences to being a Christ follower with a Biblical application to daily living.

2. Your church makes a point to try and be “seeker friendly.” How do you define a seeker and how do you make a church friendly to them?

In the book of Ecclesiastes, the Bible describes human beings as having a sense of eternity within their hearts and that every person matters so much to God.   Jesus himself said that he came to seek and save the lost, and the Bible also says that Christ’s love compels us to reach out to others who don’t yet know how much God loves them.  By nature we are all on a quest in life to fulfill this emptiness. Some people seem to be more in touch with this felt need in their lives then others, and they might be called ‘seekers,’ but we want to be friendly even to people who aren’t yet seeking, but are just doing their best to get by.   So we encourage our members to be ‘bringers and includers’ who invite their friends to check things out, and then we work as hard as we can to be sure that people who come will experience a warm welcome, great music in a style they can relate to, creative use of media and the arts, and clear practical teaching from the Bible. Here at Vineyard Community Church it’s all about an atmosphere that helps people take the next steps in their discovery of who God is, how much they matter to him and the difference Jesus can make in their lives.

3. Does that have something to do with the way you went about renovating your church building? Tell us about what you did and your thinking behind it?
Yes. We’ve taken a traditional 62,000 square foot church building and converted the sanctuary into an 800 seat auditorium with theater seating in place of pews, a colorful stage setting with high quality graphics, specialized lighting and a state of the art sound system. We also opened up the old “fellowship hall” and created ”The Village,” which is both a café where we serve free Starbucks coffee before and after our weekend celebrations, but is also open several weekday evenings as a community gathering place with free wireless Internet, comfortable soft seating, and a big flat screen TV.  We also upgraded the gym facilities and children’s church spaces to add color, technology, and safety, all with a view to welcoming people who may have previously checked out of church or who are checking church out for the first time.

4. You have unabashedly said that you want church to be entertaining. But many people cringe when they think about showmanship being injected into Sunday morning worship. Why is entertaining important and how do you be entertaining?
If what you mean by showmanship is insincere hype, then I’m with you, but on the other hand, who said that the most wonderful message the world has ever heard should be boring?  It’s good news, for heaven’s sake!  We would suggest that there is a very important distinction between being purposefully entertaining and simply being entertainment.  What we attempt to do at our four identical celebrations each weekend is to captivate and hold people’s attention through using creative elements such as live music, drama, video, and other stage props to communicate Biblical truths that will touch people’s hearts and lives and help them to experience positive change and spiritual growth. I think of Jesus as being one who was a master at captivating people’s attention to change their lives, so if some might consider the atmosphere at Vineyard Community Church as entertaining then that’s a good thing, because it means that we have people’s attention, and what we’re about is serious business.

5. In being entertaining, how do you avoid losing the theological meat and potatoes?
The question presumes a false dichotomy:  The content of our message each and every weekend is centered in Biblical truths that when applied is very challenging to those who attend. We wouldn’t in any way compromise the never changing message of the gospel, but our desire is to communicate it in powerful and creative ways that produces change in people’s lives.  I’ll tell you what we worry about, and that’s the temptation to keep the meat and potatoes for ourselves by wrapping it in code words, music, and traditions that are foreign to the hungry people around us, and that’s why we constantly challenge ourselves to maintain an outward focus – so we can feed that meat and potatoes to the people who need it most.

6. What are your church’s core beliefs?
Our church is firmly rooted in the historical Christian faith, sharing the beliefs summarized in the Apostles’ Creed that are affirmed by nearly every Christian denomination.  Our statement of faith is:

WE BELIEVE that there is ONE LIVING AND TRUE GOD, eternally existing in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all.

WE BELIEVE that the SCRIPTURES of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired, without error in the original manuscripts, and the infallible rule of faith and practice.

WE BELIEVE in GOD THE FATHER, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

WE BELIEVE in JESUS CHRIST, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit.  We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings, His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal, visible return to earth.  We believe, in His first coming, Jesus inaugurated the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God.
WE BELIEVE in the HOLY SPIRIT, Who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower for ministry all who believe in Christ; we believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide.  We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and in the exercise of all the Biblical gifts of the Spirit.

WE BELIEVE that all PEOPLE are sinners by nature and choice and are therefore under condemnation, that God regenerates and baptizes by the Holy Spirit those who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord.

WE BELIEVE in the universal CHURCH, the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members.

WE BELIEVE that the Lord Jesus Christ committed two ORDINANCES to the church: baptism; and the Lord's Supper.  We believe in water baptism and communion open to all believers.

WE BELIEVE also in the laying on of hands for the empowering of the Holy Spirit, for ordination of pastors and elders, for receiving gifts of the Spirit, and for healing.

WE BELIEVE in the personal, visible, APPEARING OF CHRIST to earth and the consummation of His Kingdom; in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment and eternal blessing of the righteous and endless suffering of the wicked.
WE BELIEVE in what is termed "The Apostle's Creed" as embodying fundamental facts of Christian faith, and endorse the historic orthodox creeds of the church.

7. Vineyard churches are in several places in the community and other states. Does that mean you are a denomination? And is denomination something that seekers might object to? Explain.
The Vineyard, a community of churches, is a movement originally birthed out of the late 1970s that has rapidly grown both in the United States, and globally. Currently the Community of Vineyard Churches throughout the United States and the rest of the world is developing into a denomination, certainly in the sense that we share a name, work together on church planting and missions, and collaborate on youth events, conferences, and the like.  But we also remain independently governed, which minimizes bureaucracy and allows for far greater autonomy, which might be important to some people.  I guess our approach is maximum local focus, with broader support, and we’ve certainly never had anyone object to that.

8. You have traveled to the Isle of Patmos, which is where tradition holds that the apostle John received the book of Revelation. What was the purpose of the trip?
In May of 2005 I was awarded a Clergy Renewal Grant through the Lilly Foundation to do some traveling and educational studies. This made it possible for me to follow in the footsteps of the apostles of Paul and John. After touring mainland Greece and then moving on to the Greek Islands, I visited the exact place where John had received the revelation on the Isle of Patmos as it’s recorded in the Bible and from there had the opportunity to visit each of the seven churches throughout the interior of Turkey whom John wrote letters to as recorded in the book of Revelation.

9. What was the island like and, given all the apocolyptic themes in Revelation, how did it feel to be there?

The cave on the Isle of Patmos where John received this revelation today is a Greek Orthodox Church, so as I walked through there a mass was taking place and as I closely examined the artistic work on the walls that was a colorful display of John’s revelation knowing that I was standing in the same place where Jesus himself revealed these things to John was a holy moment, one in which I will never forget.

 

Biographical information:
Your full name – Jim Bricker
Your title Senior Pastor
Your age 52
A little about your family Wife Kristy enjoys playing percussion and singing with the band,  my son Luke who is 16 is a drummer and daughter Valerie is 10 is a cat lover and enjoys playing tennis with her dad.
Your religious education/training Ordained in 1982 after completing biblical studies through Christ for the Nations in Dallas, TX and Faith Bible Institute. The after serving as an assistant pastor for 4 years at Faith Community church on the Southside of Indy I then did an internship with the Association of Vineyard Churches and was then ordained with the Vineyard in 1988.
Your past work/ministry experiences Before being ordained in 1982 I was a business owner/operator in the trucking industry.

Church information:
Full name of your church Vineyard Community Church
Year of its founding 1993
Denomination Vineyard A Community of Churches
Location/address 512 S. Madison Ave. Greenwood, IN 46142
Typical weekly attendance 2500
Special Ministries Organizing teams of volunteers within our church to do acts of kindness in the community to show God’s love in a practical way, these acts of kindness involve everything from giving away free food and clothing to car washes and free gift wrapping during the Christmas season at the mall.
Weekly worship times Saturday Weekend Celebrations are Saturday 6pm; Sunday 9am, 10:45am, and 12:30pm
Website www.vineyardindiana.org