Where We Are Going

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Why Columbia?

‘Not another church, a different kind of church’

With about 750,000 residents in the Columbia area and churches around every corner, Columbia doesn’t need another church; it needs a different kind of church. Masses of people find themselves outside the doors of local churches and far away from Christ. Marriages are failing, families are splitting, and children are growing up with no spiritual grasp or understanding. Countless people find themselves disillusioned and disconnected from church and from Christianity. With a failure to connect church and culture, the rift continues to deepen.

Why VIVE?

Imagine a community of people not defined by location or limitations, but instead defined by their desire to follow Jesus and their commitment to each other. Each person “being the church” in their neighborhood, their job, their home. This community of Christ followers is VIVE church.

We believe people, with every unique characteristic of humanity, are the reason God sacrificed His son on the cross. People are extremely valuable to God and therefore VIVE church believes in that same value of people. This requires acknowledging every relational aspect of a person- from the individual, to the family, to the city and community. We value an individual’s creativity and diversity. As a microcosm of the church and God’s first established earthly institution, we value the family unit as a determination of the strength of their society, community, and church. It is our firm conviction that churches should add value to the cities and towns they are a part of. The driving question for VIVE is: if we ceased to exist as a church in NE Columbia, would the city know, and would they care?

Why Now?

Armed with an overflowing love for people and a deep rooted discontentment for the status quo, VIVE seeks to change the understanding of church and a relationship with God, and capture the hearts of a disillusioned and disconnected people. God has provided and we stand to diligently answer the call.