Who We Are
Our Vision
We desire to be a thriving community of faith marked by inclusion, connection, and love, committed to spiritual growth and making a difference together.
We envision our church as a place of welcome and inclusivity for all, a place where everyone feels loved, seen, and embraced. We are especially passionate about creating a safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth to feel affirmed and celebrated by a loving congregation. We foster a loving and supportive environment where all our children and youth can thrive, feel nurtured, and are encouraged to grow into the people God has uniquely created them to be.
We want to be known by our community as an active and reliable partner in addressing our neighbors’ most pressing needs through our kind and compassionate local missions. We believe God calls us not only to acts of charity, but also to works of peace and justice. As a church, we are called to join our lives with our neighbors who are directly affected by inequalities and injustices, and to create community partnerships so we have the power to make change, and take action together to build a better world.
We believe that church is a people, not a place. Our community of faith shares love together like a big family offering care, connection, and support to one another. We learn and grow in our faith together, nurturing spaces of curiosity and creativity where we can explore our questions, doubts, and differences. We invite everyone to join us as we seek to follow the Way of Jesus and make a difference in our world.
Our Values
Inclusion: Our commitment to be a welcoming and affirming congregation for LGBTQIA+ people is essential to us. We are deeply committed to being a place of radical welcome for all people, regardless of background, identity, or perspective.
Faith: VBC is a place of learning and spiritual growth. We deeply value creating an open and safe space for diverse perspectives, questions, and doubts. We seek to embrace a progressive theological stance that is relevant to today’s issues while remaining deeply rooted in the teachings of Jesus.
Making a Difference: We are called to be a church known for serving our local Vienna community and beyond. We prioritize active engagement in local missions, social justice initiatives, and deep partnerships to address community needs.
Connection: VBC is a caring faith community that provides a place to build relationships, foster friendships, and raise families. Church is more than a building or a weekly activity to us - it's people journeying with each other through all of life's ups and downs.
Love:
We want to be defined by genuine warmth, unconditional love, and a non-judgmental atmosphere. We care about nurturing a sense of belonging and a caring community.
God Loves You.
We Love You.
No Exceptions
AN INCLUSIVE CHURCH
We believe in a God of ever-expanding, liberating love that embraces the fullness of who we are and frees us to be our most genuine selves. We believe the Church is called to practice Jesus’ radically inclusive love and strive to be a community of belonging where you can bring your whole self. We also believe that “justice is what love looks like in public,” so we seek to join God in building a better world of justice, equity, and inclusion for all people through our work with local coalitions and community partners.
At Vienna Baptist, we welcome all the beauty and diversity that makes you who you are: your age, your race, your ethnicity, your socioeconomic status, your immigration status, your personal history, your gender identity, your sexual orientation, your relationships, your body, your mental, emotional, and physical self, your hopes, your dreams, your doubts, and your questions. We celebrate the uniqueness of every person and affirm that you are a deeply loved child of God. We believe that when we come together with our fullness, we are better able to live and love like Jesus.
The intersecting identities that make you who you are will never disqualify you from full membership and participation at Vienna Baptist. You are invited to participate in Bible study, in worship, in baptism, in communion, in weddings, in baby dedications, in ordination, in any level of leadership, and in all other aspects of communal life.
While this statement reflects our shared values, we are not declaring that we are perfect or have it all figured out. As individuals and as a community, we remain seekers on a journey – learning every day what it means to more fully live and love like Jesus. We seek to hold ourselves accountable to this journey through our membership in the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists, the Alliance of Baptists, and other community partners.
We welcome you to journey with us as we seek to join our lives together and bring our whole selves to our shared mission of changing lives and transforming our community with the love of God.
