We can definitely agree on one thing: our world is constantly bombarded by algorithms, televisions and misinformation. The result is a season of humanity that is slow to trust, and ironically quick to be tricked. The Vineyard exists to lift the voice of truth and redemption and to tangibly serve the needs of people, leading God's creation home to Him, where there is healing and hope from the depression, confusion and anxiety of our exhausting world. This is God's love lived in action.

From humble beginnings in living rooms, our story has always been a story about the presence of God, and how He transforms people. We are not built on presentations or performances, we're built on God's presence, transcendent of cultures and buildings, which makes our current meeting space a perfect picture of what we're all about.

The Vineyard Community Church serves central Indiana from the south side of Indianapolis, gathering each weekend at the Baxter YMCA. We are not here by accident, we are here on mission. Through our friendship with the YMCA we are directly connected to unreached communities of teenagers and families, as we invest in the next generation to know truth and experience love.

Since 2021, we have called the YMCA home, and in 2025, we transitioned leadership to the second generation, with our new Lead Pastor, Elisha Hale, championing the belief that God's Kingdom is about "all of God's people doing all of God's work". Our mission is simple: Loving all people into a growing relationship with Jesus.
We exist to Seek and save the one that is lost, and shepherd and send the one that is found. 

We pursue that mission through practical outreach, developing biblical literacy, teaching effective prayer, dependence on the Holy Spirit, building authentic relationships, and making the good news of Jesus accessible to everyone. We do this through Sunday gatherings, small groups, classes, outreach initiatives, and ongoing service opportunities both within the YMCA and throughout our city.

"We are a Spirit-filled, biblically functioning, caring community with an outward focus."

Indiana natives Jim and Kristy Bricker planted this Vineyard on the south side of Indianapolis in 1993, after planting the thriving Miami Florida Vineyard in 1988. What started with a small group of faithful, devoted Christ-followers, became a pioneering force in central Indiana. At a time when many people felt disconnected from church culture, Jim and Kristy helped create a church where people could come as they are. Their vision was never centered on appearances, traditions, or religious performance—it was centered on helping people encounter the transforming love of Jesus.

Their leadership of the Vineyard Church was marked by thirty-two years of integrity, humility, compassion, and an outward focus toward those who felt far from God. That heart for people remains the defining foundation of who we are today.  The Brickers still attend and serve at this Vineyard Church. Jim Bricker still teaches and ministers, and continues to coach pastors and leaders through his consulting group, LivingStoneConsulting.com, helping leaders and their churches become more outwardly focused and missionally effective, equipping others to join Jesus in "seeking and saving the one that is lost".

The Vineyard movement in central Indiana traces its roots to the summer of 1985 when Dr. Bill Jackson, his wife Betsy, and a group of devoted believers followed the call to plant a Vineyard church in Indianapolis.  Meeting in the Harper J. Ransburg YMCA on Indianapolis’ east side in their early days, finally becoming what is now known as Indy Vineyard Church on the North Side in Castleton, Indiana.

Through the faithful lives, leadership development and church planting of many, the Vineyard has grown throughout Indiana and the surrounding region. Though all Vineyard churches are autonomous, they are connected and empowered in the Vineyard USA network. The current Vineyard Central Indiana Area Pastor, Tony Portell of Vineyard Life Church on the West Side of Indy, provides accountability, encouragement and pastoring for the Vineyard area pastors in central Indiana, supporting one another through shared mission, leadership development, church planting, and ministry partnerships.

Alongside our Area Pastor, our Vineyard Regional Leaders help equip Vineyard pastors and churches to remain healthy, mission-focused, and empowered by the Holy Spirit as we serve our communities.

The Vineyard movement began during the Jesus Movement of the 1970s. In 1974, Kenn Gulliksen planted a church in West Los Angeles after serving with Calvary Chapel. That church would become the first Vineyard church and the beginning of what would eventually grow into a worldwide movement. During the early years, many people from the emerging Jesus Movement found a home in these churches. Musicians, artists, students, seekers, and families gathered together in a fresh expression of Christian faith marked by worship, discipleship, community, and a desire to experience the presence of God.

In the early 1980s, The Vineyard was shaped by many charismatic leaders such as Lonnie Frisbee, seen in the movie Jesus Revolution, and official leadership of the growing Vineyard movement transitioned to John Wimber. Through his leadership, the Vineyard became known for its emphasis on what has often been called “the radical middle”—a commitment to both the authority of Scripture and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. Wimber’s influence helped shape a movement centered on intimacy with God through worship, compassion for people, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, practical discipleship, church planting and leadership development, and the belief that “everyone gets to play” in the work of God’s Kingdom.

The Vineyard also became widely known for its worship music, which influenced churches around the world. Songs such as "Come, Now Is the Time to Worship," I Love Your Presence, Spirit Song, Hungry (Falling on My Knees), Breathe, "More Love, More Power," Refiner’s Fire, and "Lord, Reign in Me" - these and countless other songs shaped a generation of modern worship.

Today, Vineyard churches can be found throughout the United States and in more than 90 countries worldwide. Together, they share a common commitment to proclaiming the Gospel, serving their communities, making disciples, planting churches, and demonstrating the love and power of Jesus Christ. To learn more about Vineyard USA, visit vineyardusa.org. For those interested in the history of the movement, we recommend The Quest for the Radical Middle by Bill Jackson.

Our story is continuing to be written by so many unnamed and unseen champions of God's kingdom, who have prayed and practiced the way of Jesus in private and in public, like the countless champions that are unnamed in this brief history.

Our hope is that you too might be a part of this life changing story of God's power and love.

Vineyard USA (VUSA) is a rapidly growing multi-ethnic network of over 2400+ churches worldwide, and has impacted the Church as a whole across denominational lines in uncountable ways. The Vineyard movement emerged on the scene in the late 1970s, at what has been called a “crossroads” of American Christianity and culture. Calling ourselves “empowered evangelicals,” the Vineyard Movement seeks to blend the best of the Evangelical traditions with their focus on Christ-like character and regard for the Scriptures, with the best of the Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions of welcoming the empowering of the Holy Spirit for life, ministry, and acts of service.