Our Values
At Westgate Vineyard Church, we’re part of a big story—a global family of faith that stretches across cultures, generations, and traditions. And right here in the western suburbs of Melbourne, our vision is to be a Spirit-led community becoming like Jesus, bringing His Kingdom wherever we go.
We stand alongside others who share the core beliefs of the Christian faith and we are connected to the wider Vineyard movement. These relationships help ground us in who we are and remind us that we’re part of something larger than ourselves.
But we’re also a local church, planted right here in the western suburbs of Melbourne. We’ve got our own flavour, and we love that. Our values don’t exist to make everyone the same—they help name what matters most to us as a community. They give shape to who we are becoming together.
These are the things that stir our hearts and guide our steps. They’re the distinctives that shape how we follow Jesus here and now—in our homes, workplaces, friendships, and neighbourhoods.
So when you gather with us, you’ll see these values lived out. They’re not just in our language—they’re in our people, our prayers, and our everyday faith. This is who we are. And we’re excited to keep living it out together.
At the core of our faith is the life-changing love of God. This love isn’t just something we know with our heads, but something we experience with our hearts and lives. God is kind, good, pure, and holy—completely trustworthy, deeply worthy of our worship. His love is the foundation of our life in Him, and in Jesus we get to see what real, self-giving love looks like.
This love keeps drawing us in. It’s not a one-time moment—it’s a lifelong invitation to come closer, to know Him more deeply, and to be reshaped by His love.
We don’t earn God’s love—we live from it. Our transformation isn’t a performance, but a response to grace.
As we encounter His love, we respond in worship. Not just with songs, but with our whole selves. As 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us.” His love moves us to love others with the same compassion, grace, and courage.
Worship isn’t just a Sunday thing—it’s a life thing. We bring our whole selves to God, day in and day out, offering our lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). When we gather together for worship, we expect to meet Him. His presence transforms us—not just individually, but as a community. We create space to listen, to pray, to minister to each other, and to respond to His Spirit. Whether in communion, song, or a quiet moment of prayer, we believe God is close and ready to meet with us.
In worship, we don’t just remember truths—we are drawn into wonder. We gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and find ourselves undone by His holiness, His mercy, His nearness. Worship becomes the space where love reshapes us from the inside out.
And as His love flows through us, it reshapes everything—how we live, how we work, how we love. His love reorients our entire lives toward Him and His Kingdom.
“God’s love doesn’t just inform us—it transforms us.”
We are always in the process of being formed. We’re not finished—there is always more for us to become. As followers of Jesus, our deepest desire is to be shaped into His image. Jesus is our model—He is the one we look to, the one we imitate, the one we follow. As we spend time with Him and allow His Word and Spirit to mould us, we expect to grow, to change, and to reflect His character more and more.
We come to God like clay in the hands of a potter—raw, imperfect, yet known and shaped with purpose by Him. We trust that God, the Creator, is at work in us, shaping us into something beautiful. Just as Jesus surrendered fully to the Father, we are learning to surrender ourselves—our desires, our fears, our whole lives—into His hands. In this shaping process, we’re also learning to keep our hearts soft. Scripture cautions us not to let our hearts become hardened, so we pay attention to the subtle ways we resist or withdraw. Instead of closing off, we stay open—teachable, responsive, and rooted in His love.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t just empower us for ministry—He is present in the very process of our formation. As we surrender to God, the Spirit forms us in the likeness of Christ—guiding us, convicting us, comforting us, and equipping us to live as Jesus would in our shoes.
Discipleship isn’t just personal—it’s practical. Everyone gets to play. We show up. We serve. We learn by doing.
We’re not formed by accident—we are shaped by the stories we rehearse and the habits we hold. Formation happens in the quiet repetition of surrender. Through prayer, scripture, stillness, Sabbath, and shared table, we learn the slow rhythms of grace.
Jesus also shows us what emotional wholeness looks like. Fully human, He felt it all—grief, joy, frustration, compassion. In Him, we are invited to feel deeply, to be honest, and to bring our inner lives into the light. Then as we allow Him to form us in His likeness, we become more healed and whole—people who love better, forgive more freely, and know peace—even when life gets hard.
Being clay means becoming people of depth—anchored in God’s truth, formed by His love, and grounded in His presence. And as we do, God meets us—transforming us one step at a time.
“We are shaped in the quiet repetition of surrender.”
We were made for connection—for the kind of life that grows through presence, not performance. From the beginning, God has been gathering a people—not just individuals, but a community shaped by love. In Jesus, that story continues. The Church isn’t just a meeting—it’s a people formed in grace, empowered by the Spirit, and called to live as a signpost of God’s Kingdom.
At WVC, we believe that spiritual formation and mission happen best in the company of others. Community isn’t optional—it’s essential. The early church didn’t just preach the gospel; they lived it—breaking bread, sharing resources, praying together, and learning to love across their differences (Acts 2). That same Spirit-filled life is possible now. Church isn’t something we attend; it’s a family we belong to.
We choose to live as a connected people—bearing burdens, celebrating wins, and walking out our faith side by side. We want WVC to be a safe place for people to heal—emotionally, spiritually, and relationally—a community where grace is real, and no one has to pretend they’re okay when they’re not. This is where our faith takes shape: in conversation and conflict, in meals shared and prayers whispered, in grace extended and received. It’s in these ordinary places that the Spirit meets us, forms us, and heals us.
Belonging comes before belief and behaviour. We believe people need a place to “be” before they’re asked to become. Real belonging isn’t passive—it’s participatory. It means being joined to Jesus and His people through rhythms of gathering, serving, giving, and growing. And it takes consistency. We show up when it’s easy and when it’s not—trusting the Spirit to shape us through the long, faithful practice of life together.
Choosing community means making space for others—especially those who might otherwise be left out. We welcome difference. We honour story. We believe every person carries God’s image and has something to bring. In a divided world, this kind of shared life is a quiet revolution. It is our witness. It is our worship.
Around tables, in small groups, and through everyday faithfulness, we’re becoming something together—a people of love, a glimpse of the Kingdom, a Spirit-led family learning to follow Jesus, one step at a time.
“Belonging
isn’t just being around—it’s being joined to something.”
We are a church that treasures God’s Word. The Bible is not just a book—it’s God’s revelation to us, shaping how we live and how we see the world. Through Scripture, we’re drawn into the story of the Kingdom: Jesus’ message of healing, hope, and transformation. This story reshapes every part of who we are.
But “living different” isn’t just about knowing what the Bible says—it’s about stepping into it. We are equipped as disciples—carrying Scripture in one hand and the leading of the Spirit in the other. Jesus announced that the Kingdom of God had come near, and through His life, death, and resurrection, God’s reign has broken into the world. The resurrection wasn’t just a future promise—it was the beginning of something new. In Him, that future has already begun.
That’s why we live different now. Not to escape the world, but to lean into it—because heaven is already breaking in, and we get to be part of it.
Even now, we live in that Kingdom story—seeing glimpses of healing, justice, peace, and renewal, while still aching for the day all things will be made new. We hold both the ache of what is and the hope of what’s coming. We live as people of the future, bearing witness to it by how we live today.
Living different means aligning our whole lives with Jesus—choosing His way in a world shaped by shifting values. Our allegiance belongs to Him. His Kingdom reorders our loyalties around love, justice, and mercy. To follow Jesus is to live as citizens of another kind of world, right in the middle of this one.
It’s a quiet rebellion—shaped by grace, lived in humility, fuelled by the Spirit. We expect to see God move: healing bodies, restoring relationships, stirring courage, and calling us into acts of bold, Spirit-led love.
We don’t live this way to make ourselves stand out—we live this way because we’re part of something bigger: God’s eternal Kingdom. And as we do, we become a signpost of what’s to come—people marked by hope, shaped by grace, and grounded in His presence.
“…Carrying Scripture in one hand and the Spirit in the other.”
Mission is at the very heart of who we are. As followers of Jesus, we are ALL called to continue what He began—bringing freedom, healing, and restoration. We’re now His hands and feet in the world. Adopted into God’s family, we’ve also been commissioned into His mission. What He started, we continue.
Mission is not just something we do—it’s who we are, anchored in the story of the early church. From Jesus’ commissioning of His disciples to the radical community of Acts, we continue in this movement, embodying the good news of the Kingdom in both word and action. It’s part of our DNA. We’re committed to loving people well, praying for the sick, advocating for justice and reconciliation, and stepping into the spaces where we see God at work to bring his good rule and reign.
We believe the heart of Jesus beats especially for the poor, the overlooked, and the hurting—and so our heart does too. Mission isn’t just spiritual—it’s tangible. Jesus didn’t just preach and do signs and wonders; He fed the hungry, healed the sick, welcomed the outsider, and lifted up the broken. That’s our template. We are committed to partnering with local and global initiatives that bring healing, restoration, and hope. We also seek to love the poor, the overlooked, and the hurting in our own community in tangible, practical ways.
At WVC, this means we all have a part to play. Jesus sent out ordinary people to do extraordinary things. It’s our joy to join Jesus in seeing people set free, healed, and made whole.
We don’t wait for the 'qualified' or ‘professional’ Christians to arrive—because Jesus qualifies, and sends, each of us. Every believer is empowered by the Spirit to participate in God’s mission—it’s for everyone, every day, everywhere.
Wherever we go, we carry the presence of God with us—at home, at work, in our neighbourhoods. We are all signposts to Jesus, pointing to His love, His grace, and the good news of His Kingdom breaking in. As we live this out, we become a living invitation for others to encounter Him.
We love to partner with God wherever we see Him at work—whether that’s praying for the sick, advocating for justice, standing with the broken, or simply showing up in love. This is what it means to be on mission. That’s why we create space for hands-on discipleship, where people can practise praying for healing, sharing their faith, and serving others with compassion. We step out, even when it feels risky, trusting the Spirit is already moving. We learn by doing. We get our hands dirty. And we grow in faith as we follow Jesus together.
“What Jesus started, we joyfully continue.”
This is the kind of church we’re becoming—people shaped by love, anchored in grace, and alive to God’s Spirit. As we live out these values in real, everyday ways, we believe our neighbourhoods will begin to taste and see just how good God really is.