Who We Are
Disciples of Jesus and passionate about Him, we are a church committed to advancing the Gospel in the southern region of Brazil.
Doctrinal Statement – Vintage Church
What We Believe
Bible
The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the inspired, infallible, inerrant, and perfect Word of God and our only unchanging source of faith. It teaches us what to believe concerning God, salvation, and godly living. (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:9-11; Proverbs 30:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
God
There is only one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three are equal in essence, power, and glory and are worthy of our worship and obedience. God is sovereign as Creator and King over all creation, loving, just, righteous, and perfect in all His ways. (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:1-7; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 6:1-3; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
The Condition of Humanity
Humanity was created in the image and likeness of God. However, through Adam’s sin, humanity inherited a sinful nature and became separated from God. Humanity is totally depraved, with no power in itself to deal with its sinful condition or bridge the gap between itself and God. The divine punishment for sin is eternal death, both spiritual and physical. (Psalm 51:5; Isaiah 53:6, 59:12; Romans 3:23, 5:12-19, 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:22; Ephesians 2:1-3)
The Person and Work of Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ, being fully God, humbled Himself and became man, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus was born without sin, lived a sinless life, and became a perfect offering for our sins. As our only, perfect, and effective substitute, He bore our sins on the cross, endured God’s wrath in our place, and died the death we deserved. He paid the penalty of our sin once for all and rose again on the third day as proof that His sacrifice was accepted by God the Father. (Isaiah 53; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1-5; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Titus 3:3-7)
Salvation
Salvation is a gift from God, by grace alone, for His people whom He chose before the foundation of the world. Salvation cannot be earned through good works, but only through grace by faith. It is received by all who believe and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who through His life, death, and resurrection provided effective forgiveness for our sins. (John 1:12; Romans 5:1-2, 6:23, 8:28-39; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 3:26; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 5:11-12)
Eternal Security
Salvation begins when one believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is a gift from God based on grace and faith, not works. Therefore, we believe that true believers are eternally secure in their salvation, which is preserved by the grace and power of God. Those who believe will dwell with God for all eternity after death. (John 5:24, 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; Galatians 5:13; Hebrews 10:10-14; 1 Peter 1:5)
Ministry and Spiritual Gifts
We believe God is sovereign in distributing spiritual gifts. However, it is the believer’s responsibility to develop their sovereignly given gift. The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at conversion and places the believer in the Body of Christ. We believe that spiritual gifts are not essential, nor can they prove the presence of the Holy Spirit, nor are they an indication of spiritual maturity. (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11, 13; Ephesians 4:7-8).
We believe God hears and answers prayers of faith, according to His will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15).
We believe it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to minister according to the gifts of God’s grace given to them. (Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Peter 4:10-11)
Note: Paul uses the language of Spirit baptism for conversion (1 Corinthians 12:13), while Jesus also uses that language for empowerment and fullness (Acts 1:5). We understand conversion as Spirit baptism, and Luke uses the same language for being filled with the Spirit, so many theologians refer to this as the “Fullness of the Spirit” to avoid confusion – which is not wrong, as they were indeed filled.
The Universal and Local Church
The Church is the Body and Bride of Christ, made up of all true Christians everywhere. Locally, Christians gather with the purpose of glorifying God, living in authentic community, and impacting their culture with the Gospel.
(Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:42-47, 6:1-6; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:11-16)
The Second Coming of Christ
We believe in the personal and imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ for those redeemed by Him and to judge the living and the dead. We do not know when Jesus will return, but we know that He will come again. While we wait for that day, we strive to be faithful stewards of the things of God.
(Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18, 5:9; Revelation 3:10, 19:11-16, 20:1-6)
Baptism
Baptism is an act of obedience and a symbol of identification with Christ, evidencing saving faith in Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, baptism was by full immersion under water and rising up, symbolizing that the believer is united with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection—and that their past, present, and future sins were completely “washed” away by Christ as their personal substitute.
Even though baptism is a commandment, the act of baptism itself does not save anyone. We are justified by God’s grace through faith alone.
(Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:5-11; John 2:23; Acts 2:38-41, 16:25-34; Romans 6:1-7; Colossians 2:11-12)
Communion (The Lord’s Supper)
Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper at the Last Supper so that God’s people would continually remember and celebrate His body broken (symbolized by bread) and His blood shed (symbolized by wine) for the forgiveness of sins.
The church should celebrate the Lord’s Supper with sober confession of sin and acknowledgment of why Jesus died and rose again.
We remember Christ’s love for His people, that our sins were fully paid through His life, death, and resurrection, and that He alone offers us new life in Him.
For this reason, we believe the Lord’s Supper should be observed only by Christians.
(Deuteronomy 14:22-26; Matthew 26:26-29; John 6:53-57; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:17-34; Revelation 19:9)
We Are: Disciples, Family, Servants, and Missionaries
DISCIPLES
We are disciples of Jesus who take responsibility for our own growth and for helping others grow.
As a young man, Jesus grew in both wisdom and stature. He learned from local and religious teachers, through community life, and by spending regular time listening to God.
Jesus called others to follow Him, to be His disciples, and to live in obedience to all that God commanded. He sent His disciples to make new disciples.
We believe we are also called to follow Jesus and take responsibility for our own growth and for the growth of others.
This includes both our personal time with God and our involvement in training provided by spiritual leadership.
(Luke 2:52; Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:11-13; 2 Timothy 2:2)
FAMILY
We are children of God who live and care for one another as a family.
God has always desired a people—a family on earth—that would live in such a way that the world would know who He is.
Jesus said that those who live in His ways and obey His Father are truly His family.
Through Jesus, we are God’s children and brothers and sisters to one another.
As family, we take personal responsibility for each other’s needs—both physical and spiritual.
We disciple, nurture, and maintain our commitment to this shared life through regular celebrations (corporate worship) and consistent involvement in the DNA of our group.
(Genesis 12:1-3; John 1:12-13; Romans 12:10-16)
SERVANTS
We are servants of God who serve others as a way of life.
Fully God and fully man, Jesus took on the posture of a servant. He gave His life unto death so that others could receive salvation, peace, and restoration.
Jesus said: “I am among you as the one who serves.”
All who follow Jesus are called to serve with the same humility.
For us, this means joyful submission to God, to leadership, and to one another, serving those God brings into our lives.
We do what needs to be done, wherever we are called.
(Matthew 20:25-28; 25:31-46; John 13:1-17; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Peter 2:16)
MISSIONARIES
We are sent by God to restore all things to Him.
God sent His Son Jesus to earth to be born as a true human and live among human culture.
He worked, ate, and interacted among people; He lived in such a way that many around Him could truly see, understand, and experience God.
Jesus came so that many people, places, and things could be restored to a right relationship with God.
Likewise, we believe that we are missionaries sent into our culture to restore all things to God through Jesus.
We live this out as part of our missional community.
(John 1:14; 20:21; Colossians 1:19; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
Doctrine: What Does Vintage Church Believe?
In short, we are first Christians, second Evangelical, third Missional, and fourth Reformed.
A longer answer follows, intentionally omitting some secondary issues, which we allow our elders to address according to their own convictions.
#1. We Are Christians: We distinguish ourselves from other world religions and cults. Therefore, we affirm both the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.
#2. We Are Evangelical: We affirm the evangelical faith summarized as follows:
- We believe the Bible is the inspired, only infallible, authoritative Word of God.
- We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death, in His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
- We believe that regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for the salvation of lost and sinful people.
- We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, who indwells Christians and enables them to live godly lives.
- We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost: the saved unto the resurrection of life and the lost unto the resurrection of condemnation.
- We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
3º We Are Missional: We summarize this as:
- We believe our church must faithfully preserve the unchanging doctrines of the Bible (Jude 3).
- We believe our local churches must be faithful to the ever-changing contexts of the cultures in which they minister (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
- We believe our mission is to bring people into the church to be equipped to go back out into their cultures as effective missionaries.
4º We Are Reformed in Our View of Salvation
- We believe that God created the heavens and the earth.
- We believe that God created man and woman in a perfect, sinless state with a unique dignity as His image bearers on the earth.
- We believe that our first parents sinned against God and that ever since, all people are sinners by nature and by choice. Sin has completely affected all of creation, including the ruin of the image and likeness of God in such a way that our entire being has been stained by sin (e.g., reason, desires, and emotions).
- We believe that because all are sinners and separated from the Holy God, God is not obligated to save anyone from the just and deserved punishment of hell.
- We also believe that God, in His incomparable love and mercy, chose to elect many for salvation, which He purchased with the blood of His Son.
- We believe that the salvation of the elect, by God’s grace alone, is manifested through continual repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ, which leads us to good works.
- We believe that God’s saving grace is ultimately irresistible and invincible, and that God can soften even the hardest heart and save the worst of sinners by His will.
- We believe that the gospel must be proclaimed with passion and urgency to all people so that everyone who believes may be saved through the preaching of God’s Word by the power of God’s Spirit.
- We believe that true Christians who are born again were regenerated by the Spirit of God and will be kept by God throughout their lives, evidencing this through personal transformation that includes continual growth in love for God the Father through God the Son by God the Holy Spirit, love for brothers and sisters in the church, and love for our lost neighbors in their culture.
- We believe that God is Lord over everything in life and that there is nothing in life that is separated from God.
- We believe that the worship of God is the purpose for which people were created, and that lasting joy (or happiness) can only be found by delighting in God in all of life, including the greatest difficulties and even in death, which is gain.
What the Vintage Church Does Not Believe
- We are not theologically liberal, embracing culture without discernment and compromising the distinctives of the gospel. Instead, as Christians, we believe that the truths of the Bible are eternal and, therefore, can be applied to every time, place, and people.
- We are not fundamentalists who are withdrawn and absent from cultural engagement and transformation. On the contrary, we are faithful missionaries to both Scripture and the context in which we preach the Gospel.
- We are not isolationists, and whenever possible, we seek to work together with Christians from various churches, denominations, and organizations.
- We are not hyper-Calvinists fixated on secondary issues, but rather, we pray, evangelize, and do good works because we believe God’s sovereign plan is carried out through us, His people.
- We are not theonomists with a rigid eschatology or classic dispensationalists (e.g., Scofield). We believe that dogmatic divisions over detailed speculations about Jesus’ Second Coming are unhelpful since the exact time and specifics of His return have not been revealed to us.
- We are not egalitarians and believe that men should be the heads of their homes, and that male elders/pastors should lead the church with masculine love, as Christ does.
- We do not believe in Process Theology / Relational Theology / Open Theism, but in God’s sovereignty and foreknowledge over all things.
- We are not religious relativists and believe there is no salvation apart from faith in Jesus Christ alone.
- We are not nationalists, merely seeking to improve a nation, but ambassadors of the King of kings, commissioned to proclaim and demonstrate His kingdom to all nations on earth.
- We are not moralists, trying to help people live a good life, but evangelists, working so that people truly become new creatures in Christ.
- We are not relativists and joyfully embrace Scripture as our highest authority — above culture, experience, philosophy, and other forms of revelation.
- We are not universalists (the belief that God will eventually save everyone). We believe that many will spend eternity in torment in hell, just as the Bible teaches.
- We are not naturalists (those who deny the supernatural), and we believe that Satan and demons are real enemies acting in this world, though subject to God.
- We are not rationalists (believing reason is the only path to knowledge), and we believe that not everything can be fully known — that God calls us to live by faith, embracing mystery and partial knowledge. God has revealed Himself clearly in Scripture, but not exhaustively.
- We do not believe in Feminist Theology (which teaches that God is a patriarchal construct invented by men). We believe that God has revealed Himself as Father and should be honored by the names He has given us, with no apologies to modern worldly thinking.
- We are not ashamed of the blood and death of Jesus Christ and believe in His death as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of His people — ultimately for the glory of God, and secondarily for our good.
- We are not ashamed to proclaim a loving gospel of grace that may sound foolish and offensive to the unrepentant, while at the same time saving multitudes who hear the good news with open ears.
- We are not polemicists who believe our mission is to fight every false teaching, but we are passionate about preserving the integrity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
History of Vintage Church
Vintage Church, previously known as Vintage180 Church, was planted on May 13, 2013, in the city of Porto Alegre. In the beginning, the membership consisted of a total of 7 adults, including Pastor Jack and his wife Talita.
- One of the first worship services had a total of 6 people in attendance, including Pastor Jack and his wife. The first pulpit used by Vintage — and used for many years — was built from the disassembled bed of Pastor Jack and his wife. The first 100 chairs were purchased with the money raised from a raffle, in which the prize was Pastor Jack’s guitar.
The gatherings of the Cavalo Branco 2.0 fellowship marked the beginning of what is now the Strong Men Community, with thousands of men participating. These meetings took place since the early days of Vintage Church, as Pastor Jack was already responding to his calling to disciple men.
- CB 2.0 was designed to find the best men in the Church to become assistant pastors. With that in mind, Pastor Jack scheduled the meetings on days and times that would cause weak men to give up.
The first pastors of our Church were found and forged in those meetings.
The first meetings were served by Pastor Jack with a menu prepared with eggs, bacon, bread, and orange juice.
The name “Cavalo Branco 2.0” is a tribute to the gatherings Martin Luther had with men of his time to drink and discuss theology.
The first baptisms took place during a memorable Easter service, filled with joy! The brothers went into the waters in a small, borrowed pool that had a leak. <.
- Current Pastor Maicon and his wife visited the church for the first time during that Easter service. His wife quickly connected with the brothers and, in a very humble way, helped contain the leaking water from the pool using a squeegee.
After moving to a new building, the Church had the privilege of being greatly used in God’s mission. This building was affectionately nicknamed the “Matchbox” due to its narrow size.
- In the beginning, the interior was entirely lined with nonwoven fabric (“TNT”) due to a lack of resources to purchase paint or better coverings, and the light fixtures were made from milk cans.
The Kids ministry room was about 1 x 1.5 meters in size. The pastoral office was located next to the stage and was the size of an elevator cabin.
The move was only possible because two brothers rented the building under their personal tax IDs (CPF).
It was here that Vintage adopted its black visual identity for the first time.
The Vintage Family grew in number and diversity, with people arriving from other states across the country. Major first-time events took place that year for the fame of Jesus, such as the ecclesiastical ordination of pastors and deacons, couples’ dinners, and catechism classes. .
The women’s gatherings at our Church began in 2017, led by Pastor Jack’s wife, Talita Junges. Later on, the name was changed to “Strong Women Community.”
- The original name, “Casa Von Bora,” is a tribute to Martin Luther’s wife.
On Vintage’s 5th anniversary, the Lord Jesus gifted the Church with a new, larger, and more beautiful building! The move took place in April, one month before the 5-year celebration. More and more, we were being surprisingly blessed with greater structure and comfort for our brothers and sisters.
Unlike before, the Church now had a structure that included separate restrooms for both men and women, spacious rooms for the children, and a pastoral office with its own bathroom.
- The Church gathered at the new location to get acquainted and pray. Additionally, all the cleaning, painting, and maintenance were organized and carried out by the members.
In addition to the new building, the Lord Jesus also gifted Pastor Jack and his wife Tita with their first arrow, Bebel.
Jesus answered the prayers of the brothers and sent even more talented workers willing to serve in His work. The multimedia and scenography ministries grew to proclaim the Gospel on the internet through streaming platforms.
- The photo above was taken during the sermon series on the book of Nehemiah, available to watch on our YouTube channel. . The first conferences exclusively for men, and later for women, became possible through this new phase of the Church.
In September of that year, Pastor Jack preached a sermon series he envisioned on the book of Song of Songs. Through this series, many couples were encouraged, and the Lord blessed our Church with many babies and renewed marriages.
- The photo above was taken during the sermon series on the book of Song of Solomon, available to watch on the YouTube Channel . Each sermon in this series ended with a Q&A session on stage, answered by Pastor Jack and his wife Talita. These questions, submitted by the audience via the internet, covered topics related to marriage, sex, children, and more.
At the beginning of that year, the Church celebrated another move to an even better building. Pastor Jack began a sermon series on the book of Revelation in January, and then we were surprised by the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic in March. Services moved online and were streamed by Pastor Jack from the Church pulpit. Month after month, Jesus worked financial miracles for the Church.
- The photo above was taken during the sermon series on the book of Revelation, available to watch on our YouTube channel.
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The number of children increased significantly during the pandemic. Pastor Jack and his wife Talita received their second arrow, Maria.
This year was marked by a powerful move of the Holy Spirit in our Church. Many souls were saved and joined our Vintage family! We returned to in-person services, and Jesus fulfilled a long-awaited dream: during the Christmas service, several people were baptized after Pastor made an appeal to those who had repented during the preaching of the Gospel. 2/2
- In that service, around eight people who were not scheduled to be baptized went into the waters and joined the people of God. .
The Vintage Family continues to grow, becoming richer each day in talents, devotion to Jesus, and diversity. Our Church has a renewed identity, but the essence remains the same: strong families in a Church that loves our Lord and is committed to advancing the Gospel in the southern region of the country.
- Want to learn more about Vintage's new identity? Watch the documentary “The Advancement of the Vintage Brand: Launch of the New Visual Identity.”
Want to know more about our story? Watch the documentary “My Story with Vintage.”
Leadership
Pastor Jack
Pastor Everton
Pastor Gabriel
Pastor Maikiel
Where We Are
Street Conselheiro Travassos, 618 – bairro Floresta, Porto Alegre/RS
