Mission
The Vine Institute‘s mission is to connect and equip Christian leaders from among God’s diverse people, strengthening churches in the Intermountain West, and celebrating God’s glory.
Core Values
- Biblical faithfulness
- Holy Spirit spirituality
- Transformational leadership
- Kingdom orientation
- Multi-cultural experience
- Collaborative relationships
Vision and Goals
The Vine Institute envisions a diverse Body of Christ worshiping and working together to glorify God.
Revelation 7:9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
Utah’s landscape is changing
Utah’s ethnic landscape is changing. How do we go about joining God’s work of cultivating a healthy intercultural Church on the Wasatch Front?
Rapid population changes are taking place and due to a favorable work environment and being a designated refugee resettlement area since 1980, the percent of Utah residents born outside the USA has grown from less than 3% to over 10% in less than 30 years. Often the refugees and immigrants coming to Utah are Christians and want to connect with believers.
As God brings the world to our doorstep, The Vine Institute simply desires to join God’s agenda—faithfully, biblically and prayerfully—as He builds His kingdom without borders in our midst.
Our Contribution
Our leadership team has 25 years of experience teaching theological education and working cross-culturally both in Utah and abroad. In collaboration with many churches and organizations, we have trained hundreds of active ministry leaders from more than 70 different congregations representing more than 30 denominations and 25 different cultures!
We maintain a reference theological library with an intercultural studies specialty which is accessible to students and ministry leaders.
Statement of Faith
As a biblically-based community standing in historic communion with all who affirm the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed:
We worship the one and only, true and living God – eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – who is the Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. May the name of the LORD be praised forever!
We receive the Bible as God’s inspired and unfailing Word to us, the fully authoritative and reliable statement of who God is, who we are, what we believe, and how we live. Blessed are those who live according to it.
We confess our own efforts cannot save us from sin and death, and we mourn the world’s tragic brokenness and helplessness as consequences of human rebellion. Lord, have mercy.
We rejoice, for God fully reconciles us by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, the Son who entered the world as truly human, was crucified for all our sins, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is Lord of all. Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift!
We hope, because the Holy Spirit pours God’s love into our hearts, incorporating us into the Church, the Body of Christ, and give us grace and peace in lives of joyful service. Lord, may you rule on earth as in heaven.
We eagerly anticipate the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ to judge the living and the dead, and we celebrate life in him, inviting all peoples to turn from death to life in Christ. Alleluia! Come, Lord Jesus!
History
The Vine Institute is a multi-denominational school of theological education providing practical, relevant, Christian education, and leadership training. This 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation has operated in Utah for over 25 years.
Founded in 1984 as the Utah Institute for Biblical Studies and located in the unique religious setting of Utah, the school existed to equip men and women to meet the challenges of sharing the Good News in the midst of the increasing cultural diversity of our world. Expanding its programs in 1998 to include graduate degrees and renamed Salt Lake Theological Seminary, the institution continued to offer effective leadership training combined with rigorous academic study and formative mentored experiences, making it an invaluable resource for Christian servants.
In 2010 the school began legally “doing business as” The Vine Institute, a diversified, decentralized, educational network serving developing leaders in Utah’s established churches as well as refugee and immigrant church communities. The Vine Institute continues the ongoing vision for Christian leadership training that includes formative mentoring. The mission is “Networking the Christian community for effective collaborative leadership.”