About LJC – LJC Website

Our Vision, Mission, and Distinctives

How Are We Different?

For starters, we welcome everyone – really! “Everyone” includes married, divorced, and single. Gay, trans, and straight. Liberal and conservative. Many different races and ethnicities. Believers, seekers, and people from the full spectrum of church backgrounds. Young and old. Rich and poor. Why? Because that’s how Jesus did it; he loved everyone.

We bridge the gap between Progressive Christianity and Evangelical Christianity without losing the passion of the Evangelicals or ignoring the questions of the Progressives. We combine an emphasis on personal spiritual growth with a devotion to social justice.

We believe the Bible is alive, vibrant, and dynamic, not a dusty old book of rules frozen in time. Because of this, the Bible speaks to each of us differently, yet powerfully – influencing, shaping, and molding us from within.

We seek to love and nurture those who are already here, while also bringing in others who want to be part of something bold and beautiful. We especially want to make room for those who seek healing from a broken world or a broken church.

We fundamentally believe in God’s grace, God’s goodness, and God’s love. We want to help the church become all Christ meant it to be – full of love and grace!

We’re friendly, fun, and down-to-earth. We’re not perfect, but we are deeply in love with God and are constantly trying to grow into the fullness of who God wants us to be. We want to live authentically in the ways of Jesus. We believe that following Jesus is a way of life, not just part of life.

This is who we are! Thoughtfully different followers of Jesus!

What are we called to do?

What we’re called to do arises organically from who we are. We are called to change ourselves, change the church, and change the world. We do this by vigorously pursuing four great goals:

1. To be a radically inclusive, warmly welcoming, open-minded spiritual community that foreshadows the diversity we’ll experience in heaven. Revelation 7:9-10.

2. To invite people to become followers of Jesus, and to equip them (and us) to live our faith vibrantly at home and in our community. Matthew 28:19-20; II Peter 1:3-8.

3. To pour out compassion on the world, especially by supporting and defending those who are poor, marginalized, and hurting. Luke 4:16-20.

4. To be on the cutting edge of what God’s Spirit is doing to shape the church of the future. We hope to be a living, breathing example of what the church of the future can be, and act to move more churches in that direction. Acts 11:1-18.

History of LifeJourney Church

The Early Days:

We were founded in 1990 as a church meant to break down barriers that commonly divide Christians. One of the big issues back then was discrimination against LGBTQ people. From our inception, we have affirmed LGBTQ people as full and equal participants. For that reason, back in the 1990s many straight people would not worship at LifeJourney, and we became predominantly a church of refuge for LGBTQ people. But the world has changed dramatically since then. As walls of prejudice have fallen, the ministry of LifeJourney has blossomed into our original vision – a church for all people!

Where We Are Now:

LifeJourney has become a melting pot of Christian diversity, modeling how the love of Christ transcends our differences! We are one of the most ethnically diverse churches in Indianapolis. We are socio-economically and politically diverse. We have congregants from every conceivable Christian background– Catholic, Baptist, Episcopal, Methodist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Disciples of Christ (just to name a few). Our goal is to be a church that reflects the same kind of stunning diversity we’ll encounter someday in heaven. Our church is an especially good place for people who have struggled with the narrowness and dogmatism of many churches, or don’t fit easily into religious circles, or don’t think Christians should all look, act, and believe alike. Why not join us in this exciting experiment in love and unity.