The moment you walk into Vintage21 , you know it’s no ordinary church. Each of the campuses–spaces for services–are located in renovated spaces. Even the offices are set up in the old Raleigh Times printing house on Hargett Street. The original walls, ceilings and minimalist decoration give off the hippest of coffee shop vibes. And that’s the way the staff likes it.
Tyler Jones, founder and lead pastor of Vintage21 church, believes in loving where you are and giving back. So in the fall of 2002, he and 40 others started an interdenominational gathering in a loft on Hargett Street. Today, the congregation has blossomed into 1,200 weekly members who meet at one of Vintage21’s three locations.
Jones, who lives downtown with his wife, Kimberly, and two daughters, has always had strong ties to the area. Both of his grandparents were members of the N.C . State family. Jones’ grandfather was a food science major while his grandmother became a professor of English and etiquette. His parents were born in Raleigh and also attended N.C . State. Jones went on to attend UNC-Chapel Hill in the mid-1990s and never left the area.
“Having that strong connection to the Triangle fueled our decision to settle down and build a church here,” Jones said. “We felt like we were giving back in a way.”
In addition to the fact that all staff members at Vintage21 have Twitter accounts – new territory for the religious leader community – Jones feels there are a few other key aspects that make Vintage21 unique.
“[Our] congregation is a relatively young one,” Jones said. “We have a good number of college students from Duke, N.C . State, Meredith and Chapel Hill. We’ve also got a lot of young families, especially as downtown Raleigh continues to change.”
This may contribute to the student-heavy congregation of Vintage21 . Top-notch graphic designers, who are also members of the church, have developed lights, sounds and presentations to keep the congregation engaged and maintain the hype of the experience.
Like Vintage21 , which started with what Jones describes as “die-hard” local people, Raleigh has transformed and grown over the past few years. Jones said Vintage21 seeks to reach out to an ever-growing student population that continues to increase in diversity. Jones and his staff can’t imagine being anywhere else.
“There is a whole revamp going on downtown,” Jones said. “Raleigh is on an uptick. Bands are returning, art is returning. To see all that – it’s a pretty amazing place to be.”
While ministry and worship is a vital part of any church, Vintage21 focuses more on utilizing one’s gifts and spreading love to one another than wasting those talents or being disengaged.
“We want to love the city we live in,” Jones said. “The people in our church are really gifted people and we do everything we can to empower them and train them to love the city, too. It’s extremely important to us that we lift up and encourage as many and as much as possible.”
‘Reclaim,’ an organization established by Vintage21 , seeks to assist the 135 million American orphans by providing recreational and educational programs as well as day-to-day needs. ‘Corral,’ another ministry, is a rescue for young girls who have been abused by gangs. The members of this organization aid the girls in getting educated, getting out of gang life and getting emotional and spiritual help.
“Through these groups, we really hope to empower everyone we come in contact with,” Jones said.
The most recognized aspect of Vintage21 is the willingness to listen. In a world of ‘Brickyard preachers,’ an open ear can be difficult to find.
“We want to be the place where doubters and cynics can come and be enthusiastically against us or for us,” Jones said. “There is no manipulation or guilt. We welcome it, actually. We want to be the place where it’s okay to disagree and discuss.”
