Mission Statement

By grace, with the Holy Spirit, we challenge leaders to discover and achieve their personal calling, assisting them to influence their environments with the Gospel.

About Us

Via de Cristo is a Christian movement to strengthen and renew the faith of Christian people and bring them to a new awareness of living in God's grace, intended to strengthen the local church through the development of Christian disciples and leaders.

The Via de Cristo experience begins with a 72-hour short course in Christianity, comprised of fifteen talks OVER 3 DAYS given by lay people and clergy on the themes of God's grace, Christian discipleship, and what it means to be The Church. The course is wrapped in prayer and meditation, special times of worship, and daily celebration of Holy Communion. The "Via de Cristo Community," made up of those who have already attended a VdC weekend, support the 72-hour experience with a prayer vigil, and by preparing and serving meals, and other acts of love and self-giving.

Via de Cristo is non-denominational and welcomes any and all Christians to attend. We at IRC are glad to serve the Lord and look forward to meeting you.

The Purpose

The purpose of Via de Cristo is to provide a way that every one of us can become increasingly empowered, equipped, and energized, through the Holy Spirit, to become more effective servants and leaders in the body of Christ.

By proclaiming the truth of Jesus, presenting the grace of God, and allowing for the work of the Holy Spirit, Via de Cristo is an instrument to encourage each of us to persevere and grow in our faith, become an effective channel of God's love to others, and strengthen our personal walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pilgrims, i.e., laypersons who have completed their Via de Cristo weekend, are encouraged to strengthen their "partnership" with their pastors.

All activities during the Via de Cristo weekend including the talks, the meditations and worship are undergirded with prayer and are totally dependent on God.

The Focus

The three-fold focus of Via de Cristo is on your own local church:

1. Supplementing what we learn in our own congregation.​
2. Equipping us to help strengthen the faith of other Christians and through them, strengthen their families, their congregations, and the communities in which we all live, work, and play.
3. Encourage all men, women, and children to grow through:​
• Worship
• Bible Study
• Congregational Involvement
• Stewardship
• Renewed Sacramental Life
• Sharing the LOVE of Christ through Apostolic Action

What is Taught

The Via de Cristo weekend begins on Thursday evening with a Send-off, where the local Cristo community gathers to welcome candidates, then send them off to the weekend site, where they will stay for the entire weekend.

Once there, everyone gets acquainted with each other, enjoys a snack, sings, and participates in a service of Quiet Reflection.

The next three days include a number of talks, followed by table discussions, worship, and fellowship. Communion is offered every morning in chapel.

The weekend concludes on Sunday late afternoon, with a Closing ceremony.

The main part of the weekend centers around eleven talks given by laypersons and four by pastors. Some of the talks utilize personal experiences and are a living witness to the talk subjects.

Worship Services

Each morning before breakfast, everyone gathers for prayer, the reading and sharing of Scripture, Communion, singing, and a sermon, which is usually a 'shared homily' with comments from participants as to the meaning and application of The Word.

Each evening before bedtime, all Pilgrims gather again for prayer and a brief devotional.

Additionally, each day everyone goes to the Chapel to pray and to meditate on lessons which they have learned during the various talks.

The History

Via de Cristo (Vee-ah day kreesto) is the Lutheran expression of the Roman Catholic Cursillo, meaning Short Course in Christianity. The Via de Cristo name, meaning Way of Christ, was adopted in 1986.

Cursillo had its beginning in the late 40s on the island of Majorca in Spain. Bishop Juan Hervas sadly noted that the men of his parish had very little to do with the life of the church, while the women were growing spiritually. To counter this, Hervas designed a three-day study course for men to give life to the teachings of the Church. It was so successful that it spread, eventually to the United States.

The Catholic community began holding weekends in the early 60s. Lutheran pastors attended the weekends to examine the movement. The first Lutheran weekends were held in South Florida and Iowa in 1972.

Although Lutheran by name, Via de Cristo is interdenominational, serving to renew men and women of all Christian faiths.

Here in East Central Florida, we have drawn believers from throughout Brevard and Indian River Counties, as well as, from the Orlando and New Smyrna Beach areas since 1982.

Information for Clergy

After attending a Via de Cristo weekend, your congregation members will find that:

• They experience more joy, happiness, and satisfaction from their Christian faith.
• They experience a closer walk with Christ - as they learn and witness Christ's love for them.
• More joyous fellowship develops with their brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Sharing their faith with others is easier and more enjoyable.

The Role of Via de Cristo Within the Congregation

"You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church" (Mat. 16:18). The Church is Christ's chosen method for evangelizing the world and sustaining the people of God. It is the Church that has received Christ's command to go into the world making disciples and teaching them to obey everything Christ commands. The Via de Cristo method seeks to appropriately support pastors and congregations in their home churches. Although the Via de Cristo is not for everyone (and does not profess to be), it has demonstrated an effective method for renewal, encouraging the lives of many and building up the Christian Church.

Via de Cristo is a tool for Church renewal. A tool always works best when it is used for the proper purpose and in the proper way. Via de Cristo is an experience of the Gospel for the whole person. It is neither a head-trip nor a heart trip. It is not an individual experience, but one to be shared with others. As such, it is not a tool for individual conversion, but for Christian growth. It is a leaven within the Body of Christ.

The Via de Cristo is designed to allow the layperson a significant partnership with the clergy. In fact, one of the most beneficial outcomes is that after a weekend the participants are able to view clergy as friends and co-workers in the gospel. It is well said in Via de Cristo materials "the Via de Cristo is a movement of the Church, lay in leadership and commitment to winning the world to Christ."

The Via de Cristo participant should bring strength and renewal to the whole Body. Everything that is taught and occurs within the movement is to be consistent with and derived from the original teachings of the Church; those in existence since its foundation.

The Via de Cristo method is intended to be a lifelong discipline for every participant within the movement. On a three-day weekend new participants, both lay and clergy, are taught a method which, when practiced, will encourage openness to the Holy Spirit and effective work for Christ. We describe this method in terms of Piety, Study, and Apostolic Action.