We Are Vineyard: Recent Episodes
Vineyard USA
Conversations helping us grow in life with Jesus and each other. A production of Vineyard USA, hosting guests from across the body of Christ and within the Vineyard movement.
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Carmen Imes about being available to explore Biblical themes with young adults alongside their underlying questions, and the approaches that work when interacting with Gen Z students and the ones that don’t actually matter. Dr. Carmen Imes serves as associate professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. Carmen is passionate about helping students and other laypeople engage the Old Testament and discover its relevance for Christian identity and mission. She is best known for her books Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters (IVP 2019) and Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters (IVP 2023). Imes has appeared on over 100 podcasts and radio shows and releases weekly "Torah Tuesday" videos on her own YouTube channel. She writes for Christianity Today, the Politics of Scripture blog, and The Well (InterVarsity). Imes is also a frequent speaker at churches, conferences, and retreats. Before arriving at Biola in 2021, she served as professor of Old Testament at Prairie College in Alberta, Canada. Her academic journey began when Carmen and her husband served as missionaries in the Philippines with SIM International, reaching out to ethnic minorities. Imes loves introducing students to the rich insights of the global church.Watch the video version of this episode here.Show Notes: Becoming God’s Family by Carmen Joy ImesChurches and the Crisis of Decline by Andrew Root
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, we’ll hear part two of Caleb Maskell’s conversation with Tish Harrison Warren. They discuss their thoughts about what the Lord is doing in this cultural moment of highlighting spiritual practices, and how to think about continuing with these sustaining practices when there are seasons without visible change. Tish Harrison Warren is a writer and an Anglican priest. She is the author of several books, including Liturgy of the Ordinary, which won Christianity Today’s 2018 Book of the Year, and Prayer in the Night, which won Christianity Today’s 2022 Book of the Year and the 2022 ECPA Christian Book of the Year. She formerly wrote a weekly newsletter for The New York Times, which focused on faith in public discourse and private life. She was also a columnist at Christianity Today. Her articles and essays have appeared in Comment Magazine, The Point Magazine, Religion News Service, and elsewhere. She currently serves as the C.S. Lewis Theological Writer-in-Residence for The Anglican Episcopal House of Studies at Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary. She is a senior fellow with the Trinity Forum and an assisting priest at Immanuel Anglican Church. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three children.Watch the video version of this episode here.Show Notes: Tish’s WebsiteWhat Grows In Weary Lands by Tish Harrison WarrenLiturgies of the Wild by Martin ShawLiturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison WarrenJohn Mark Comer Jared Boyd
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Caleb Maskell talks with Tish Harrison Warren about her new book What Grows In Weary Lands, doing all the “good Christian” things but feeling burnt out in the Christian life, the space between depression and thriving, and what we can learn from the desert fathers and mothers. This is the first part of a conversation, so come back next week for part two! Tish Harrison Warren is a writer and an Anglican priest. She is the author of several books, including Liturgy of the Ordinary, which won Christianity Today’s 2018 Book of the Year, and Prayer in the Night, which won Christianity Today’s 2022 Book of the Year and the 2022 ECPA Christian Book of the Year. She formerly wrote a weekly newsletter for The New York Times, which focused on faith in public discourse and private life. She was also a columnist at Christianity Today. Her articles and essays have appeared in Comment Magazine, The Point Magazine, Religion News Service, and elsewhere. She currently serves as the C.S. Lewis Theological Writer-in-Residence for The Anglican Episcopal House of Studies at Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary. She is a senior fellow with the Trinity Forum and an assisting priest at Immanuel Anglican Church. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three children.Watch the video version of this episode here.Show Notes: Tish’s WebsiteWhat Grows In Weary Lands by Tish Harrison WarrenLiturgies of the Wild by Martin ShawLiturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison WarrenJohn Mark Comer Jared Boyd
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, we’ll hear part two of Caleb Maskell’s conversation with Glenn Packiam about his new book on the Nicene Creed. They discuss how to use the Creed in your own life, how to integrate it into your church, and Glenn shares a pastoral word about hope.About Glenn:Glenn Packiam is the Lead Pastor of Rockharbor Church in Costa Mesa, California. Glenn is the author of several books, including The Resilient Pastor, Blessed Broken Given, and the most recent title, co-authored with his wife, Holly, “The Intentional Year”. He earned a Doctorate in Theology and Ministry from Durham University, and is a Senior Fellow at Barna Group, a Visiting Fellow at St. John’s College at Durham University, and an ordained priest with the Anglican Church of North America. Glenn has written over 65 worship songs published with Integrity Music, including “Your Name", co-written with Paul Baloche. Glenn and Holly have four children and live in Orange County, California.Watch the video version of this episode here.Show notes:Glenn’s website What’s a Christian, Anyway? by Glenn PackiamTurning Points by Mark NollSalvation By Allegiance Alone by Matthew Bates
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Caleb Maskell talks with Glenn Packiam about his new book on the Nicene Creed. Glenn shares how the Creed became an anchoring point for him and his church during a season of crisis, as well as what it provides to spiritual seekers. This is the first half of a two-part conversation, so come back next week to hear the rest!About Glenn:Glenn Packiam is the Lead Pastor of Rockharbor Church in Costa Mesa, California. Glenn is the author of several books, including The Resilient Pastor, Blessed Broken Given, and the most recent title, co-authored with his wife, Holly, “The Intentional Year”. He earned a Doctorate in Theology and Ministry from Durham University, and is a Senior Fellow at Barna Group, a Visiting Fellow at St. John’s College at Durham University, and an ordained priest with the Anglican Church of North America. Glenn has written over 65 worship songs published with Integrity Music, including “Your Name", co-written with Paul Baloche. Glenn and Holly have four children and live in Orange County, California.Watch the video version of this episode here.Show notes:Glenn’s website What’s a Christian, Anyway? by Glenn PackiamTurning Points by Mark NollSalvation By Allegiance Alone by Matthew Bates
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, we’ll hear part two of Jay’s conversation with Jared Boyd. Jared shares about reimagining the shape of a Vineyard church plant, the process of establishing the Order of the Common Life, and discovering that its specific charism is the experience of the love of God. About Jared:Jared Patrick Boyd is the lead pastor of Central Vineyard Church in Columbus, OH, a spiritual director, and Founding Director of the Order of the Common Life– an ecumenical religious order re-imagining monastic formation into ordinary life.Jared is the author of Imaginative Prayer: A Yearlong Guide to Your Child’s Spiritual Formation (IVP 2017) and Finding Freedom in Constraint (IVP 2023). He and his wife have 4 girls and live in the west-side neighborhood of Franklinton in Columbus, OH.👍 Like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations on faith, leadership, and discipleship.Watch the video version of this episode here.Show Notes: jaredpatrickboyd.comOrderofthecommonlife.orgInstagram: @jaredpatrickboydTake a course from Jared Boyd through Seminary Now: http://seminarynow.co/spiritual-disciplines
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Jared Boyd about experiencing the Holy Spirit as a teenager and some of the early signs that he had a pastoral leadership call on his life. Jared shares about navigating the competing cultures of Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) and the Vineyard, losing his faith at an apologetics conference, and being pastored well through a “spiritual puberty.” This is part one of a two-part conversation, so come back next week to hear the rest! Jared Patrick Boyd is the lead pastor of Central Vineyard Church in Columbus, OH, a spiritual director, and Founding Director of the Order of the Common Life– an ecumenical religious order re-imagining monastic formation into ordinary life.Jared is the author of Imaginative Prayer: A Yearlong Guide to Your Child’s Spiritual Formation (IVP 2017) and Finding Freedom in Constraint (IVP 2023). He and his wife have 4 girls and live in the west-side neighborhood of Franklinton in Columbus, OH.👍 Like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations on faith, leadership, and discipleship.Watch the video version of this episode here.Show Notes: jaredpatrickboyd.comOrderofthecommonlife.orgInstagram: @jaredpatrickboydTake a course from Jared Boyd through Seminary Now: http://seminarynow.co/spiritual-disciplines
In this episode of the We Are Vineyard podcast, Jay talks with Brandon Shields about his family’s conversion to Christianity when he was a teenager, an impactful spiritual experience he had on a missions trip to the Philippines, and the transformative power of being with believers in other countries. Brandon shares about his call to church planting, navigating a season of “failure”, the slow process of building a missional community, and when things finally started gaining momentum. This is part one of a two-part episode, so come back next week to hear the rest of the conversation! About Brandon: Brandon Shields serves as the Director of Church Formation for Practicing the Way, a ministry that helps churches form lifelong apprentices to Jesus.Brandon has served in pastoral ministry for 25 years, including the last 14 as founding and lead pastor at Soma Midtown in urban Indianapolis. He has also been a contributing author to several books on pastoral ministry, including Perspectives on Family Ministry and Faithful Endurance. He’s written articles and been interviewed for publications like Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and For the Church. Brandon holds an undergraduate degree in business, a graduate degree in missiology, and a Ph.D in leadership. He currently lives in Indianapolis with Emily, his wife of 22 years, and his four amazing children.👍 Like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations on faith, leadership, and discipleship.Watch the video version of this episode here.Show Notes: Free Coaching for Pastors - Looking for coaching tailored to your context and challenges? We love walking alongside pastors as they're working to implement spiritual formation in their church. Schedule a free 60-minute online coaching session with an experienced member of our Church Formation team.Practicing The Way From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. BrooksRenovaréInstagram: @brandonshields @practicingtheway
In this episode of the We Are Vineyard podcast, Jay talks with Brandon Shields about his family’s conversion to Christianity when he was a teenager, an impactful spiritual experience he had on a missions trip to the Philippines, and the transformative power of being with believers in other countries. Brandon shares about his call to church planting, navigating a season of “failure”, the slow process of building a missional community, and when things finally started gaining momentum. This is part one of a two-part episode, so come back next week to hear the rest of the conversation! About Brandon: Brandon Shields serves as the Director of Church Formation for Practicing the Way, a ministry that helps churches form lifelong apprentices to Jesus.Brandon has served in pastoral ministry for 25 years, including the last 14 as founding and lead pastor at Soma Midtown in urban Indianapolis. He has also been a contributing author to several books on pastoral ministry, including Perspectives on Family Ministry and Faithful Endurance. He’s written articles and been interviewed for publications like Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and For the Church. Brandon holds an undergraduate degree in business, a graduate degree in missiology, and a Ph.D in leadership. He currently lives in Indianapolis with Emily, his wife of 22 years, and his four amazing children.👍 Like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations on faith, leadership, and discipleship.Watch the video version of this episode here.Show Notes: Free Coaching for Pastors - Looking for coaching tailored to your context and challenges? We love walking alongside pastors as they're working to implement spiritual formation in their church. Schedule a free 60-minute online coaching session with an experienced member of our Church Formation team.Practicing The Way From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. BrooksRenovaréInstagram: @brandonshields @practicingtheway
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, we’ll hear part two of Jay’s conversation with Jay Kim, where they talk about engaging in youth ministry, starting a church with young adults, and the two-year succession plan that brought Jay to his current role as lead pastor of WestGate church. Jay also shares beautiful stories about some of the work the Holy Spirit has been leading him through recently.About Jay Kim: Jay Kim serves as lead pastor at WestGate, a multi-congregational church in Silicon Valley, where he lives with his wife Jenny and their two children. He's the author of Analog Christian, Analog Church, and the forthcoming book The Pace of Peace. Jay also hosts the Digital Examen podcast. 👍 Like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations on faith, leadership, and discipleship.Watch the video version of this episode here.Show Notes: Jay Kim's Social Media:instagram.com/jaykimthinksx.com/jaykimthinksfacebook.com/jaykimthinks
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Jay Kim about his experience of immigrating to the US as a child, feeling at home in a Korean immigrant church, and navigating intercultural social dynamics. Jay shares about the cleverly casual way he was brought back into relationship with Jesus as a young adult, and the seeds that were planted around church leadership and pastoring. About Jay Kim: Jay Kim serves as lead pastor at WestGate, a multi-congregational church in Silicon Valley, where he lives with his wife Jenny and their two children. He's the author of Analog Christian, Analog Church, and the forthcoming book The Pace of Peace. Jay also hosts the Digital Examen podcast. 👍 Like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations on faith, leadership, and discipleship.Watch the video version of this episode here.Show Notes: Jay Kim's Social Media:instagram.com/jaykimthinksx.com/jaykimthinksfacebook.com/jaykimthinks
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Mark Matlock about the story of his spiritual heritage, his career as a professional magician and the intersection of missions, and hearing from God at an Urbana event while in college. Mark shares about the integral role of youth leaders in spiritual development, and approaching Gen Z with curiosity and seeking to understand in order to relate to them missionally. Mark Matlock is the Executive Director of Urbana 2025 for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and a Senior Fellow at Barna. Mark's research provides insights into younger generations, cultivating resilient disciples, and knowing the pulse of your city. As the founder of WisdomWorks, he has helped national and international faith-based organizations adapt to changing times by turning data and research into strategic action. Mark coauthored Faith for Exiles with David Kinnaman and, most recently, authored Faith for the Curious.Show NotesVineyard USA’s Day of Giving 2025Faith For The Curious by Mark Matlock Instagram: @MarkMatlock
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Kara Powell about feeling called to youth ministry early in life, her academic work in practical theology, and some of the research that has practical implications for youth ministry. Kara also shares some steps towards prioritizing kids and youth in a church, and how youth benefit the church. Kara Powell, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI), the founder of the TENx10 Collaboration, and the Chief of Leadership of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary. The mission of FYI is to equip diverse leaders and parents so faithful young people can change our world. Named by Christianity Today as one of “50 Women to Watch”, Kara completed her PhD in Practical Theology from Fuller Seminary in 2000, an MDiv from Bethel Theological Seminary in 1994, and a BA degree with Honors from Stanford University in 1991. In addition to her roles at Fuller Seminary, Kara is the author or co-author of Future-Focused Church, Faith Beyond Youth Group, 3 Big Questions that Change Every Teenager, Faith in an Anxious World, Growing With, Growing Young, The Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family, Sticky Faith Curriculum, Can I Ask That?, Deep Justice Journeys, Essential Leadership, Deep Justice in a Broken World, Deep Ministry in a Shallow World, and the Good Sex Youth Ministry Curriculum.Kara lives in Pasadena, CA, with her husband, Dave, who is a medical device engineer, and their 3 teenage and young adult children, Nathan, Krista, and Jessica. Show Notes: Vineyard USA’s Day of Giving 2025 Alpha Youth
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Christian Dunn about the importance of the teenage years, and how commitment and time are vital to forming relationships with youth. Christian talks about annual nationwide youth camps, Project Timothy, and the ministry fruit he’s seen in young adults who attended Project Timothy as teens. Christian also shares some encouragement for parents of teens. Christian and his wife Mandy pastor CityLight Vineyard Church in Newark DE which they planted in 2017. He has worked in youth ministry for three decades has had the pleasure of serving as the East Region Youth Task Force Leader and the VUSA National Youth Director. He is the author of “Finding the One: How Dating Prepares You For Marriage” and “More Than Spectators: Empowering Teens for Ministry.” He is excited about imparting to young people a passion for following Jesus, discovering their gifts, and pursuing their ministry callings. Show Notes: Vineyard USA’s Day of Giving 2025 Hear more of Christian’s storyVineyard Youth USAProject Timothy Alpha Youth
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Jason George talk about the gift of generosity, the responsibility of stewardship, and the discipleship opportunities available in this conversation. They also discuss some practical matters such as wills and legacy giving, the outcomes of last year’s Day of Giving, and the goals and focus of this year’s Day of Giving. Jason George is the Chief Development Officer for Vineyard USA. Jason was born in Toledo, Ohio, but considers himself a Columbus kid because that’s where he survived & sometimes thrived during middle school & high school. Deciding to stay in Columbus, he earned a B.A. in Journalism from The Ohio State University, and also met Jesus. That decision has shaped all of Jason’s life since. Following Christ led him to full-time vocational ministry for 14 years after graduation. That time included serving on a staff with a local Central Ohio church for two years and then 12 years between two parachurch organizations. Along the way, he also graduated from the Vineyard Leadership Institute (VLI). During his time in ministry, he spent 5 years in Central Asia focusing on bringing the Gospel to local communities so that churches could be raised up. Jason believes living and serving overseas transformed much of his understanding of what it means to live with a Kingdom mindset.After returning from his last stint overseas in 2015 Jason went through a very difficult season of change and needed growth. That’s when he found his current church home, Delaware City Vineyard (in Delaware, Ohio), and learned how to transfer that Kingdom paradigm, along with his skills, to a career in fundraising. He started that new phase of his career as an Associate Director of Leadership Annual Giving at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center before becoming a Development Officer with Kenyon College. Jason feels that all his experience in ministry and educational fundraising has uniquely equipped him for this role to help support the vision of Vineyard USA to see more churches planted that “Embrace the Kingdom and engage the world.”Jason is married to Jill and has 4 kids – Vera, Jonah, Seva & Coen. They keep life busy, full, and mostly fun. Lately, their goal together as a family is to choose to cultivate a posture of learning, laughing, and loving… not necessarily in that order. Show Notes: Day of Giving 2025Day of Giving Media Kit Vineyard Leadership Essentials Sign up for the VUSA Monthly
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Kirsten Schwartz about growing up in a military family, cultivating a meaningful career in urban planning, and the family crisis that led her to join a church staff (tw: brief mention of infant loss). Kirsten shares about her research on building a culture of generosity within a congregation, how to raise money without running campaigns, and how generosity aligns with stewardship. After years of serving as the Director of Generosity at a large church in Cincinnati, Kirsten Schwartz, the Director of Church Partnerships at Generous Giving, is a trusted resource for empowering the church to live and give generously. Kirsten has a passion for helping churches navigate around obstacles and complications to grow a culture of generosity.Because her father was an Air Force pilot, Kirsten grew up in many places including Japan and Germany. She has two degrees: a masters in urban redevelopment from the University of Pennsylvania and in landscape architecture from Clemson University. She worked professionally in urban redevelopment with a focus in disaster recovery for cities around the country.Kirsten met her husband, Jason, at a triathlon in Florida. They live together in Cincinnati, Ohio with two children, Asher and Evelyn. Kirsten loves being active, sharing the good news of Jesus, and empowering women to lead in the Kingdom. Show Notes: Learn more about JOGs and Generous Giving Here’s a video for Pastors on how Generous Giving can help them create a culture of generosity at no cost to them. Follow Generous Giving on socials: * Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GenerousGiving * Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/generous.giving/ * LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/generous-giving
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with John Mumford about his memories of the early days with faith and the Vineyard. They also talk about translating Vineyard values internationally. John and Eleanor Mumford led the Vineyard Churches in the UK and Ireland for over 20 years. They worked for nearly two years with John Wimber on the staff of the Anaheim Vineyard in California, before starting the first Vineyard church in Europe in 1987 (South West London Vineyard). In 2008, they handed over the leadership of that church to concentrate more on the Vineyard movement, both nationally and internationally, then in 2015 they transitioned the leadership of Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland. Together, they now coordinate the Vineyard Global initiative, which helps facilitate the growth of the Vineyard internationally. John and Eleanor have two sons, two wonderful daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren! Show notes: Day of Giving 2025
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Chris Jensen about how a blue-haired punk rock kid ended up in ministry, the prayer that interrupted his life, and learning to be himself in a secular work environment. Chris talks about becoming an organizational health consultant, the role of artificial harmony in the dysfunction of the Church, and markers of health he’s looking for when working with a team. Finally, Chris shares why he decided to work with the Vineyard, and what he’d like to say to Vineyard pastors. Chris brings over 15 years of experience to his partnership with The Table Group. Whether he's working with a CEO and their leadership team, addressing groups of leaders during a conference or workshop, or counseling a client one-on-one, Chris brings his passion, enthusiasm and contagious optimism for organizational health to every client he touches.Currently, Chris works regularly with CEOs and executive teams in quickly and effectively applying the concepts related to organizational health. His clients span a broad spectrum of various industries, including aerospace, consumer goods, health care, technology, education and local churches.Chris has extensive first hand experience building high-performing teams by implementing the models in his own teams under pressure to produce results. Prior to partnering with The Table Group, Chris worked for InsideTrack, a San Francisco based technology and service organization, in the enterprise education segment. Before that, he worked in the ministry for nearly 10 years in California. He received his degree in Biblical Studies from Patten University.Chris lives with his wife and five children in Portland, Oregon. Show notes: Vineyard USA’s Day of Giving 2025 The Table Group 5 Dysfunctions of a Team The Advantage by Patrick M. Lencioni
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay Pathak is in the hot seat! Interviewed by Communications Director Nicole Dill, Jay shares some of the goals he’s had for his role as National Director since his interview process and status updates on each. He also talks about some of the unanticipated struggles he’s had, and the gifts as a local pastor that don’t translate to different levels of organizational leadership. Finally, they discuss the heart and work of donor development, and why Next Gen ministry is the current focus of Vineyard USA. Jay Pathak is the National Director of Vineyard USA, starting in January 2022. He also serves as the Lead Pastor of the Mile High Vineyard, a family of neighborhood churches in Denver, that he and his wife Danielle, planted in 2001. Jay co-wrote the book, The Art of Neighboring, with Dave Runyon. His passion for sharing his faith with the people around him is at the center of his calling.Jay is a humble, empowering leader who is passionate about raising up leaders around him. His strengths, in particular, lie in strategically placing people on teams where they thrive. Additionally, he regularly thinks of ministry in context of culture and developing relationships and partnerships in the city, government, and across denominational lines.Jay has lead in various contexts throughout the Vineyard starting as an intern for Rich Nathan at the Columbus Vineyard in his early ministry days, and stretching into various positions of translocal leadership including serving on the Vineyard USA Executive Team for many years. He is a sought after speaker and coach, while keeping strong ties to the local community.Jay has a BA in Philosophy from The Ohio State University and is a graduate of the Vineyard Leadership Institute. Jay met his wife, Danielle, in high school and they were married in 1998; they have two beautiful daughters, Jasmine and Sofia.Whenever possible, you’ll find him on the golf course, hanging out with his friends and family or enjoying a nice scotch. Maybe all together! Show Notes: Join us for Day of Giving 2025! Day of Giving church media kitAlpha Youth Intervarsity
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month! Rubén Quintero, leader of our Hispanic Association chats with Joel and Emmy Seymour about their visit to the US/Mexico border, Miguel Aviles about pastoring a predominantly immigrant Vineyard church, and Jimmy Reyes about the cultural differences in Hispanic and American churches, navigating a multilingual church, and maturing toward unity. Joel Seymour serves as a Super Regional Leader for Vineyard USA. Emmie Seymour is a junior studying nursing at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. She has a deep desire to combine healthcare and missions and feels a calling to become a medical missionary. Her love for the Vineyard runs deep - she grew up at the Lancaster Vineyard in Ohio, where she’s served in many roles over the years, from leading Alpha small groups to volunteering with kids and serving as a youth ambassador. Emmie completed the leadership track for Project Timothy in 2023, which helped shape her growth as a leader.Miguel Aviles serves as the lead pastor of La Viña Burnsville in Minnesota alongside his wife Rocio Hernandez. La Viña Burnsville is a vibrant and diverse community, representing people from 17 different Latin American countries and highlighting the cultural richness of the body of Christ. Additionally, the church is home to a flourishing Brazilian ministry, led by a dedicated team, which continues to grow and impact lives with the message of the Gospel.Jimmy Reyes is the lead pastor of the Valley Vineyard in Reseda, CA. He has helped plant two Viña communities in Los Angeles, produced 2 Spanish albums with Vineyard Worship, and led worship at the first Vineyard Hispanic Gathering in the 90’s as a teenager. He also currently serves Vineyard USA as an Area Leader in Southern California. Show Notes: Register for Vineyard USA’s Women’s Conference: More.Day of Giving 2025 Vineyard USA’s Hispanic Association Vineyard USA celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Dr. Charles Montgomery, Jr. talks with Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin about when she first recognized she was called to leadership and the philosophy of redemptive leadership. Dr. Massie Martin also discusses how the Lord shapes us through the struggles and sacrifices of ministry, likening us to a piece of clay on the Potter’s wheel. Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She is the Chief Operating Officer at Christianity Today and founder and Executive Director of Soulfire International Ministries. She is an accomplished writer and author, serves on various boards and councils, and leads the Grow Ministry at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church in Maryland. She and her husband, Mark, are proud parents to two amazing daughters. Show Notes: Register for Vineyard USA’s Women’s Conference: More. Nailing It by Nicole Massie MartinNicolemassiemartin.com sfiministries.org Get a year of Christianity Today for free!
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Becky Olmstead and Karen George about how they started working together, and why they took on the enormous task of hosting National Kids Conferences. They discuss cultivating volunteer teams, what keeps them invested in the work, and what they dream about for kids, kids ministries, and kids conferences. Becky Olmstead is a passionate advocate, writer, and national voice for the next generation. With nearly 40 years of pastoral experience—serving alongside her husband at Vineyard Church of the Rockies and as a longtime Kids Pastor—Becky brings deep wisdom and heart to every conversation. She’s a former global leader with the 4/14 Movement and currently serves as the National Kids Director for Vineyard USA, where she’s helping shape a Spirit-led, Jesus-centered movement for children across the nation. Becky’s heart beats for seeing kids empowered by the Holy Spirit and being recognized in the Church as vital voices.Karen George is a creative leader and next-gen advocate with over 20 years of experience as a Kids Pastor and Creative Pastor. She serves as the Vineyard Kids USA Coordinator and helps develop Vineyard Kids Worship Music, creating meaningful moments where kids connect with God.Karen has been part of the global 4/14 Movement and is passionate about seeing a generation change the world with the love and power of God. She also runs a creative agency that helps businesses, churches, and ministries bring bold ideas to life through branding, events, and experiences, and when she’s not dreaming up something new, she’s hanging with her husband and two rad kids.Show Notes: Register for Vineyard USA’s 2025 National ConferenceHear more of Becky’s story on We Are Vineyard
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Christian Weber about her experience of change over the past 20 years with Vineyard USA. They talk about some of the logistics involved in hosting large events, the Kingdom components of event planning, and her desire to balance the spiritual and relational elements with the logistics. Christian Weber is the Events Director for Vineyard USA.Christian grew up in the Houston area and started attending the Sugar Land Vineyard church as a teenager. She had never heard the words “now and not yet” or “kingdom theology” until she came to a Vineyard church. Through her involvement in that youth group, the Holy Spirit captured her heart, and she knew she had found a home in the Vineyard.In 2005, Christian began working for Bert Waggoner, National Director for Vineyard USA at the time, as Events Director and Exec Admin. She continued to serve in this role during Phil Strout’s tenure as National Director before transitioning to the role of Events Director in 2021. Jesus has given her a heart for the Vineyard and the pastors and leaders she gets to serve.Christian and her husband, Ben, met and married at the Sugar Land Vineyard, where he was on staff as the Youth Pastor for about 8 years before becoming an attorney. They have three awesome children, Chloe, Atticus, and Ivy. When they aren’t acting as a car service for said kids, they really enjoy concerts and great food! Show Notes: Register now for Vineyard USA’s National Conferences: Melody and HarmonyHear more of Christian’s story Email Christian
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Glenn Packiam about growing up in Malaysia and his parents’ path into ministry. Glenn shared about his awakening to different layers of spiritual formation and how deep reflection enhances theological and Kingdom practices. They discuss leading as a bridge builder, pursuing the “radical middle”, and the joy of being a perpetual learner. Glenn Packiam is the Lead Pastor of Rockharbor Church in Costa Mesa, California. He is also the author of several books, including The Resilient Pastor, Blessed Broken Given, and the most recent title, co-authored with his wife, Holly, The Intentional Year.He earned a Doctorate in Theology and Ministry from Durham University, and is a Senior Fellow at Barna Group, a Visiting Fellow at St. John’s College at Durham University, and an ordained priest with the Anglican Church of North America. Glenn has written over 65 worship songs published with Integrity Music, including “Your Name”, co-written with Paul Baloche.Glenn and Holly have four children and live in Orange County, California. Show Notes: Register now for Vineyard USA’s 2025 National Conference! Glenn’s website Rock Harbor Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, we celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month by hearing from three Asian American women in ministry: Mary Anne de la Torre (leader of our AAPI Association), Susan Van Riesen (lead pastor of Palo Alto Vineyard), and Sabrina Chan (national director of Asian American Ministries for InterVarsity). Susan talks about feeling connected to her Korean culture despite growing up as a minority in Oregon, her family’s reaction to her choosing a life of ministry, and how that compares to her perspective now as a parent. Susan also shares about what’s giving her hope for the next generation of Asian American leaders, and how her Korean heritage enhances the diversity of tools in her leadership toolbox. Sabrina shares about the challenges she faced growing up in Richmond, VA and how she came to understand a healthier view of what it means to be Chinese American. They also discuss the tenderness of vocation for many Asian Americans, and how InterVarsity’s Asian American ministry tackles the diversity within the Asian Community. Susan Van Riesen has been serving as Palo Alto Vineyard Church’s Lead Pastor since 2017. She served on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for 16 years at 6 different college campuses before spending time as a full-time mom of three very energetic, passionate children. She has great love for adoption, children with special needs, and gardening.Rev. Sabrina Chan is the national director of Asian American Ministries for InterVarsity, and a daughter of immigrants from Hong Kong. She is an author of Learning Our Names: Asian American Christians on Identity, Relationships, and Vocation (IVP, 2022). She worked as a computer network engineer after graduating from Rice University. She has led campus ministries and supervised staff teams in Texas and the San Francisco Bay Area. Sabrina loves preaching and consults and trains in leadership development and ethnic and racial development and justice. Sabrina earned her Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Seminary, helped planted a church, and is an ordained minister. Sabrina is a bike commuter and an avid tea drinker. Find her on social media @sabrinachanwrites Show Notes: Register for Vineyard USA’s 2025 National Conference! Following Jesus Without Dishonoring Your Parents by Jeanette Yep, Peter Cha, Susan Cho Van Riesen, Greg Jao, and Paul TokunagaLearning Our Names by Sabrina S. Chan, Linson Daniel, David de Leon, and La ThaoSusan’s blogSTATInterVarsity: Asian American MinistriesVineyard USA’s AAPI Association
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Christina Lowery discuss last week’s episode with Mark Batterson, including what Christina loves about their ministry approach. They also talk about why leadership development and succession plans are vital for the Vineyard today, how and why they created Vineyard Leadership Essentials, and some other effective pathways for discipleship. Christina shares about some of the new stuff coming in the Fall for pastors who have just come in as successors, some of what’s happening with NextGen and how she’s working to resource what God’s doing, and what she’s encouraged by as she meets with Vineyards around the country.Christina Lowery is the Associate National Director for Church Health and Development.Early in her ministry career, Christina served as the Events Director for a large student internship at Teen Mania Ministries (Acquire the Fire) in Tyler, TX. In 2001, she and her husband Joel joined a local Vineyard Church there, and served on the pastoral team for several years until they were called to move back to Virginia and plant Crossroads Church. Christina and Joel have co-pastored Crossroads Church in Fredericksburg, VA since 2008. As a Lead Pastor, Christina has been a big-picture thinker and creative visionary, responsible for communicating and driving the vision and mission of the church forward. She finds great joy in preaching and teaching, leadership development, and building systems that foster church health and growth.In addition to her local leadership at Crossroads Church, she has served in other leadership roles with the Vineyard, such as an Area Leader in Northern and Central Virginia for ten years (2009-2019) and on the Vineyard Women in Leadership Team for the past three years (2018-2021). Joel and Christina have been married for 23 years and have 3 amazing kids – Hannah, Caleb, and Zoe. The Lowery family loves to travel and so far, their favorite destination is Maui, with its warm sun and beautiful island beaches. Show Notes: Register Now for Vineyard USA’s 2025 National ConferencesListen to Christina’s previous episode Listen to Mark Batterson’s episode Vineyard Leadership EssentialsProject Timothy
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Mark Batterson about the value of failing as a church planter, some of the realities of building a church in a transient city, and the things they would tell their younger selves about church leadership. Mark also shares about using their church property to engage the community and the way the Lord has multiplied the ministries they’ve planted and watered. Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of National Community Church (NCC) in Washington, D.C. One church in multiple locations, NCC owns and operates Ebenezers Coffeehouse, the Miracle Theatre, the DC Dream Center, and the Capital Turnaround. Mark holds a doctor of ministry degree from Regent University and is the New York Times bestselling author of 24 books. His newest books include A Million Little Miracles and The Best Worst Day Ever, the third children’s book he’s written with his daughter, Summer. He and his wife reside in Washington, D.C.Show Notes: Register Now for Vineyard USA’s 2025 National ConferencesMark’s websiteMark’s books
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with John Kim about the ways in which generative AI are impacting our world, and the potential for impacting our future. John shares about a perspective shift in viewing AI in terms of Genesis instead of Revelation, how to get started using AI constructively, and some ideas about how you can use it to multiply your ministry efforts. John and Jay also chat about some of the limitations of AI, and the two questions it forces us to ask. John Kim is the founder of Karamaan Group, an investing firm that oversees his family interests through passive and active interests in public and private companies, mostly in the software, technology and blockchain industries. Prior to this, John was a partner at the DFO- the family investment of Michael Dell and his family. He received his PhD in economics from MIT in 1998 and his AB from Harvard in 1995. John and his family reside at Coram Deo: A House of Worship and Entrepreneurship located in midtown Manhattan. He serves on the board of Vineyard USA.He is a long-suffering NY Knicks fan as the Knicks last won a title when John was in his mother’s womb. He believes that will change this year.Show notes: Hear more of John’s story ChatGPT
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Nicole Dill about how she came to the role of Communications Director for Vineyard USA, and the ways in which the role is different than she expected. Nicole shares some of the complexities of resourcing such a diverse movement, the ways that advancements in technology and AI have changed the landscape of comms and social connection, and also how AI might be used by pastors to eliminate some busy work and open up time for personal connection and flourishing. They also discuss the ways in which our online conduct impacts our relationships and our witness to unbelievers, and the direction the Lord is leading our movement, which drives Nicole’s work. Finally, Nicole gives an overview of this year’s National Conferences, an explanation of the theme, and her hopes for our time together. Nicole Dill is the Communications Director for Vineyard USA. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where she came to faith as a teenager, and quickly found a church family at Vineyard Columbus in Joshua House, the young adult ministry. In 2002, she moved to Colorado to help plant the Arvada Vineyard (which became a part of the Mile High Vineyard). While helping lead at this growing church plant, Nicole finished her degree in Photography at the Art Institute of Colorado. In 2008, Nicole planted and pastored the first multisite church for the Mile High Vineyard in downtown Denver with a team from the Arvada Vineyard. After several years of pastoring there, she handed the site off to another pastor and helped several other Vineyard church plants and established churches in the Denver area.Nicole has also worked extensively outside the church, leading creative teams at Anthropologie as a store designer, as Chief Operations Officer for TEDxMileHigh, the largest TEDx in North America, and for the White House as an Advance Associate for the President. She consults many growing organizations around their creative, operations, and HR needs in the nonprofit and entrepreneurial sectors. Nicole is thrilled to be on the National Team, pairing together her passion for creativity, the church, and spreading the message of Jesus to the world around us.She lives in Arvada, CO with her husband Jason, and two daughters, Vera and Rosalie, and attends the Arvada Vineyard.Show notes: Hear more of Nicole’s storyJay's talk at the Leadership Council Meeting The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt The Life We’re Looking For by Andy Crouch Notebook LMPerplexity.ai Aiforchurchleaders.comSubscribe to the Vineyard USA Monthly 5-Step Prayer Model Training Vineyard USA’s Reporting System
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Super Regional Leader John Elmer chats with Lindsay Mizell about growing up in Young Life camps, connecting with a Vineyard church after college, and finding language for her experiences with the Holy Spirit. Lindsay shares about being invited to pastor a multisite church, wrestling through her identity as a female pastor, and how “on-the-job training” has been a hallmark of her life. Lindsay talks about her experience as an Area Leader for Vineyard USA and shares an incredible story of the healing she experienced this year. Lindsay Mizell is the pastor of Vineyard Springbrook in Alcoa, TN. She grew up in a ministry family, running around Young Life camps and believing she could be part of things God was up to in the world. She is married to Daniel and they have 3 sons. Lindsay serves on the Women’s Association national team and is an Area Leader in the southeast. Show Notes: Register for Vineyard USA’s National Conference: Melody and Harmony Register for Vineyard Women’s Conference: More. www.vineyardspringbriok.org Instagram: @vineyardspringbrook
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with John Elmer about the privilege of traveling around the country connecting with different churches and investing in leaders. They discuss the benefits of connectivity and some of the positive and negative things John has encountered across Vineyard churches. Finally, John shares some of the parts of his role as Super Regional Leader that he wasn’t expecting when he started. John Elmer is a Super Regional Leader for Vineyard USA.John grew up in Syracuse, New York. Right before his senior year in high school, he had a supernatural encounter with Jesus and was radically saved. He began a Bible study within a couple of months and never stopped. John went to Messiah College, where he majored in Biblical Studies, and it was there that he met his wife, Gwen. Gwen and John planted the Syracuse Vineyard over 30 years ago and have grown it into a multi-site church that has planted 13 other churches. John has also participated in translocal leadership, serving the Vineyard as an Area Leader, National Church Planting team member, Mission Partnership Leader, and as a Regional Leader for the last 10 years.John and Gwen have lived together in NYC, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, the squatter slums in Bangkok, as well as Syracuse. They have three children and five grandchildren that they love to be with. John is a big Syracuse University sports fan, as well as a lifelong Yankees fan.Show notes: Hear more of John’s story Church abuse reporting hotline
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Jim Herrington about reconciling his call to ministry with some traumatic early experiences, and the career path that led him to leadership coaching and starting The Leader’s Journey. Jim shares about some of the ideas they’ve further cultivated since writing the first version of The Leader’s Journey and some of the things he learned throughout the process that changed the way he sees the world. Jay and Jim also discuss the difference between discipleship and spiritual formation, and the value of counselors and pastors having a counselor to talk to. Finally, Jim shares some insight for the Vineyard based on his involvement with the 2020 Reorg process. Jim Herrington has been a pastor for 48 years and served as a denominational executive, pastor to pastors, and congregational coach since 1989. He has worked with hundreds of congregations from a variety of traditions around the challenges of personal and congregational transformation. He is the co-founder of The Leader’s Journey: Coaching for Wholehearted Leadership. He and cofounder, Trisha Taylor, help leaders and organizations grow their emotional intelligence so that they can be the healthiest, most effective versions of themselves by offering three key services: coaching, leadership development, and organizational consulting.Dr. Herrington speaks regularly in conferences on the topics of spiritual formation, adaptive leadership, family systems, and missional theology. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Houston Graduate School of Theology with a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Direction and Formation.Herrington lives in Houston and has been married to his best friend, Betty, for 47 years. They have five children and six grandchildren.Show Notes: The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge Family Therapy in Clinical Practice by Murray BowenThe Leader's Journey website FaithwalkingTod Bolsinger’s booksVineyard USA’s Pastoral Health webpage Vineyard History and Identity Resources: The Way It Was by Carol Wimber The Quest For The Radical Middle by Bill Jackson Empowered Evangelicals by Rich Nathan and Ken Wilson“I’m a Fool For Christ”- John Wimber’s testimony
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Michael Cusick about being raised in a family with an extensive history of addiction, the circumstances that brought his brokenness and trauma to the forefront of his life, and how God rescued his marriage. Michael shares about starting the Restoring The Soul ministry, engaging people’s brokenness, and why sin management is not the best approach. Finally, Michael shares a profound story of redemption and he and Jay talk about how pastors can support each other. Michael Cusick is a Licensed Professional Counselor, spiritual director, speaker, and author of two books including Surfing for God: Discovering the Divine Desire Beneath Sexual Struggle and Somebody's Daughter: An Experiential Guide. Having experienced the restoring touch of God in a deeply broken life and marriage, Michael’s passion is to connect life’s broken realities with the reality of the gospel.In addition to leading Restoring the Soul and equipping Christian organizations around the world, Michael formerly served as an adjunct professor at Denver Seminary and full-time professor at Colorado Christian University. He holds an MA in Biblical Counseling from Colorado Christian University and an MA from the College of Education at the University of Denver. Michael lives with his wife Julianne in the foothills of Colorado where he enjoys the Rocky Mountains and a host of other outdoor activities with friends and family.Michael is also the host of the popular Restoring the Soul podcast which reached over 300,000 downloads in 2022 alone, with listeners in over 81 countries, totaling over 1.8 million downloads in just 6 years of podcasting. Show Notes: Sacred Attachment by Michael Cusick (releasing January 2025)The Ascent Of A Leader by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol, and Ken McElrathOrdering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonaldRebuilding Your Broken World by Gordon MacDonaldThe Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Trisha Taylor about navigating her call to ministry as a woman and how she found her "in" as a counselor. They chat about the role of authenticity in transformation, some of the common internal issues that pastors need to explore for change to occur, and ways to support your pastor as a leader. Trisha also shares some of the unique gifts and challenges that she’s noticed among Vineyard people. Trisha Taylor is a counselor, author, consultant, and speaker based in Houston, TX. Counseling is a key component of Trisha's ministry and she enjoys working with individuals, couples, and families. She works to provide a safe place where people who are hurting or confused can find God's grace and wisdom.Trisha is a co-author of The Leader's Journey: Accepting the Call to Personal and Congregational Transformation, which challenges leaders to see their congregations as living systems and to respond to leadership challenges with emotional maturity, leading as Jesus did, from the inside out. She is available to lead workshops and seminars or to provide consultation and coaching to help individuals and teams find a new way of thinking and leading in the contemporary church.As both a minister and a counselor, Trisha holds a Texas state license as a professional counselor and is a fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. She graduated from Baylor University (Psychology, 1985) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Counseling, 1988). She has been married to Craig since 1985 and they have two adult children.Show Notes: The Leader's Journey website FaithwalkingTod Bolsinger’s booksManaging Leadership Anxiety by Steve Cuss A Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman Vineyard USA’s Pastoral Health webpageVineyard History and Identity Resources: The Way It Was by Carol Wimber The Quest For The Radical Middle by Bill Jackson Empowered Evangelicals by Rich Nathan and Ken Wilson“I’m a Fool For Christ”- John Wimber’s testimony
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Chuck DeGroat about his entrance to ministry and when his interests started turning toward psychology and people’s lives. Chuck talks about the intersection between narcissism and pastoral health and the pitfall of pastors turning inside themselves in self-protection. Jay and Chuck discuss the policies and structures Vineyard USA is beginning to implement to help keep pastors connected and healthy, and the importance of resourcing and relationship in preventing pastoral implosion. Chuck DeGroat is a follower of Jesus, a husband to Sara for 30 years, and father to two amazing daughters. He serves as Professor of Counseling and Christian Spirituality and Executive Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Western Theological Seminary Holland, MI. He is also a faculty member for the Soul Care Institute.Chuck is a licensed therapist, a spiritual director, an author of five books, and a retreat leader/speaker. As a therapist, he has specialized in issues of abuse and trauma, pastoral (and leadership) health, and navigating issues of doubt and dark nights on the faith journey. He’s also a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Reformed Church in America. Chuck pastored in Orlando and San Francisco before transitioning to training and forming pastors. He also trains clergy in issues of abuse and trauma, conducts pastor and planter assessments, and facilitates church consultations and investigations of abuse among pastors and within congregations. Show Notes: When Narcissism Comes To Church by Chuck DeGroat Healing What’s Within by Chuck DeGroatVineyard USA’s reporting hotlineRedeeming Power by Diane Langberg
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Dr. Jim Wilder about being raised in Colombia, South America in a high-stakes religious environment, and the point at which he had to accept that God is bigger than the one he was raised to believe in. Dr. Wilder shares about exploring trauma through the lenses of faith and psychology, the difference between education and anointing (and the need for maturity in both), and some typical factors involved in ministry failure. He also talks about the role of joy in safeguarding one’s life and ministry and the need for a separation of performance and personhood in the repair process. Jim Wilder has extensive clinical counseling experience and is the chief neurotheologian of Life Model Works, a nonprofit working at the intersection of brain science and theology. He is also the lead developer of the Life Model, which is building contagiously healthy Christian communities through equipping existing networks with the skills to thrive.Wilder (PhD, Clinical Psychology, and MA, Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary) has been training leaders and counselors for thirty years on five continents. He is the author of over twenty books with a strong focus on maturity and relational skills. His co-authored book, Living from the Heart Jesus Gave You has sold over 100,000 copies in eleven languages. Wilder has published numerous articles and developed four sets of video and relational leadership training called THRIVE. Show Notes: Jim’s website: lifemodelworks.orgThe Other Half Of Church by Jim Wilder and Michel HendricksMore books by Jim Wilder
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Danielle Pathak kick off a new series titled “Leadership Under Pressure.” They discuss all things related to Danielle’s world as Vineyard USA’s Associate National Director of Pastoral Health and Formation, touching on physical, financial, relational, emotional, and spiritual areas of health. Danielle shares about her process of assessing resources for personal or pastoral health that will soon be offered to Vineyard USA pastors, some of the current programs we're testing out to address the data coming out of surveys taken by our pastors, and the many opportunities currently available to Vineyard pastors through various partnerships. Show Notes: Pastoral Health website Lilly Endowment VUSA’s Guidepost Institutional Assessment & Report PastorServeAG Financial Clergy Advantage FreeWill Soul Shepherding Leadership Transformations Recommended Books: Embracing The Body by Tara M. Owens Sustaining Ministry by Sondra Wheeler Managing Leadership Anxiety by Steve CussLeader's Journey by Jim Herrington, Trisha Taylor and Robert Creech Growing Yourself Up by Jenny brownExtraordinary Relationship by Dr. Roberta Gilbert Connecting With Our Children by Dr. Roberta Gilbert Failure Of Nerve by Edwin Friedman Generation to Generation by Edwin Friedman Friedman's Fables by Edwin Friedman
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, we complete our mini-series on the Vineyard USA National Conference session: A Story Of The Vineyard in Song. This week, Adam and Nicole Dill talk with Anabeth Morgan. Anabeth expands on the story she shared during the session via video about being invited to a Vineyard church, feeling […]
This episode of We Are Vineyard is the final in our mini-series on pastoral successions. Super Regional Leader John Elmer interviews Phil Strout and Allen Austin about how they each felt called in this transition, some of the things that were successful in transitioning, and the value of raising someone up from within the church. […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, we continue our mini-series around pastoral succession with Super Regional Leader Joel Seymour interviewing Amanda Clark. Amanda shares about being born into a hyper-charismatic healing cult, navigating her relationship with Jesus after leaving that religious group, and her journey into ministry. Amanda and Joel talk through the things […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, we continue our mini-series around pastoral succession with Super Regional Leader Joel Seymour interviewing Alan Allen and Kurt Attaway. Alan shares his story of planting the church, and Kurt shares about being raised in the Vineyard and finding his way into ministry through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. […]
This episode of We Are Vineyard is the launch of a mini-series around pastoral succession. In this episode, Jay talks with Matt Massey about giving up his moralistic life to live how he wanted to in college and the ways his dad stayed engaged with him throughout his season of searching. Matt shares about his […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Caleb Maskell, Associate National Director of Theology and Education, talks with David Zahl about being raised in a family where faith and reliance on God was modeled and they had freedom to find their own path with God. They also talk through three topics that have marked David’s […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Caleb Maskell, Associate National Director of Theology and Education, talks with Doug Sweeney about experiencing the church over the course of his academic journey, breaking down the word “doctrine”, and discovering it through our daily walk with Christ. Doug shares why he started his project on the history […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Associate National Director of Theology and Education Caleb Maskell talks with Leah Payne about worship music. They discuss the difference between contemporary Christian music (CCM) and contemporary worship and the impact of Vineyard Worship on church music at large. They also talk about how worship music has been […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Super Regional Leader John Elmer talks with Chris Schlotterbeck about hearing from the Lord before he had a relationship with God, being delivered from addiction, and being asked to preach on a missions trip before he had ever read the Bible. Chris talks about finding the Vineyard through […]
This episode of We Are Vineyard is a continuation of our miniseries on preaching hosted by Adam Russell (Lead Pastor of Vineyard Campbellsville in KY and Director of Vineyard Worship) and Ted Kim (Lead Pastor of Evanston Vineyard in IL). Today’s guest is Melanie Forsythe-Lee, Lead Pastor of LIFE Vineyard Church in Columbus, OH and […]
This episode of We Are Vineyard is a continuation of our miniseries on preaching hosted by Adam Russell (Lead Pastor of Vineyard Campbellsville in KY and Director of Vineyard Worship) and Ted Kim (Lead Pastor of Evanston Vineyard in IL). Today’s guest is Julia Pickerill, co-Senior Pastor of Vineyard Columbus. In this episode, Julia shares […]
This episode of We Are Vineyard is a continuation of our miniseries on preaching hosted by Adam Russell (Lead Pastor of Vineyard Campbellsville in KY and Director of Vineyard Worship) and Ted Kim (Lead Pastor of Evanston Vineyard in IL). Today’s guest is Rich Nathan, founding pastor of Vineyard Columbus and Director of their Pastors […]
This episode of We Are Vineyard is a continuation of our miniseries on preaching hosted by Adam Russell (Lead Pastor of Vineyard Campbellsville in KY and Director of Vineyard Worship) and Ted Kim (Lead Pastor of Evanston Vineyard in IL). Today’s guest is none other than…Jay Pathak! That’s right, Jay is on the other end […]
For the next several weeks of the We Are Vineyard podcast, we are launching a miniseries on preaching hosted by Adam Russell (Lead Pastor of Vineyard Campbellsville in KY and Director of Vineyard Worship) and Ted Kim (Lead Pastor of Evanston Vineyard in IL). In this introductory episode, Adam and Ted each share their early […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Super Regional Leader Joel Seymour talks with Travis and Jennica Conklin about their early experiences with Jesus, marrying young, and joining a tiny church plant in Montana. Travis and Jennica share about discerning a call to plant in Goshen, IN, the season of preparation they used to get […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Caleb Maskell (Associate National Director of Theology and Education) talks with return guest Nijay Gupta about his new book Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling. They discuss the hierarchy of the Roman gods, the dynamics of Roman faith, and how the infrastructure of […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Caleb Maskell (Associate National Director of Theology and Education) talks with Jennifer and David McNutt. Jennifer shares about growing up as the daughter of two pastors, receiving her call to ministry at the age of ten, and experiencing a time of discovery in college. David talks about growing […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Caleb Maskell talk with Craig Keener. Craig shares about growing up as an atheist, asking the big questions when he was a small child, and having a physical experience of the Holy Spirit when he prayed to accept Jesus at fifteen. Craig talks about why he […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Super Regional Leader John Elmer chats with Mike Turrigiano about growing up in South Bronx and looking for approval and leadership, getting involved in drugs, and ending up at Teen Challenge where he met Jesus. Mike shares about planting a church and meeting John Wimber, and watching from […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Associate National Director of Justice and Evangelism Josh Williams chats with Tina Colón Wiliams about how she experiences God as an immigration lawyer. They talk about whether the migrant issue at the Texas border is as bad as the media makes it seem, and Tina paints a picture […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Josh Williams (Associate National Director of Justice & Evangelism) talks to Rob Morris about how his family came to Christ one at a time while he was growing up, and how getting burnt out in ministry led him back to Jesus and eventually to work with Youth With […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with James Choung about being raised in a Korean immigrant church and how he experienced justice growing up in an inner-city community. James shares how God disrupted his plans at MIT, directed him to reinvest in his fraternity, and called him to full-time ministry. James talks […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Super Regional Leader Joel Seymour chats with Jeff Faust about growing up in a dysfunctional home, how his family changed after his mom had a powerful encounter with the Lord, and the spiritual experience he had in college that changed the trajectory of his life. Jeff shares about […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Gary Dawkins about growing up in a Black Baptist Church in Baltimore and the practical intersection of church and neighborhood. Gary talks about the Holy Spirit encounter that convinced him Jesus was real, the roundabout way he found himself in a Vineyard Church, and the […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Jessica Gatton. Jess shares about the profound experience she had with Jesus as a young child, being immersed in ministry as a teenager while her dad was her youth pastor and the decision she made in college to stay the course in her faith. Jess […]
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Paul Watson about the little neighbor lady who introduced his whole family to Christ, being pursued by the Lord as a mischievous teenager, and the life choices that seemingly disrupted the call he felt on his life. Paul describes the relentless pursuit of the Lord in bringing about that calling, and what has kept him faithful to the ministry despite the trials he has experienced in the church. Jay and Paul also talk discuss the power of invitation.
Paul Watson is the new regional leader for the Mountain Region and is the founding Pastor of the Downtown Vineyard Church in Grand Junction Colorado.
Has been happily married to his wife Linnea for 35 years and is incredibly proud of her and their kids Brian (Bonnie) and Brittany (Andy). Although they have been married for 35 years, they have been together since they were both in middle school.
Paul is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys biking, fly fishing, camping, golfing and all things sports. He also loves baking bread, playing guitar, reading and writing poetry.
He and Linnea planted the Downtown Vineyard Church in 2008 after feeling a very strong invitation from the Lord and seven years ago they purchased the very same building they both committed their lives to Christ in while in High School.
This year marks the 35 year of church ministry as a Vineyard Pastor.
Show Notes:
Check out the 2023 National Conference Resource Package Timothy Keller by Collin Hansen
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Mike Safford about growing up as a baseball fanatic in San Diego with a faithful grandmother who spoke prophetically into his life during weekly phone calls. Mike shares about discovering that he made a terrible missionary, the strong word the Lord spoke to him at an Anaheim Vineyard conference, and the way suffering has shaped his ministry. Mike Safford was born in San Diego. It was there, at the age of 18, that he came to know Jesus through a powerful encounter with his presence. At 21 years of age, Mike relocated to Orange County where he went on staff as an intern pastor at the Anaheim Vineyard. It was here that he met his wife-to-be, Liz Fredericks, who at the time was an administrative assistant to the then National Director of The Association of Vineyard Churches (later to become Vineyard USA), Todd Hunter. After they were married, Mike and Liz moved to Los Angeles County where Mike became an Associate Pastor on staff at the Santa Clarita Vineyard. After two years of leadership there, they returned to Mike’s hometown to plant the Point Loma Vineyard Church in San Diego. During their time establishing this church they would navigate some traumatic family health issues and eventually return to Anaheim where Mike went back on staff at the Anaheim Vineyard. Mike would eventually assume the role of Senior Associate Pastor serving with his longtime friend and mentor Lance Pittluck. In 2018 during a tumultuous transition of leadership at the Anaheim Vineyard, the Saffords moved to Tehachapi, CA to lead the Tehachapi Vineyard Church where they currently continue to lead. Mike also serves the Vineyard USA movement as Regional Leader of the SoCal Region. Mike and Liz have three grown children: Alexa who lives, works and studies in Los Angeles, Jacob who is a student and worship leader at Vanguard University and Paige who is a high school student and keeps mom & dad in line. Liz works for the city of Tehachapi. In his free time, Mike can usually be found reading, golfing or boisterously cheering on the Chargers. As a family, the Saffords are fiercely committed to authentic Kingdom ministry where everyone truly gets to play.Show Notes:Check out the 2023 National Conference Resource Package!https://conference.vineyardusa.org/2023-resource-package/Bruchko by Bruce Olsonbit.ly/3RhyUWeTehachapi VineyardTehachapivineyard.org
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Greg Surratt about growing up as the son of a minister, his journey to planting a church in Charleston, and not living up to his own expectations in starting a church. Greg shares how his church became a multi-site before turning into an association of churches, some approaches to church planting that he's learned along the way, and finally an encouragement for Vineyard Pastors.
Greg Surratt is the founding pastor of Seacoast Church, one of the early adopters of the multi-site model. Located in Mt Pleasant, South Carolina, Seacoast has been recognized by various media as an innovative and influential thought leader in future strategies for church growth and development.
Greg is the president and founding board member of the Association of Related Churches (ARC), a church-planting network that has given birth to 1000+ churches in the last 20 years. Greg and his wife Debbie have 4 children, 14 grandchildren and enjoys reading, photography, fishing, golfing, and rooting for the Cubs, Broncos and Gamecocks.
Show Notes:
Association of Related Churches (ARC)
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Adam Russell about growing up in a rural, blue-collar Kentucky town where his family has lived for generations. Adam shares about knowing he wanted to be a preacher since he was young, the youth pastors who nurtured his love for the Bible, and some events that occurred during his years in Bible school that radically changed his faith and his relationship with his hometown. Jay and Adam talk about the things pastors should know that aren’t learned through a theology degree, and how the Lord can use hard seasons to shape a pastor's heart and character.
Adam Russell is the Director of Vineyard Worship (USA), and Lead Pastor of his home church, Vineyard Campbellsville. In his role as Director, Adam brings his experience as a songwriter, worship leader and senior pastor together to help guide and direct Vineyard Worship in living out its core purpose, which is to gather the worship community, train worship leaders, and make compelling records of the songs that God births in our wider movement. Additionally, Adam serves on the Vineyard Executive Team.
As a writer of many well-known songs in the Vineyard movement ("Let Your Kingdom Come," "High King of Heaven," "Name Above All Names," "Folks Like Us"), Adam has also produced several records for Vineyard Worship (Promises of Wonder, All Things Rise, Kyrie Eleison, Wear The Crown). In addition, he has traveled extensively inside and outside the Vineyard training and encouraging worship leaders, songwriters and creatives.
Adam and his wife Heather live with their four children on a small farm in rural Kentucky where they also grow grapes and make wine.
Show Notes: The Ferment Podcast https://www.thefermentpodcast.com/ Cornbread Mafia by James Higdon bit.ly/3P6uQXz Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation by Collin Hansen bit.ly/3sqGALO
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Sharon McCarter about hearing a specific call from the Lord as a teenager to be a pastor, being told she couldn't pastor because she was a woman, and what she learned from trusting the Lord and doing it anyway. Sharon recounts the Lord’s faithfulness in speaking to them about planting a Vineyard before she had ever attended one, how their life has progressed by being faithful with each new step as it came, and their naturally supernatural process of planting their church. Sharon also shares about the different levels of leadership she’s served in with the Vineyard, and her excitement and trust for Vineyard USA’s reorg process.
Sharon McCarter is a co-pastor of the Vineyard Church in Maryville, Tennessee, which she planted with her husband, Aaron when they were in their early 20s. She earned her Pastoral Ministry degree from Lee University in 2001. She married Aaron McCarter in 2003 and they planted a Vineyard Church in 2004. They were both incredibly drawn to the Vineyard because of the radical middle, Kingdom theology, and the practice of being naturally supernatural. Throughout the years of their church plant, Sharon has been the co-pastor, the associate pastor, the kids' pastor, the youth pastor, and she was even a campus pastor at one of their venues during a period of transition. She loves to start new things, build great teams, and help other people recognize and use their gifts for the glory of God and the good of others. Sharon has served on the VUSA Women in Ministry Team and has served on the VUSA Executive Team. Sharon is now serving as the Vineyard Southeast Regional Leader and feels compelled to advocate for health and unity - both at the local church level and at the national level. Sharon and Aaron have 2 beautiful and fun-loving teenagers, Bryce and Breonna.
Show Notes: Slaves, Women & Homosexuals by William J. Webb bit.ly/3L4SnG7
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Jason George about growing up in a Christian Indian family, drifting into a partying lifestyle in college and his family’s intervention, saying yes to the Lord in college, and engaging in overseas missions with some of his friends. Jason shares about finding healing and community at a Vineyard during a particularly difficult time in his life, and how he began working in the fundraising field. He and Jay discuss donor development and discipling people in a posture of generosity.
Jason George is the Chief Development Officer for Vineyard USA. Jason was born in Toledo, Ohio but considers himself a Columbus kid because that’s where he survived & sometimes thrived during middle school & high school. Deciding to stay in Columbus, he earned a B.A. in Journalism from The Ohio State University. On December 31, 1995, Jason made a decision to follow Jesus. That decision has shaped all of Jason’s life since. Following Christ led him to full-time vocational ministry for 14 years after graduation. Along the way, he graduated from the Vineyard Leadership Institute (VLI) and spent 5 years in Central Asia focusing on bringing the Gospel to local communities so that churches could be raised up.
After returning from his last stint overseas in 2015 Jason went through a very difficult season of change and needed growth. That’s when he found his current church home, Delaware City Vineyard (in Delaware, Ohio), and learned how to transfer that Kingdom paradigm along with his skills to a career in fundraising. Jason feels that all his experience in ministry and educational fundraising has uniquely equipped him for this role to help support the vision of Vineyard USA to see more churches planted that “Embrace the Kingdom and engage the world.”
Jason is married to Jill and has 4 kids - Vera, Jonah, Seva & Coen. They keep life busy, full, and mostly fun. Lately, their goal together as a family is to choose to cultivate a posture of learning, laughing, and loving… not necessarily in that order.
Show Notes:
Read more about Jason George
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Bob and Penny Fulton about Penny’s early years growing up in a Catholic family where she learned to be tough and self-sufficient, and Bob’s experiences as a mischievous latchkey kid who found himself drawn to the Marines. Bob and Penny share about the people placed in their lives who faithfully lead them to the Lord and their early years in ministry. They recount growing in intimacy with the Holy Spirit, the emotions and internal oppositions they had to process through as the Lord worked in their lives, and the natural evangelism that was happening in the early days of the Vineyard.
Bob & Penny Fulton were some of the founding leaders of the Vineyard Movement. Much of the Vineyard’s DNA was established in a small group that Bob & Penny started in the 1970s, a group that eventually became the Anaheim Vineyard. Bob has been the International Coordinator for the Vineyard movement and helped plant churches in more than 50 nations. This past year Bob and Penny planted a Vineyard in Anaheim Hills and raised up a young couple and a worship team to take over. They are proud parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Show Notes:
2023 National Conference: Register for the FREE Livestream! https://conference.vineyardusa.org/livestream-rsvp/
Peace with God by Billy Graham amzn.to/3KgO3CZ
Jesus Revolution https://jesusrevolution.movie/
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Bishop Todd Hunter about growing up in Orange County, CA, meeting the Lord at a Calvary Chapel service, and feeling like he was radically changed overnight. Todd recounts his experience of the early days of the Vineyard, the tumultuous circumstances that coincided with starting his role as National Director of the Vineyard, and how he came to be an Anglican Bishop. Jay and Todd talk about the discussions that led to him accepting a role on Vineyard USA’s Board of Trustees and then Todd shares what he’s currently seeing from this vantage point.
Bishop Todd Hunter’s lifelong passion is to help others heed the call of Jesus to “come follow me” and thus live their life in the kingdom of God as Jesus embodied, taught, and demonstrated it. Bishop Hunter’s vision for such a life entails being the cooperative friend of Jesus, seeking to live a life of constant creative goodness, for the sake of others, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Bishop Hunter has expressed his kingdom-Spirit-formation-church-culture focus in various settings. He is the founding bishop of The Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others, a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. He writes a weekly newsletter: “The Gospel of the Kingdom.” Bishop Hunter is past President of Alpha USA, former National Director for the Association of Vineyard Churches, and retired founding pastor of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Costa Mesa, California. He is the author of Christianity Beyond Belief: Following Jesus for the Sake of Others, Giving Church Another Chance, The Outsider Interviews, The Accidental Anglican, Our Favorite Sins and Our Character at Work. His forthcoming book What Jesus Intended: Finding Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion is now available for preorder.
Bishop Hunter is also the founder of the Center for Formation, Justice and Peace. The Center’s interdenominational community seeks to develop the Christlike character necessary to activate justice, leading to a life of deep peace for all people. Alongside trauma-informed spiritual director Vanessa Sadler, Bishop Todd hosts Peace Talks, a podcast that spotlights women and men who are working to undo oppression, leading to lives of deeper peace for all.
Bishop Hunter holds a Doctor of Ministry degree and has served as an adjunct professor of evangelism, leadership in contemporary culture and spiritual formation at George Fox University, Fuller Seminary, Western Seminary, Vanguard University, Azusa Pacific University, Northern Seminary, and Wheaton College. He has been a Distinguished Lecturer at several institutions of higher learning. Bishop Hunter has written articles for study Bibles, dictionaries and encyclopedias.
Bishop Hunter and his wife Debbie live in Franklin, Tennessee. They have two adult children.
Show Notes: 2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”https://conference.vineyardusa.org/
Jesus Revolution https://jesusrevolution.movie/
Center For Formation, Justice and Peace @centerfjp, www.centerfjp.org
What Jesus Intended: Finding True Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion by Todd Hunter What Jesus Intended
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Tom Campion about growing up in small-town Illinois and being raised by a psychologist in a Christian family before psychology was really accepted in the church. Tom and Jay discuss whether advances in the field are in line with scripture, some pitfalls of pastors trying to act as therapists for their congregation, and the value of outsourcing this type of care. Tom shares some thoughts on proactive pastoral self-care, the tricky parts of navigating personal relationships with those in your church, and the need for ministry partners who share the load. Finally, Tom identifies some common signs of burnout and life rhythms that safeguard pastors for the long haul.
Dr. Thomas Campion, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist. He has completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Organization Psychology. He has been working with ministries and government agencies for over 20 years providing psychological evaluations and consulting/ clinical services nationally and internationally. He and his team currently work with over 50 different ministries, seminaries and missionary organizations as well as 165 different government agencies across the globe. His specialty focuses on providing comprehensive, foundational evaluations to assess compatibility and readiness for high-stress and leadership positions. The goal is to help guide organizations to equip individuals for success and longevity in the positions they are seeking. He has specifically assisted the Vineyard nationally and internationally in providing evaluations for church planters, pastoral development, succession planning, team building, and counseling services for multiple decades. He has been a part of the Urbana, IL Vineyard Church since the late 80s and he has continued attending with his family and children. He has enjoyed the opportunity to bring the science of psychological evaluations to faith-based organizations to provide a proactive approach to equip and support individuals in fulfilling God’s call on their lives.
Show Notes:
2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”: https://conference.vineyardusa.org/ Books by Ruth Haley Barton Campion Barrow & Associates
In the final episode of our ordination series, Jay and Caleb Maskell (Associate National Director of Theology and Education) talk with Hannah Nation about being raised in a home where questions were encouraged, and the moment when she decided to relinquish control of her life to the Lord. Hannah also shares about visiting China as a college student and evading the call she was feeling to move there as a young adult. She provides an education about Chinese house churches and the movement of the gospel across the country, the historical background of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, what we have to learn from Christians in China, and what she observed about the difference between the approach to the COVID pandemic in the Chinese church vs. American churches.
Hannah serves as the Managing Director for the Center for House Church Theology and as Content Director for China Partnership. She is also a co-host of the new House Church in China Podcast. She received her Master of Arts in Church History from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Her books include Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church (Kirkdale, 2022) and Wang Yi's Faithful Disobedience: Writings on Church and State from a Chinese House Church Movement (IVP Academic, 2022). As a student of global Christianity, she is inspired by this historical moment and the opportunity to witness church history unfolding across China.
Show Notes:
The Center For House Church Theology Faithful Disobedience by Wang Yi and Others
Faith In The Wilderness edited by Hannah Nation and Simon Liu
China Partnership House Church China Podcast
2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”
https://conference.vineyardusa.org/
This episode of We Are Vineyard is a continuation of our series on ordination! Jay and Caleb Maskell (Associate National Director of Theology and Education) talk to Mark Noll about cultivating the life of the mind in a way that is honoring to the Lord. Mark gives some of the historical background of American evangelicalism and describes the widening gap between the evangelical church and critical thinking about the world and theology. Mark shares about why we need to read the Bible in community and with insight from people throughout history and across a variety of cultures and gives his thoughts on the impulses of evangelicalism that are worth preserving.
Mark Noll is a historian who is retired after teaching at Wheaton College and the University of Notre Dame. His research has focused on earlier American history with books that include America's God from Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln, A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada, and most recently America's Book: The Rise and Decline of a Bible Civilization, 1794-1911. He has also tried to assess the recent transformations in Christianity around the world in books like The New Shape of World Christianity: How American Experience Reflects Global Faith and (as co-author with Carolyn Nystrom) Clouds of Witnesses: Christian Voices from Africa and Asia.
Show Notes:
Read Mark’s Books: bit.ly/3CT2LMx
The Democratization of American Christianity by Nathan O. Hatch: bit.ly/46ttKMm
Religion and the American Revolution by Katherine Carté: amzn.to/46qQLPF
Broken Churches, Broken Nation by C.C. Goen: bit.ly/3Pxb7Rk
Mark’s article in Comment- “Spiritual Renewal and Social Transformation”: https://comment.org/spiritual-renewal-and-social-transformation/
Reading While Black by Esau McCaulley: bit.ly/3X6PuJi
2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”: https://conference.vineyardusa.org/
This episode of We Are Vineyard is a continuation of our series on ordination! Jay and Caleb Maskell (Associate National Director of Theology and Education) talk to Nijay Gupta about his origin story of faith and how his love for Piper and Grudem evolved into a critical study of egalitarianism. Nijay talks about learning to read the Bible in 3D, why we’ve historically overlooked female leaders in the Bible, and how we can best engage in the dialogue about the “trouble passages” relating to female pastors. Nijay also shares the historical context of Paul’s teaching about women.
Nijay K. Gupta is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He has written several books including A Beginner's Guide to New Testament Studies, Paul and the Language of Faith, 15 New Testament Words of Life, and Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church. He is a senior translator of the New Living Translation and co-hosts the Slow Theology Podcast with Dr. A.J. Swoboda.
Show Notes:
Tell Her Story by Nijay Gupta
Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert E. Coleman
Remember the Poor by Bruce W. Longenecker
2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”
This episode of We Are Vineyard is a continuation of our series on ordination! Jay and Caleb Maskell (Associate National Director of Theology and Education) talk to Dr. Carmen Imes about understanding how our story directly connects to the story of the Old Testament. Carmen shares about her rich experience in various expressions of Christian faith, both domestically and internationally, the aspects of the Old Testament that capture her attention, and how she gets her students to care. She illustrates how the principles in the Old Testament apply to our current context and the gift of allowing ourselves to be trained by praying through the Psalms.
Dr. Carmen Imes serves as associate professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. Carmen is passionate about helping students and other laypeople engage the Old Testament and discover its relevance for Christian identity and mission. She is best known for her books Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters (IVP 2019) and Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters (IVP 2023). Imes has appeared on over 100 podcasts and radio shows and releases weekly "Torah Tuesday" videos on her own YouTube channel. She writes for Christianity Today, the Politics of Scripture blog, and The Well (InterVarsity). Imes is also a frequent speaker at churches, conferences, and retreats. Before arriving at Biola in 2021, she served as professor of Old Testament at Prairie College in Alberta, Canada. Her academic journey began when Carmen and her husband served as missionaries in the Philippines with SIM International, reaching out to ethnic minorities. Imes loves introducing students to the rich insights of the global church.
Show Notes:
Read Carmen’s Books Reading While Black by Esau McCaulley
Lectio 365 app
Socials:
Carmen’s Youtube Channel Carmen’s Facebook Carmen’s Twitter Carmen’s Blog
This episode of We Are Vineyard is the first in a series on ordination! Jay and Caleb Maskell (Associate National Director of Theology and Education) talk to Bruce Hindmarsh about what evangelical spirituality is, its context in the historic and global church, and how it’s relevant to our current world. As Vineyard USA is in a moment of grappling with questions of identity and history, Bruce helps us to understand the traditional roots of evangelicalism and offers some wisdom on remaining faithful to the founding charism of a movement.
Bruce Hindmarsh took his D.Phil. degree in theology at Oxford University in 1993. From 1995 to 1997 he was also a research fellow at Christ Church, Oxford. He has since published and spoken widely to international audiences on the history of early British evangelicalism. His articles have appeared in respected academic journals such as Church History, the Journal of Ecclesiastical History, and the Huntington Library Quarterly.
The recipient of numerous teaching awards and research grants, he has also been a research fellow at the Huntington Library and recipient of the Henry Luce III Theological Fellowship. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a past-president of the American Society of Church History. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by Crandall University in 2022.
He teaches the history of Christianity and spiritual theology, and speaks often to lay audiences as well as preaching in his own church and elsewhere. A former staff worker for Youth for Christ and founding director of Camp Cedarwood, he is an active lay member of an Anglican Church. He is married to Carolyn, and they have three children: Bethany, Matthew and Sam.
Show Notes:
John Wesley’s Christian Library: https://scriptoriumdaily.com/so-many-good-books-wesleys-christian-library/
John Wimber’s Pastoral Letters by Derek Morphew & John Wimber: https://www.amazon.com/Wimbers-Pastoral-Letters-Derek-Morphew/dp/B085RTT7G7
Amazing Grace: The Life of John Newton and the Surprising Story Behind His Song by Bruce Hindmarsh and Craig Borlase: https://tinyurl.com/bdfhms6r
Bruce’s website: https://www.brucehindmarsh.com/
Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church by Hannah Nation: https://tinyurl.com/mr2cwzu6
Fundamentalism and American Culture by George M. Marsden: https://tinyurl.com/bdemeene
Christ and Culture by H. Richard Niebuhr: https://tinyurl.com/4z67pep5
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Ranjo Clements about traveling from Bombay, India to the US with his parents at age 5, the disconnect he felt moving back as a young teenager, and his experience of re-learning how to be Indian. They discuss some cultural values and norms that are strengths, and others that require navigation in a mixed-culture environment. Ranjo shares about the life events that led him to taking diversity issues seriously, some of the challenges and benefits he has found in being a part of the Vineyard, and what he finds valuable about Vineyard USA Associations. Ranjo joined the Vineyard in 2013. Although originally from India, he is a card-carrying “third culture kid,” having spent multiple stints in India and the US. He is passionate about equipping worship leaders, building multiethnic communities, and creating “safe spaces” where people encounter God and operate in their gifting. Ranjo served as a worship pastor in India before returning to the US in 2008 to pursue an M.Div. in worship studies at Asbury Theological Seminary (ATS). He has since served as Associate Pastor at GCF Vineyard in Wilmore, KY, and is on the core team for Vineyard USA’s AAPI association. He is also pursuing a Ph.D. in Asian American studies at ATS. His research interests include Asian American identity and theology, worship, ethnodoxology, and missiology. Ranjo and his wife, Aletha, have five beautiful daughters. They love hosting people, singing, sharing stories, laughing, and eating all kinds of ethnic food, especially spicy food. Show Notes: 2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”Learning Our Names by Sabrina S. Chan, Linson Daniel, E. David de Leon, and La ThaoAsbury University
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with John Kim about growing up in an industrious immigrant family on Long Island, encountering the Lord through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and getting connected with the Vineyard. John shares about living a life of continuity between work and church by intentionally bringing his spiritual self to the workplace and his business mind to the church, and explains how this is an asset to both.John Kim pastors the166, a Vineyard church plant in the Hell’s Kitchen section of midtown Manhattan, along with his wife Kara. He is a principal of Karamaan Group, an investing firm that takes passive and active interests in both public and private companies. On the active side, he is a founder of Bored Room Ventures, a web3 agency and investment fund, and a strategic advisor to Wise Rock Software, a provider of intelligence amplification software. Prior to this, he was a partner at MSD Capital. He received his PhD from MIT in 1998, and his AB from Harvard in 1995. He resides in Manhattan with his wife Kara and son Samuel. He is one of the founding families of Coram Deo: A House of Worship, Prayer and Entrepreneurship located in midtown Manhattan, and serves on the board of Vineyard USA.Show Notes: VUSA Empowered series: https://vineyardusa.org/pentecost2023/Use #vusaempowered when you share on social media so we can see it!2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”: https://conference.vineyardusa.org/Order of the Common Life: https://www.orderofthecommonlife.org/
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Becky Olmstead about growing up in the church, her resistance towards living a life of formal ministry, and finding that God had specifically prepared her to lead a Children’s Ministry. Becky shares some advice she would give to her younger self, her unique priorities in leading a Children’s Ministry, and her approach to raising kids who would grow up to love God, the church, and each other.Becky Olmstead and her husband, Rick, started Vineyard Church of the Rockies in 1982. She has been passionately involved in ministry to kids since the beginning of their church. Having come into relationship with Jesus as a child, Becky has been a voice for kids, not just in their local church, but in the Vineyard USA and internationally. God has given Becky a passion for equipping and encouraging kids’ ministry leaders.In 1998, she started networking Vineyard kids’ ministry leaders through KidNet conferences. This led to the development of the Vineyard Kids Task Force. Becky and Rick have twin boys who are each happily married. They have travelled to 6 out of 7 continents. She loves bicycling, roasting her own coffee beans, eating chocolate, and reading mystery novels.She is the 4/14 Movement Global Leader and the National Kids Task Force Leader for Vineyard USA. Show Notes: VUSA Empowered series: https://vineyardusa.org/pentecost2023/Use #vusaempowered when you share on social media so we can see it!2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”: https://conference.vineyardusa.org/Becky’s website: https://www.beckyolmstead.net/Vineyard Kids:* Vineyardkidsusa.com
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with return guest Steve Nicholson about some common practices of pastors who see the Holy Spirit move in their churches, and how pastors can begin to train and lead Holy Spirit ministry. Steve also shares about moving through windows of discouragement and what he’s seeing the Holy Spirit doing right now. Steve Nicholson began ministering as a college student through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the early 1970s. After graduation, he moved to the Chicago area where he and several other twenty-something leaders founded a church. That fellowship, begun in 1976 in Evanston, Illinois, placed a high priority on contemporary worship, biblical teaching, openness to the Holy Spirit, and committed relationships as a church family.In 1981, Steve and a team from the fellowship established a new church in Humboldt Park, a neighborhood in Chicago’s inner city. Both churches joined Vineyard USA in August of 1985, and Steve transferred leadership of the Humboldt Park Vineyard to one of his team members in 1986.The Evanston Vineyard has since planted nine other congregations in the Chicago area, and another fifteen in other cities or countries. Steve led Vineyard USA’s church planting task force for over twenty years. Steve has ministered to and trained church leaders in India, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Turkey, Lebanon, Brazil, Chile and several Central Asian countries as well as in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The Evanston Vineyard is a diverse congregation from over 50 nations of the world with no majority racial or cultural group. Since 1986 the ministry of the Holy Spirit has been a regular and ongoing strength and emphasis of the Evanston Vineyard. Steve and his wife, Cindy, live in Chicago. They have three adult children and eight grandchildren.Show notes: VUSA Empowered series: https://vineyardusa.org/pentecost2023/Use #vusaempowered when you share on social media so we can see it!2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”: https://conference.vineyardusa.org/Holy Spirit ministry training resources (free but you’ll need to enter an email for access): https://vineyarddigital.org/item/john-wimber-signs-wonders/https://vineyarddigital.org/holy-spirit/Hear more teaching from Steve Nicholson on Holy Spirit ministry: https://vineyarddigital.org/item/vineyards-legacy-of-the-spirits-power-steve-nicholson/
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Mary Anne De La Torre about being born in the Philippines during the Marcos era, her parents leaving to immigrate to the US when she was very young, and the motivation in many cultures to pursue certain degrees and career goals in order to open doors and expand opportunities. Mary Anne shares about her first experience of racism in college, and feeling like she stood out and was invisible at the same time. They talk about the adjustment of attending a Vineyard church, how she got started in ministry, and the considerations required in a multiethnic community. Finally, Mary Anne talks about how her experience of the Vineyard has changed since joining the AAPI Association, and the value in ethnically diverse people having the opportunity to be in proximity with each other.Mary Anne was born in the Philippines and immigrated to NJ when she was almost 7 years old. After attending college in Pennsylvania, she began her teaching career but was quickly called into ministry. Mary Anne now serves as the Senior Associate Pastor at North Jersey Vineyard. She oversees the Children’s Ministry and also supervises some staff members and serves on the Senior Leadership Team. Mary Anne also joyfully serves with the AAPI and Women’s Associations. Mary Anne and her husband Rich have two kids, Marcus and Noemi. She loves to travel, spend time with her family, and works part-time as a donut connoisseur. She tries to run to offset all the donuts in her spare time.Show Notes: 2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”: https://conference.vineyardusa.org/VUSA AAPI Association: https://vineyardusa.org/associations/asian-american-pacific-islander-association/Read more from Mary Anne: vineyardusa.org/aapimonth
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with return guests Josh and Candy Brown about their personal experience with physical healing and finding freedom from demonic oppression. Josh shares about how experiencing demonic activity challenged his theology, and how his intimate knowledge of brain science allowed him to assess the situation as it was happening. They also talk about traveling around the world with a healing ministry and watching miraculous things happen while not receiving their own breakthrough, some of the conclusions they’ve come to about the need for regular deliverance ministry in the church, and their goal of demystifying the whole process. Joshua Brown (PhD, Boston University) is Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University. He directs the Cognitive Control laboratory at IU, which focuses on functional brain imaging, higher cognitive function, addiction, psychopathology, transcranial electrical neurostimulation, computational neural modeling, and artificial intelligence. He has authored over 79 peer-reviewed scientific papers in all of these areas, and his work has been featured on the Discovery Channel, NPR, the New York Times, Fox news, and numerous other national and international media. He also directs the graduate program in Neuroscience at Indiana University and serves as the Director of the Global Medical Research Institute, whose work has been featured recently in the documentary film Send Proof.Candy Gunther Brown (Ph.D. Harvard University) is Professor of Religious Studies, Indiana University, and author or editor of six books, including Testing Prayer: Science and Healing and Debating Yoga and Mindfulness in Public Schools: Reforming Secular Education or Reestablishing Religion? Media coverage includes The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Religion Dispatches, The Conversation, Huffington Post Live, Psychology Today, Mindful Leader, National Catholic Register, Atheist Yoga, Interfaith Voices, and Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Show notes: Register now for the 2023 VUSA National Conference this summer: https://conference.vineyardusa.org/“Empowered” Pentecost series – http://vineyardusa.org/pentecost2023Hear Josh and Candy on a previous episode of We Are Vineyard!: New York Times Article about Josh and Candy: https://nyti.ms/3oKrH5bChrist The Healer by F.F. Bosworth: https://amzn.to/41UA8sMPablo Bottari deliverance materials: https://globalawakeningstore.com/product/deliverance/
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with John and Debby Wright about growing up in Chile and the UK during times of outpouring of the Holy Spirit, finding each other in their older teen years, and how their lives came apart while at University. John and Debby remember John Wimber’s arrival at St Andrew's, the signs and wonders that began sweeping through the area, and how it changed their lives and relationship. They describe the incredible supernatural experiences they had at their business and home, and how that led them to serve alongside John and Eleanor Mumford. Debby shares about a tragic incident that occurred and how Jesus spoke to her in the midst of her heartbreak, the providence of God in leading them to plant in Nottingham, and some ways you can be praying for Vineyard UK.John & Debby are the National Directors of the Vineyard movement in the UK & Ireland and have been serving together in pastoral ministry since 1990. John initially trained and worked for a number of years as a jeweler before studying at London Bible College. Debby lived in Chile until she was 14 and later moved to Nottingham to train as a dancer and artist. They first got involved with the Vineyard movement in 1982 and in 1987 they spent 8 months as interns at Anaheim Vineyard (under John Wimber, the leader of the Vineyard Movement in the USA). Following their time at Anaheim, they returned to England to help John and Eleanor Mumford start the first UK Vineyard in London. They worked at South West London Vineyard for 9 years before moving back to Nottingham to set up Trent Vineyard.In January 2015 it was announced that they would take over as the National Directors of Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland from John & Eleanor Mumford, whilst continuing to lead Trent Vineyard. Their commissioning took place on Saturday, September 19, 2015.They have two sons, Zack and Jordan, two daughters-in-law, Lizzie and Sarah, and two grandsons, Jesse and Woody.Show Notes:Nicky will be a speaker via video at the 2023 VUSA National Conference this summer: Making All Things New! Register Now! Participate in our “Empowered” Pentecost series!Vineyard UKTrent Vineyard Social Media: @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Reverend Nicky Gumbel about his recently discovered heritage, when his atheism turned to faith, and how a decision for faith preempted his understanding of the Gospel. Nicky shares about the start of Alpha in 1977, the impact of John Wimber’s visit on his community and friends at Alpha, and how Alpha more recently exploded into the worldwide evangelism resource it is today. Finally, Nicky shares the advice he would want to give himself as a new Christian. Revd Nicky Gumbel is the pioneer of Alpha, an introduction to the Christian faith running in churches of all denominations in 140 countries. He has written several best-selling books including Why Jesus?, Questions of Life, and The Jesus Lifestyle. Having initially trained as a barrister, Nicky went on to be Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton – a large central London church – for 17 years. Married to Pippa, they now work to support Alpha globally. They are also the authors of a daily Bible commentary called the ‘Bible in One Year’ which has over two million global subscribers. Show Notes: Nicky will be a speaker via video at the 2023 VUSA National Conference this summer: Making All Things New! Register Now! Get involved with Alpha!Participate in our “Empowered” Pentecost series Social Media: @vineyardusaTwitter: @nickygumbelInsta: @nickygumbel
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Caleb Maskell about immigrating to the US as a child, the disorientation of self he experienced, and how this manifested socially and academically. Caleb shares about failing classes in high school, how he eventually discovered his love for learning and critical thinking, and how that was entwined with the frequent experiences he was having with the Holy Spirit. Finally, Jay and Caleb talk about the direction of the Vineyard relating to theology and education. Caleb Maskell is the Associate National Director of Theology and Education for Vineyard USA. Born in London, he immigrated with his family to New Jersey in 1986, at the age of nine.Caleb has been involved in leadership in the Vineyard movement for twenty-five years. After spending a gap year at the Toronto Airport Vineyard School of Ministry in 1995, he went to the University of Chicago to study theology, philosophy, and literature in the interdisciplinary undergraduate Fundamentals program. While there, he joined the core planting team of the Hyde Park Vineyard Church, where he served as a worship leader, a small group leader, a setter-up of chairs, and whatever else Rand Tucker asked him to do.After college, full of questions that had emerged from the beautiful collision of serious academic study and the practical realities of church planting, Caleb enrolled in the M.Div. program at Yale Divinity School. For four years, he immersed himself in the study of theology, church history, and scripture, while also leading worship and working with middle school and high school youth groups. After graduating in 2004, he worked for three years as the Associate Director of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University.In 2007, along with his wife Kathy and their friends Matt and Hannah Croasmun, Caleb planted Elm City Vineyard Church in New Haven, Connecticut. That year, he also began a Ph.D. program at Princeton University, focusing on the history of American religion, with an additional emphasis in African-American Studies. After moving to Manhattan for four years while Kathy went to seminary, the Maskells ended up in suburban Philadelphia, where Caleb completed his Ph.D, while teaching regularly at Princeton Theological Seminary, and serving as the Worship Pastor at Blue Route Vineyard Church.Since 2010, Caleb has led the Society of Vineyard Scholars, which exists to foster and sustain a community of theological discourse in and for the Vineyard movement. Caleb is passionate about developing leaders and institutions that will help to produce a healthy, courageous, and hospitable future for the church in the twenty-first century. Caleb and Kathy now live with their two kids, Josiah and Emmanuelle, in the heart of Denver, where Kathy pastors East Denver Vineyard Church.Show Notes: Register for Vineyard USA’s National Conference “Making All Things New”: https://conference.vineyardusa.org/Power Healing by John Wimber: https://amzn.to/3G7OEVrLet Us Dream by Pope Francis and Austen Ivereigh: https://amzn.to/3Gcn5uf
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Phil Chorlian about the series of events that led him to Jesus as a teenager and when the Holy Spirit knocked him off a fence, his passionate pursuit of the Lord in high school, and how everything fell apart as a young adult. Phil shares about coming back to Christ in his car, getting involved in the Vineyard, and his story as a church planting pastor. They also talk about healing ministry and training, and the importance of pursuing the Holy Spirit with on-ramps.Phil is the founding pastor of the North Jersey Vineyard Church, which he planted in 1997. By God’s grace, the NJV is a growing, diverse community that sees lots of salvations and baptisms.As Lead Pastor, Phil is responsible for preaching and teaching, but his role goes beyond just delivering sermons. Phil is also committed to leading the pastoral staff, raising up new leaders, and casting and communicating vision for the church.During the years Phil has served the wider Vineyard movement in a variety of ways. Currently, Phil is the Vineyard East Regional Leader, serving the almost 80 churches that make up the Vineyard East Region.Phil is happily married to Norma, his wife of over 30 years, and together they have raised four children.Show notesRegister now for Vineyard USA’s 2023 National Conference!The Pursuit of God by A.W. TozerSurprised By The Power Of The Spirit by Jack Deeresocial:VUSA Instagram: @VineyardusaInstagram: @pchorlianFacebook: philchorliantwitter: @philchorlian
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Diane Leman about growing up with strong leadership skills in a legalistic religious community where women were to be silent, reconnecting with the Lord as a young adult, and the medical disruption that opened the door for new faith experiences and curiosity. Di shares about her first experience with the Holy Spirit, joining the Vineyard, and what it was like for female leaders in the early years. Finally, Di offers an encouragement about how people might think through the topic of women in leadership.
Dianne Leman, M.Ed., left her career in education after encountering the Holy Spirit and experiencing God’s miraculous healing from infertility. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Vineyard Leadership Institute, and Vineyard Bible Institute, Dianne entered full-time ministry with her husband, Happy, and together they have pastored The Vineyard Church of Central Illinois, Urbana, IL. while raising their family of four sons and one daughter. Over the past forty years, Dianne has served on the Vineyard USA Executive Team, led the Women in Leadership and Renewal Teams, and traveled widely sharing God’s love and healing power. She is the author of four books that reflect her passions: We’re Pregnant! How to Receive God’s Cure for Infertility, Hello Holy Spirit: God’s Gift of Live-in Help, Jesus Heals Today: God’s Prescription for a Hurting World, and Wrecked for God: The Surprising Secret to True Transformation. While she continues to mentor many young people, her greatest joy is sharing Jesus’ love with her 12 granddaughters and 7 grandsons. Show Notes:Register for VUSA's 2023 National Conference!: https://conference.vineyardusa.org/Women's Association: vineyardusa.org/associations
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Dennae Pierre about growing up in a close but chaotic household and the stability she found in the church, pursuing mentors, and being identified as a leader early on in life. Dennae shares how she’s navigated issues of race, as well as her call to ministry as a woman. They also talk about her passion for empowering laity and cultivating multidenominational, multiethnic, and multicultural communities through the Surge Network, and what God is forming in her through this process. Dennae was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She is the Executive Director the Surge Network in Arizona. She is also a co-director for City to City North America and for The Crete Collective, which grows churches in communities of color. She planted Roosevelt Community Church with her husband Vermon, who is the lead pastor. Dennae has her M.A. from Covenant Theological Seminary and her DMin from Western Theological Seminary.Dennae’s passion is to equip churches and Christians to cross cultures and boundaries to unite in love for Jesus, deepen their love for one another and to advocate for justice with the poor and marginalized.She speaks, writes, and consults about reconciliation, justice, healthy leadership and developing multi-ethnic teams. Dennae and Vermon have two sons and three daughters: Marcel, Mya, Judah, Jovanna, and Rosa. The Pierre family lives in Downtown Phoenix. Show Notes: Healing Prayers And Meditations To Resist A Violent World: https://www.restorativeleaders.com/Surge Network: https://www.surgenetwork.com/Tempered Resilience by Tod Bolsinger: https://amzn.to/3lf35jq
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay sits down with Jason Duncan and Caleb Maskell to talk about Jason’s experience as a pastor of a Vineyard Church in Wilmore, KY, home of Asbury University. Jason shares about growing up as the son of a United Methodist preacher and how God disrupted his life plans by directing him toward ministry, eventually leading him to become the lead pastor of GCF and being adopted as a Vineyard Church. Jason recollects the day the outpouring began at Asbury, from the unplugged worship to the great wave of repentance and reconciliation amongst the students, and the evidence of the fruits of the Spirit in the rooms and the surrounding city. Jay, Jason, and Caleb also discuss the realities of providing pastoral care and equipping during an outpouring of the Spirit, and what comes after the crowds leave.Originally from West Virginia, Jason Duncan has lived in Kentucky for the last 25 years and has spent 17 of those years as a pastor at GCF in Wilmore. He is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary and is currently working on a Doctoral of Ministry at Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan University. Jason has been married for 23 years and has 3 kids, ages 22, 20, and 10. He loves reading theology and history, bourbon-tasting, and trekking the Kentucky countryside. Show notes:Asbury Universityhttps://www.asbury.edu/outpouring/Empowered Pentecost Series 2023https://vineyardusa.org/pentecost2023/GCF Vineyard- Jason’s churchhttps://www.gcfvineyard.church/The Great Awakening by Thomas Kiddhttps://amzn.to/3F3t2t8Taking Heaven By Storm by John Wiggerhttps://amzn.to/3YvpMNTAmerica’s Bishop: The Life of Francis Asbury by Darius L. Salterhttps://amzn.to/3ykqTW8The Quest For The Radical Middle by Bill Jacksonhttps://amzn.to/3IWJnALSt. Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chestertonhttps://amzn.to/3l1mhRvThe Korean Pentecost And The Sufferings Which Followedhttps://amzn.to/3kN3tpj
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Melanie Forsythe-Lee about her family's introduction to the Holy Spirit through her dad's miraculous healing and their experience of church planting without much support. Melanie shares about coming to the US for her husband's ministry job and finding out that their new church didn't believe in female pastors, the personal growth she developed through this experience and the dramatic changes God made in her senior pastor through her faithfulness. Finally, Melanie talks about navigating the world and ministry after her husband died and all the insecurities that came as a single, female pastor, and how the things that made her feel like a liability turned out to be her most significant asset. Melanie is the leader of the Women’s Association for Vineyard USA, giving voice, encouragement and support to women throughout the movement.Melanie was born and raised in the post-Christian landscape of Australia. Her parents were church planters, and it was in that context that her love of local church was cultivated. Her passion for Jesus and people led her and her now late husband to start a youth ministry that saw hundreds of teens come to Christ, as well as leading the 24/7 prayer base in Australia.They moved to Ohio in 2003 to work as Youth Pastors, and in 2009 they were sent out to plant LIFE Vineyard Church. Thirteen years later, LIFE has grown into a vibrant faith community, a sheltering tree in the heart of Columbus. This community also extends to Cambodia and India, where, through a partnership with Asia’s Hope, LIFE supports two family-style orphan care homes for at-risk children. Visiting the children in India each year is one of the deep loves of Melanie’s life and ministry.Melanie has been a Pastor’s daughter, Pastor’s wife, a co-lead Pastor, and now solo lead Pastor. This unique perspective has developed a passion to see women empowered and released into their callings at every level of ministry leadership and she is excited about serving the women of the Vineyard in her new role.Melanie is married to Andrew and is the proud mother of three incredible teenagers. In her free time you’ll find her growing her own vegetables in her rather large garden, baking in her kitchen, or listening to live music. Show notes: Join us for VUSA's 2023 National Conference "Making All Things New" https://conference.vineyardusa.org/
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Geno Olison about growing up as the son of church planters in the south side of Chicago, being raised in an exclusively Black community, and how he was formed by his involvement in church as a young boy. Geno shares how the Lord protected him from a lot of things his neighborhood offered, the culture shock he experienced after joining a small group with white kids at college, and his journey of trying to find himself as an adult while not losing himself as a Black man in a predominately white space. They discuss what it’s like to attend a church where the table has not been set with you in mind, the ways he found to meet his cultural needs while attending the Vineyard, and why he decided to stay even though it was often painful. Finally, Geno shares about how his expectations of church planting compared to reality, and why he’s hopeful about Vineyard USA’s Black Pastors and Leaders Association. Geno Olison is the leader of the Black Pastors and Leaders Association for Vineyard USA and lead pastor of the South Suburban Vineyard Church just outside of Chicago. Geno grew up on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, where he came to faith in the Full Gospel church founded by his parents. In 1999, he moved to Urbana, Illinois to attend the University of Illinois and began attending the Vineyard Church of Central Illinois in 2001.After graduating from the University of Illinois with a B.A. in Communications, Geno worked in the TV news business and spent several years in sales and marketing while attending and serving at the Vineyard Church of Central Illinois. Sensing a call to plant a multicultural, multi-ethnic Vineyard, Geno and his wife, Shannon, began the process of preparing to plant a church, serving in various roles and positions at church, attending trainings, and building an intentionally diverse team.The South Suburban Vineyard Church officially landed in the south suburbs of Chicago in June 2009. Since that time, the church has become a picture of the vision given to Geno and Shannon – a beautiful, multicultural expression of a Vineyard church. He desires to help other pastors, leaders, and church communities see the value and importance of being a diverse church on mission.Geno has served on the Vineyard USA Executive Team and has worked with teams of talented people to create the Better Together conference which focuses on race, reconciliation, and the multiethnic church. As a musician, producer and songwriter, Geno’s worked with Vineyard Worship to develop Vineyard Soul, a multi-cultural, gospel-leaning expression of worship music in the Vineyard.Geno’s most important role, though, is parenting his four awesome boys and husband to his wife, Shannon.Show Notes: Vineyard USA’s 2023 National Conference “Making All Things New” https://conference.vineyardusa.org/South Suburban Vineyard Church https://southsuburbanvineyard.org/Insider Outsider by Bryan Lorittshttps://amzn.to/41fz3wbBlack Pastors and Leaders Associationhttps://vineyardusa.org/associations/black-pastors-and-leaders-association/
Dr. Charles Montgomery returns to the podcast to talk about Black History Month: how and why it started, why we celebrate it, and some resources available to pastors who are wondering how best to engage the conversation. They relate stories of times when pastors crossed the divide to connect when it's uncomfortable, and Jay shares some thoughts on how the work of the Civil Rights Movement applies to the church today. Charles A. Montgomery, Jr serves as the Associations Strategic Coordinator for Vineyard USA and Teaching Pastor at Vineyard Columbus.Charles also founded a successful multiethnic Campus (Vineyard Columbus East) and has pastored there since 2012. His passion is to develop Beloved Communities as espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, an alumnus of Charles’ alma mater, Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.Charles has a B.A. in Mathematics from Morehouse, a Master of Divinity from Emory University (Ga) and a PhD in Ethical and Creative Leadership from Union Institute University (OH). He has earned several credentials in Diversity Training and is a Certified Spiritual Director through the Sustainable School of Faith.He considers his greatest accomplishment (ok, grace) being married to his childhood crush, Kimberly. Charles and Kimberly are avid Buckeye fans (Go Bucks!) and make their home in Columbus Ohio.Show notes: Charles' last episode https://vineyardusa.org/podcastRead stories of Black leaders in the Vineyard, and learn more about Black History Month!Vineyardusa.org/blackhistorymonth Vineyard USA Associationshttps://vineyardusa.org/associations/
Welcome back to the second episode in a 2-part series with Tim Mackie, co-founder of BibleProject! In this beautifully honest episode of We Are Vineyard, Tim shares about the incredible journey he’s been on for the last few years, from the weak spots in his faith that were exposed during the disruption of COVID and recognizing a felt need for real community, to experiencing a physical healing that was accompanied by a word about all the Lord has been doing in him spiritually. Tim talks about some simple habits that he’s developed to open his heart to the presence of the Holy Spirit, the way the Lord has been integrating things in his life that he didn’t realize were out of sync, and the specific choice he made to share openly at his church about this process. Tim is married to Jessica, and together they are raising two little boys, Roman and August, in the wonderful city of Portland, Oregon.Tim is a creative writer for BibleProject.He’s been fascinated with Jesus and his Jewish heritage ever since he became a Christian at 20 years old through an urban outreach ministry to skateboarders in Portland called SkateChurch. Tim discovered the wonderful world of biblical studies and languages at Multnomah University and Western Seminary, and he had the privilege of doing a PhD in Hebrew and Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.Tim’s greatest passion is to help people grasp the beautiful and compelling story of the ancient Scriptures and how they lead us to Jesus of Nazareth. Show Notes:BibleProjecthttps://www.bibleproject.comRegistration is now open for the 2023 Vineyard USA National Conference!https://conference.vineyardusa.org/A Secular Age by Charles Taylorhttps://amzn.to/40CM3M0Dominion by Tom Hollandhttps://amzn.to/3JP0GpoBridgetown Church- Portlandhttps://bridgetown.church/
It’s Season 2 of We Are Vineyard, and we’re starting off with an exciting 2-part interview! Tim Mackie of BibleProject joins our host, Jay Pathak, to share about his relationship with Jesus as a child, the healing he experienced through the prayers of his church, and the disconnect he felt while attending school at a church. Tim talks about being reintroduced to Jesus through a dorky skateboarding-based church, and how following invitations from a cool leader at SkateChurch sparked his interest in the Bible, which transformed him from a disinterested student to an ignited scholar. Tim also shares about the lifelong friends he found through SkateChurch, meeting his wife through a mutual interest in Greek, and the origin story of BibleProject. This is a two-part episode, so make sure to come back next week for the second half of the story!Tim is married to Jessica, and together they are raising two little boys, Roman and August, in the wonderful city of Portland, Oregon.Tim is a creative writer for BibleProject.He’s been fascinated with Jesus and his Jewish heritage ever since he became a Christian at 20 years old through an urban outreach ministry to skateboarders in Portland called SkateChurch. Tim discovered the wonderful world of biblical studies and languages at Multnomah University and Western Seminary, and he had the privilege of doing a PhD in Hebrew and Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.Tim’s greatest passion is to help people grasp the beautiful and compelling story of the ancient Scriptures and how they lead us to Jesus of Nazareth.Show Notes:BibleProjecthttps://www.bibleproject.comRegistration is now open for the 2023 Vineyard USA National Conference!https://conference.vineyardusa.org/
In the final episode of We Are Vineyard for 2022, we’ll hear a sermon Dr. Charles Montgomery preached at the Vineyard Leadership Team Meeting in March 2022. Dr. Montgomery shares his vision for the Vineyard to become a Beloved Community, and how this value must become part of our discipleship process. Taken from the example of the disciples, we need to do the work to talk about the hard things that might divide us.
Charles A. Montgomery, Jr serves as the **Associations Strategic Coordinator** for Vineyard USA and Teaching Pastor at Vineyard Columbus. Charles also founded a successful multiethnic Campus (Vineyard Columbus East) and has pastored there since 2012. His passion is to develop Beloved Communities as espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, an alumnus of Charles’ alma mater, Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.
Charles has a B.A. in Mathematics from Morehouse, a Master of Divinity from Emory University (Ga) and a PhD in Ethical and Creative Leadership from Union Institute University (OH).
He has earned several credentials in Diversity Training and is a Certified Spiritual Director through the Sustainable School of Faith.
He considers his greatest accomplishment (ok, grace) being married to his childhood crush, Kimberly. Charles and Kimberly are avid Buckeye fans (Go Bucks!) and make their home in Columbus Ohio.
Show Notes:https://vineyardusa.org/associations/Listen to more of Charles’ story from his conversation with Jay on August 20, 2022!https://vineyardusa.org/podcast/
Socials:Vineyardusa.org@vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, we continue our December sermon series with a Christmas message preached by Brian T. Anderson at Vineyard Church North Phoenix in 2021. Brian examines the reasons why the whole world stops what they’re doing on Christmas Day to celebrate the birth of a baby, and shares about God’s Christmas gifts that we receive through his son Jesus Christ: forgiveness, peace, and eternal life.
Brian and Thora Anderson are the founding and Senior Pastors of Vineyard Church North Phoenix located in Phoenix, AZ. Brian and Thora planted VC as a home Bible study with only a few people in September 1985 and have pastored the church ever since.
Brian and Thora have a desire to build a healthy, multi-racial, multi-generational church that is a fully orbed expression of the Kingdom of God on earth! They both especially love to train & equip other pastors & leaders so that they can become all that God has created them to be and do. God has used both Brian and Thora to impart a greater hunger for the Bible, worship, holiness, & renewal to people throughout the world. Over the years, Brian has served Vineyard USA as a board member, regional leader, regional coach, and Vice President.
Brian has a B.S. in Mathematics from Grand Canyon University, and an M.A. in Mathematics from Arizona State University. Brian and Thora have two children, Zoe and Luke, who are both teenagers.
Show Notes:Vineyard Church North Phoenixhttps://vineyardnorthphoenix.comSocials:@vineyardusaVineyardusa.org
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, we hear a sermon that Rich Nathan preached at Columbus Vineyard the same week that we recorded his podcast episode back in September. It is an introduction to a series called “Good Question”, which explores some common questions people have about faith and Christianity. In this sermon, Rich offers some clues found in scripture, science, nature, and our moral senses that show us it is more likely than not that God exists.
Rich Nathan is the founding pastor of Vineyard Columbus. Rich was the first Senior Pastor serving from 1987-2020. Prior to becoming senior pastor, Rich taught business law at The Ohio State University for five years.
He is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and received his Juris Doctorate with honors from The Ohio State University College of Law in 1980. Rich served on the National Board for Vineyard USA for more than two decades. Rich now serves on the Board of Christian relief agency, Convoy of Hope. He is a popular national and international conference speaker.
Rich co-authored Both And (IVP Books, 2013) with Insoo Kim as well as Empowered Evangelicals (Ampelon Revised 2009) with Ken Wilson. Rich is also the author of Who is My Enemy? Welcoming People the Church Rejects (Zondervan, 2002). He has written numerous articles on leadership in publications such as Leadership Magazine.
Rich was born and raised in New York City. He and his wife, Marlene, have been married for over 40 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.
Show Notes: Listen to more of Rich’s story from his chat with Jay on October 5, 2022!https://vineyardusa.org/podcast/The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Kukianoff and Jonathan Haidthttps://amzn.to/3iQglt8The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidthttps://amzn.to/3Hvs3UjThe Atheist’s Guide to Reality by Alex Rosenberghttps://amzn.to/3iPPUUs
Socials: @vineyardusaVineyardusa.org
As we close out the first season of the We Are Vineyard podcast, Jay has chosen some sermons that he felt captured the heart of "Gospel and Proclamation." First up is a sermon Ele Mumford preached at the Alpha Conference in 2018, filled with stories of faithfulness in responding to the Holy Spirit. Ele reminds us that we are only asked to come alongside what the Holy Spirit is already doing in people, and that it is Jesus who brings people to faith. The Holy Spirit gives us the power of God to work in the mission of God, and we can’t do what we’re called to do without the power, infilling, and inspiration of the Holy Spirit!Eleanor married John Mumford in 1978 after meeting at University. They trained together under John Wimber in California, before starting the first Vineyard church in Europe in 1987 (SW London Vineyard). In 2008 they handed over the leadership of that church to concentrate more on the Vineyard movement, both nationally and internationally, then in 2015 they transitioned the leadership of Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland. Together they now focus on helping facilitate the growth of the Vineyard internationally and speaking around the world.Show Notes:Listen to more of Eleanor’s story from her chat with Jay on October 26, 2022!https://vineyardusa.org/podcast/Socials:@vineyardusaVineyardusa.org
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Matthew Bates about growing up in a forestry family, the quiet faith of his mother, and the people who invested in his early life. Matthew talks about transitioning from a physics degree to theology, how he found himself studying greek simply out of personal interest, and the writers and theologians who shaped his questions and perspective on Jesus and scripture. He gives a summation of the key themes in his writing and shares the components of his books about which he receives positive feedback, and those which receive the most pushback. Finally, Matthew describes some ways a congregation might benefit from reversing the gospel presentation, and why this choice is more than just semantics.
Matthew W. Bates (Ph.D., Notre Dame) is Professor of Theology at Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois. Bates is a Protestant who enjoys the challenge of teaching in a Catholic context. His books include Gospel Allegiance (Brazos, 2019) the award-winning Salvation by Allegiance Alone (Baker Academic, 2017), The Birth of the Trinity (Oxford University Press, 2015), and The Hermeneutics of the Apostolic Proclamation (Baylor University Press, 2012). He also co-founded and co-hosts the popular OnScript podcast.
After completing a B.S. in physics from Whitworth University (1999), Bates began a career in electrical engineering. His life took a swerve when he enrolled in a biblical studies program at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C. (M.C.S., 2004, The Biblical Studies Prize). In 2005 Bates began PhD studies in theology at the University of Notre Dame, specializing in Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity (CJA). Upon graduation (2010) he was named the winner of the Shaheen Award in the humanities, the top graduation prize at Notre Dame, competitive across all disciplines. In 2011 Bates accepted his current academic post.
Bates enjoys hiking, baseball, and chasing around his seven children.
Show Notes: The Gospel Precisely by Matthew Bates Vineyard USA’s suggested reading for November
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn
How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
The Emergence Of Sin by Matthew Croasmun
The Challenge Of Jesus by N.T. Wright
The New Testament And The People Of God by N.T. Wright
Why The Gospel?: Living the Good News of King Jesus with Purpose by Matthew Bates Coming in May!
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa Matthew’s Twitter: @MatthewWBates
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Matt Croasmun about growing up in the Evangelical Covenant Church, and how getting involved with Intervarsity sparked his interest and love of scripture and ministry and tied him to a local church where he encountered the Living God. Matt shares about the new questions and new assurances he gathers as he deepens in relationship with Jesus and scripture, and why he believes questions are healthy, biblical, and the key to relationship.
Matt Croasmun is Associate Research Scholar and director of the Life Worth Living program at the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School and lecturer of Humanities at Yale University. He also serves as faith initiative director at the Grace Farms Foundation and as a pastor at the Elm City Vineyard Church, which he helped plant in 2007 and where he served as lead pastor for six years. He is author of The Body of Sin: The Cosmic Tyrant in Romans (2017), Let Me Ask You a Question: Conversations with Jesus (2018), For the Life of the World: Theological that Makes a Difference with Miroslav Volf (2019), and The Hunger for Home: Food and Meals in the Gospel of Luke with Miroslav Volf (2022). Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most with Miroslav Volf and Ryan McAnnally-Linz is forthcoming in March 2023.
Show Notes: The Gospel Precisely by Matthew Bates Vineyard USA’s suggested reading for November https://amzn.to/3WJsL5J
Free of Charge by Miroslav Volf https://amzn.to/3Ev0uHB
The Hunger For Home by Matthew Croasmun and Miroslav Volf https://amzn.to/3EQxj2b
Let Me Ask You A Question by Matthew Croasmun https://amzn.to/3V22bmS Life Worth Living by Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun and Ryan McAnnally-Linz Coming March 2023 https://amzn.to/3GCXzzm
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa Matt’s Twitter: @mattcroasmun
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Kevin Fischer about growing up on a dairy farm, how an encounter with the Holy Spirit changed his family, and his experience being discipled by his college chaplain. Kevin shares about going from life in rural Green Bay and college in Iowa to teaching at an inner city school in Miami, and the culture shock of finding himself as the only white person at the school. He also talks about giving up his career as a teacher to follow a clear word from the Lord about becoming a Vineyard pastor, and the sacrifices and conscious choices he made to make the church more accessible to unchurched people. Finally, Kevin explains some simple evangelism tips that allow you to partner with what Jesus might be doing in people without being weird.
Kevin Fischer serves as lead pastor of Miami Vineyard Community Church, an outward-focused, multi-cultural church that every year experiences hundreds of people making first time decisions for Christ. His passion is to see every person experience the life-changing power of Jesus and grow to become everything God designed them to be.
Kevin and Debbie have five kids and too many cats and is a Die-Hard Packer Fan. In addition to serving his local church, Kevin also serves on a Regional Leadership Team for Vineyard USA overseeing churches in the Gulf Coast Region.
Show Notes: The Gospel Precisely by Matthew Bates Vineyard USA’s suggested reading for November https://amzn.to/3WJsL5J
Rich Nathan: Evangelism & Social Justice – We Need Both Wings Of The Plane https://vineyardusa.org/podcast/
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Nicole Dill about being born into a party, reading in the corners of bars and clubs where her dad played music, and how her life as a spiritually-seeking preteen eventually led her to a defining encounter with the Holy Spirit. Nicole shares about learning to trust the Lord to guide the expression her calling takes in different seasons of life, and the way all of her different experiences and roles are being utilized in her current position as the Communications Director for Vineyard USA. They discuss the discipline and gift of anchoring into community, the value in bringing exactly who you are to your local church, and the joy of being a conduit and a resource for the kingdom of God.
Nicole Dill is the Communications Director for Vineyard USA. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where she came to faith as a teenager, and quickly found a church family at Vineyard Columbus. In 2002, she moved to Colorado to help plant the Arvada Vineyard, and helped lead this growing church plant while finishing her degree in Photography at the Art Institute of Colorado. In 2008, Nicole planted and pastored the first multisite church for the Mile High Vineyard in downtown Denver with a team from the Arvada Vineyard. After several years of pastoring there she handed the site off to another pastor and helped several other Vineyard church plants and established churches in the Denver area.
Nicole has also worked extensively outside the church leading creative teams at Anthropologie as a store designer, as Chief Operations Officer for TEDxMileHigh, the largest TEDx in North America, and for the White House as an Advance Associate for the President. She consults many growing organizations around their creative, operations, and HR needs in the nonprofit and entrepreneurial sectors.
Nicole lives in Denver with her husband Jason, and two daughters, Vera (7) and Rosalie (6) and attends the East Denver Vineyard.
Show Notes: The Gospel Precisely by Matthew Bates Vineyard USA’s suggested reading for November https://amzn.to/3WJsL5J
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Todd Proctor about the shaping effects of worship on his life, how the changing worship culture intersected with his discovery of the Vineyard, and his first experience with prophetic prayer ministry. Todd shares about the mentoring he received from Don Williams, and his belief that impactful relational moments are key for investing in the upcoming generation of leaders. Jay and Todd talk about their shared love of Alpha, some interesting things Todd is noticing happening through the ministry right now, and the surprising community impacts that churches are seeing as Alpha becomes part of their church culture.
As Executive Vice President of Strategic Church Engagement, Todd Proctor has served on Alpha USA’s leadership team for seven years. He is passionate about creating experiences and facilitating conversations that help key leaders reposition their communities for evangelistic impact in an increasingly post-Christian reality.
Prior to joining Alpha, Todd founded Rockharbor Church in Costa Mesa, CA, where he served for 15 years as Lead Pastor. He experienced Alpha’s impact firsthand, as Rockharbor became a pioneering hub church for the organization in the Southern California region. Todd watched as Alpha created a safe space for members to openly discuss matters of faith, as well address needed cultural shifts in the church in areas such as hospitality, relational evangelism and dependence on the Holy Spirit.
A natural networker, Todd has had the opportunity to build bridges with leaders and communities across the nation. In collaboration with the Exponential Conference, Todd co-authored the book, “Empowered,” which offers pastoral perspectives on life and leadership in the Spirit. Todd received a bachelor's degree in Communication from Biola University, where he met his wife, Lisa. They have been married for almost 30 years, and have four children.
Show Notes: Vineyard USA suggested reading for September Alpha Booklet “Why Jesus” by Nicky Gumbel https://bit.ly/3MlFmHD
Alpha https://alphausa.org
Socials: @vineyardusa Vineyardusa.org
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Eleanor Mumford about the steady investment of her college roommate’s prayers in her life that eventually led her to Jesus, and the practices in her young adult life that established her love of the Bible. Eleanor talks about becoming confirmed in the Anglican Church, the entrance of the Holy Spirit into their lives, and meeting John Wimber, learning that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is for everyone, all the time. Finally, Eleanor shares the story of persevering in confirming their call from the Lord to plant a Vineyard in the UK, and their process of submitting to authority in waiting for the blessing from Vineyard elders.
Eleanor married John in 1978 after meeting at University. They trained together under John Wimber in California, before starting the first Vineyard church in Europe in 1987 (SW London Vineyard). In 2008 they handed over the leadership of that church to concentrate more on the Vineyard movement, both nationally and internationally, then in 2015 they transitioned the leadership of Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland. Together they now focus on helping facilitate the grow of the Vineyard internationally and speaking around the world.
Show Notes: Vineyard USA suggested reading for October Alpha Booklet “Why Jesus” by Nicky Gumbel https://bit.ly/3MlFmHD
Socials: @vineyardusa Vineyardusa.org
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Christian Weber about accepting Jesus into her heart at an AG church as a child, the freedom she felt when she walked into a youth group at the Sugar Land Vineyard, and the deep, lasting relationships she developed in that youth group. Christian shares about how she found herself planning events in the nonprofit sector as a teenager, and some of the things the Lord has spoken to her about a call to administration as a life of ministry. They discuss the importance of church staffs pursuing training in team dynamics and emotional awareness, and drop some Easter eggs about the 2023 National Conference coming up next summer in Colorado.
Christian Weber is the Events Director and Executive Admin for the National Director. She grew up in the Houston area and started attending the Sugar Land Vineyard church as a teenager, where she first heard the phrases “the now and not yet” and “kingdom theology.”. Through her involvement in that youth group, the Holy Spirit captured her heart and she knew she found a home in the Vineyard.
In 2005, Christian began working for Bert Waggoner, National Director for Vineyard USA at the time, as Events Director and Exec Admin, and she has continued to serve in this role for Phil Strout’s tenure as National Director through to today. Jesus has given her a heart for the Vineyard and the pastors and leaders she gets to serve. Christian and her husband, Ben, met and married at the Sugar Land Vineyard where he was on staff as the Youth Pastor for about 8 years before becoming an attorney. They have three awesome children, Chloe, Atticus, and Ivy. When they aren’t acting as a car service for said kids, they really enjoy concerts and great food!
Show Notes: Vineyard USA suggested reading for September Alpha Booklet “Why Jesus” by Nicky Gumbel https://bit.ly/3MlFmHD
Emotionally Focused https://www.emotionallyfocused.org
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni https://amzn.to/3Tn1UK7
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business by Patrick Lencioni https://amzn.to/3rVnbPp
Andy Stanley: Trust Vs. Suspicion podcast https://andystanley.com/podcast/trust-vs-suspicion/
Emotionally Healthy Discipleship: Moving from Shallow Christianity to Deep Discipleship by Peter Scazzero https://amzn.to/3evEeV6
The Emotionally Healthy Leader: How Transforming Your Inner Life Will Deeply Transform Your Church, Team and the World by Peter Scazzero https://amzn.to/3eC9W2X
Socials: @vineyardusa Vineyardusa.org
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Clay Harrington about being raised as a military kid in an international community, the culture shock he experienced upon returning to the US as a teenager, and the faithfulness of his mother’s prayers for him. Clay shares about the slow conviction of the Lord in his life that led him to repentance, his work with at-risk youth, the holy dissatisfaction he felt in evangelism efforts ,and how his heart was ignited by the teachings of John Wimber. Jay and Clay talk about the crucial role of celebrating risk and failure in evangelism, and how the Sunday experience is practice compared to how we show up in our neighborhoods.
At an early age, Clay Harrington was taught timeless truths about God by his mother. However, during his teenage years, he turned away from God to live a life of sin. It wasn't until the age of 30 that he would turn from a sinful lifestyle to a life sold-out for Christ. Since his born-again experience, Clay has experienced a number of radical encounters with the Father and made it his life's mission to help the Church realize they are new creations and how to live alive to God. Today, Clay is committed to proclaiming freedom to captives, healing the sick, equipping the saints to live naturally supernatural lives, and inspiring the church to live radically for Jesus.
Clay is married to his wife, Regina, and they are blessed with two sets of boy/girl twins. Clay and his family reside in OH, where he works as the Senior Director of Breakthrough Ministry at Vineyard Cincinnati Church in Springdale, OH.
Show Notes: Vineyard USA suggested reading for September Alpha Booklet “Why Jesus” by Nicky Gumbel https://bit.ly/3MlFmHD
Clay’s website https://www.clayofgod.com
Socials: Facebook & Instagram: @ClayofGod77 @vineyardusa Vineyardusa.org
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Rich Nathan about growing up in a completely secular environment, and how chasing his wife in college led him to an encounter with the Holy Spirit that radically changed the course of his life. They also talk through some practical advice for offering a salvation call during a church service, the benefits of making it a specific opportunity separate from the ministry call, and the danger of making assumptions about the spiritual status of people in your congregation.
Rich Nathan is the founding pastor of Vineyard Columbus. Rich was the first Senior Pastor serving from 1987-2020. Prior to becoming senior pastor, Rich taught business law at The Ohio State University for five years.
He is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and received his Juris Doctorate with honors from The Ohio State University College of Law in 1980. Rich served on the National Board for Vineyard USA for more than two decades. Rich now serves on the Board of Christian relief agency, Convoy of Hope. He is a popular national and international conference speaker.
Rich co-authored Both And (IVP Books, 2013) with Insoo Kim as well as Empowered Evangelicals (Ampelon Revised 2009) with Ken Wilson. Rich is also the author of Who is My Enemy? Welcoming People the Church Rejects (Zondervan, 2002). He has written numerous articles on leadership in publications such as Leadership Magazine.
Rich was born and raised in New York City. He and his wife, Marlene, have been married for over 40 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.
Show Notes: Vineyard USA suggested reading for September Alpha Booklet “Why Jesus” by Nicky Gumbel https://bit.ly/3MlFmHD
Vineyard USA National Conference // The Way On Gospel of the Kingdom with speakers Rich Nathan & Julia Pickerill https://youtu.be/ztfcglrpYcY
Rich's Website https://www.richnathan.org
Vineyard Columbus https://vineyardcolumbus.org
Socials: @vineyardusa vineyards.org
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Soong-Chan Rah about his experience growing up in a poor, immigrant family and the cultural divides that existed in his neighborhood despite the many commonalities. He also describes the contrasting freedom, care and dignity his family experienced in their local immigrant church. Jay and Soong-Chan discuss whether or not multi-ethnicity should be the goal of every church, and the incredible rewards Soong-Chan found through his intentional pursuit of mentoring from the African-American pastors in his area. Finally, Soong-Chan shares what he learned through his ongoing practice of lament, and the opportunity the church has been afforded by the disruption of COVID to ask God what we have to lament, and what the church might pursue if we renounced exceptionalism, triumphalism and our assumptions of greatness.
Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah is Robert B. Munger Professor of Evangelism at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of The Next Evangelicalism (IVP Books, 2009); Many Colors (Moody, 2010); Prophetic Lament (IVP Books, 2015); co-author of Forgive Us (Zondervan, 2014); Return to Justice (Brazos, 2016); and Unsettling Truths (IVP Books, 2019).
Soong-Chan received his B.A. from Columbia University; his M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; his Th.M. from Harvard University; his D.Min. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and his Th.D. from Duke University.
Rah is formerly the founding Senior Pastor of Cambridge Community Fellowship Church (CCFC), a multi-ethnic church living out the values of racial reconciliation and social justice in the urban context. He has previously served on the boards of World Vision, Sojourners and the Christian Community Development Association. He has extensive experience in cross-cultural preaching as well as on numerous college campuses.
Show Notes: Vineyard USA suggested reading for September Prophetic Lament by Soong-Chan Rah https://vineyardusa.org/podcast/
Register for the Vineyard AAPI Association Summit with special guest speaker Soong-Chan Rah https://vineyardusa.org/associations/asian-american-pacific-islander-association/
Soong-Chan Rah’s website http://www.profrah.com
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Diane Bauman about her work with people who find themselves in crisis pregnancy situations. Diane shares about navigating the different outcomes of her own unplanned pregnancies as a teenager, how she met Jesus, and her experiences as a ministry leader in the church while carrying a lot of pain and trauma from the losses she endured growing up. Diane recounts the transformational experience of finding forgiveness in a post-abortion support group and shares about the way God is repurposing her story to work with women locally and abroad through Value Life ministry at Vineyard Columbus.
Diane Bauman is the Value Life, Transitions and Orphan Care Ministries Pastor at Vineyard Columbus. After a 20-year corporate career, she came on staff in 1999 as Volunteer Coordinator and leader of the pro-life ministry which later became Value Life. The ministry started in 1993 and has grown under Diane’s leadership into a ministry serving hundreds of women each year. She is passionate about caring for women in unexpected or crisis pregnancies as well as those who have experienced the pain of abortion, miscarriage or early infant death.
Diane experienced an unexpected pregnancy at the age of 15 and found the courage to stay in school and graduate with honors, so she understands firsthand the hardships faced by many of the women the Value Life ministry serves. In addition to her service to women and babies, she loves helping people discover what they are created by God to be, flower gardening, cooking, and reading. Diane and her husband Roy have been married for 46 years, they have 4 adult children, 14 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.
Show Notes: Vineyard USA suggested reading for September Prophetic Lament by Soong-Chan Rah https://vineyardusa.org/podcast/
Transitions and Value Life at Columbus Vineyard https://vineyardcolumbus.org/value-life
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Bubba Justice about his formational experiences of being raised in poverty by a single mother and visiting his grandmother’s homeless shelter, his first experiences with the Holy Spirit, and how his education in finance turned out to be an asset in ministry. Bubba shares about his goal of planting churches throughout the world that are self-sustaining, and some exciting collaborative opportunities in international missions. Finally, Bubba offers an encouragement to pastors to dream about missional opportunities both “near and far”.
Elgie “Bubba” Justice is the Chief Financial Officer and Missions Coordinator for Vineyard USA. In his capacity as the Missions Coordinator, he gives leadership to VUSA Missions by overseeing mobilization, training, partnership development, and coordinating US activity with Vineyard associations internationally. As CFO, he oversees the financial and human resource systems for the Vineyard Movement in the United States.
Prior to this role, Bubba served as the National Coordinator for Vineyard USA for four years, starting in 2017 under the leadership of Phil Strout. Over the years, Bubba has served in Vineyard Leadership on the Executive Team, Vineyard Resources Board, Vineyard Worship Board, and on the Multiply Vineyard Advisory Team.
After working in the financial world as a C.P.A., a financial manager, and a chief financial officer, Bubba was the senior pastor of the Inverness Vineyard Church (IVC)for 23 years. Before planting IVC, Bubba served in many roles as a volunteer pastor in the Birmingham Vineyard from 1983 until 1993. Some of the ministries Bubba led included youth, children, nursery, intercession, small groups, and ministry team.
Bubba and his wife Melany live in Houston, TX, and have two married daughters and one grandchild.
Show Notes: Vineyard USA suggested reading for September Prophetic Lament by Soong-Chan Rah https://vineyardusa.org/podcast/
Compassion International https://www.compassion.com/
Convoy of Hope https://convoyofhope.org
Petros Network https://petrosnetwork.org
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Ray Maldonado about the decades of work he’s invested in advocating for diversity and developing multicultural churches. Ray shares the story of how the Lord reclaimed his marriage, the scripture that turned his heart toward the fringes of his community, his call to ministry, and how he came to study diversity in the Vineyard Movement as a doctoral student. Ray and Jay discuss what they have been gleaning from the Evangelical Covenant Church and the challenges and opportunities a Euro-American, English-dominant church may encounter in moving toward multiculturalism.
Dr. Rafael Maldonado Jr., or “Ray” as he is known to his friends, pastored in Chicago for 29 years in two churches. He is the head Caribbean Missions Coordinator for the Vineyard Movement, and also leads a Partnership for an island in the Caribbean. Besides developing a church planting program, Ray is a Certified Coach and coaches church planters and leaders in the U.S. and Latin America. He and his wife Teresa have five children and eleven grandchildren, live in Lakeland, Florida and are involved in the Lakeland Vineyard. Ray’s heart is to promote the heart of Jesus for the Biblically diverse church that he calls the Transcultural Church. He received his doctoral degree from Bakke Graduate University.
Show Notes: Vineyard USA suggested reading for September Prophetic Lament by Soong-Chan Rah https://vineyardusa.org/podcast/
Evangelical Covenant Church- Sankofa https://covchurch.org/mercy-justice/sankofa/
Socials Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Josh Williams talk through Vineyard USA’s recommended reading for August, “The Gospel With The Poor”, which includes a companion series for kids, as well as a 4-week sermon series. They share thoughts about their favorite quotes, and think through how we can address the issue of justice practically. They then transition to a discussion of how to be of help in your city, and share some excellent suggestions of how to get in touch with the specific issues your city is facing.
Josh Williams is Vineyard USA’s Associate National Director for Evangelism and Justice. Josh grew up in Iowa and in 2004 he headed to the East Coast to study at Yale University in New Haven, CT where he majored in American Studies and Ethnicity, Race and Migration, followed by his entrance to Divinity School and getting plugged into Elm City Vineyard (ECV). During his time at grad school and in the first years of ECV, Josh started several evangelistic prayer groups on Yale’s campus, established an outdoor church for the housed and unhoused, and launched an incarnational inner-city neighborhood ministry that included a sidewalk Sunday school where many kids made first-time commitments for Jesus. In 2011 Josh was ordained as a pastor in the Vineyard and weeks later married his wife Tina (ECV’s Worship Pastor and a regular presence in Vineyard Worship recording projects). In 2014, Josh became ECV’s first full-time Lead Pastor, and he has enjoyed seeing Jesus grow the church in multi-ethnicity, justice, evangelism, spiritual formation, and Holy Spirit ministry. In the Vineyard, Josh has served as an Area Leader and an Executive Team member since 2017. He has also been on the Vineyard Ethnic Diversity task force since 2019. Josh and Tina recently celebrated ten years of marriage and parent two adorable little ones, Zoe and Joy. Their favorite family activities are going to waterfalls and beaches, eating ice cream, and singing loudly together.
Show Notes: https://vineyardusa.org/associations/
Vineyard USA suggested reading for August https://vineyardusa.org/gospel-with-the-poor/
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Hannah Estabrook about her work as a mental health clinician working with survivors of sex trafficking. Hannah shares about her early experiences with the Holy Spirit, how she was drawn to the mental health field and how continuing to follow the next right step led her to establish a drop-in center for women involved in sex work. She also shares her personal practices that have prevented her from burning out, her goals in working alongside survivors, and the most surprising thing the Lord is doing in her heart right now.
Hannah Estabrook, MA, LPCC-S has been working as a clinician in the mental health field for over seventeen years and has specialized in providing direct services to survivors of sex trafficking. Her work with survivors has included the settings of the criminal justice system (CATCH Court), as well as the streets (Sanctuary Night), where she currently serves as Executive Director. She also serves as a pastor of The Abbey, a contemplative Vineyard church in the city of Columbus, Ohio.
Show Notes: https://vineyardusa.org/associations/
Vineyard USA suggested reading for August https://vineyardusa.org/gospel-with-the-poor/
Sojourners: Should Prostitution Be Decriminalized? https://sojo.net/magazine/may-2022/should-prostitution-be-decriminalized
The Abbey https://theabbeycolumbus.church
Sanctuary Night https://www.sanctuarynight.com/
Socials Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
Instagrams: @hannahruthestabrook @theabbeycolumbus @porchlightcolumbus @sanctuary_night
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Tina Colón Williams about her career in humanitarian immigration law, how she came to see the field of law as a potential expression of justice and compassion, and the holy work of receiving people’s most tender stories. Tina shares about growing up on the outside of the cultural majority, her trajectory-altering experience as a teenager of hearing the stories of undocumented immigrants in San Francisco, and how she fell into a job at a cushy corporate law firm before finding her niche in immigration law. Tina beautifully illustrates how her faith informs her work, and addresses some of the common misconceptions about the immigration process.
Tina Colón Williams is an immigration attorney, worship pastor and vocalist based in New Haven, Connecticut. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Tina moved to New Haven in 2005 to attend Yale University. She graduated from the University of Connecticut school of law in 2014, and she currently leads an immigration litigation practice at Esperanza Attorneys at Law, a small low-bono law firm based in New Haven that represents immigrants from countries around the world in humanitarian immigration applications, removal proceedings and immigration appeals. She and her husband Josh lead the Elm City Vineyard church in New Haven, where Tina serves as the Worship Pastor. Tina has also served as a vocalist and songwriter for a number of Vineyard Worship releases over the past several years. Tina and Josh have two young girls, Zoe (4) and Joy (2). They love the city of New Haven, beaches, eating new foods, singing and dancing, and following Jesus in community with others.
Show Notes: https://vineyardusa.org/associations/
Vineyard USA suggested reading for August https://vineyardusa.org/gospel-with-the-poor/
Elm City Vineyard http://elmcityvineyard.org
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Dr. Charles Montgomery Jr. shares about how God disrupted his path to a lucrative career in engineering with a call to ministry, the cultural shift he experienced in working at a Vineyard Church, and what his upbringing uniquely adds to his church. Charles and Jay then talk about the work being done within Vineyard Associations and what they are excited about for the future of the Vineyard. Charles leaves us with a word about the winding road to reconciliation and an encouragement for pastors who are hesitant in engaging this crucial work.
Charles A. Montgomery, Jr serves as the Associations Strategic Coordinator for Vineyard USA and Teaching Pastor at Vineyard Columbus. Charles also founded a successful multiethnic Campus (Vineyard Columbus East) and has pastored there since 2012. His passion is to develop Beloved Communities as espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, an alumnus of Charles’ alma mater, Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.
Charles has a B.A. in Mathematics from Morehouse, a Master of Divinity from Emory University (Ga) and a PhD in Ethical and Creative Leadership from Union Institute University (OH). He has earned several credentials in Diversity Training and is a Certified Spiritual Director through the Sustainable School of Faith.
He considers his greatest accomplishment (ok, grace) being married to his childhood crush, Kimberly. Charles and Kimberly are avid Buckeye fans (Go Bucks!) and make their home in Columbus Ohio.
Show Notes: https://vineyardusa.org/associations/
Vineyard USA suggested reading for August https://vineyardusa.org/gospel-with-the-poor/
Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson https://amzn.to/3vLJCJ1
Roadmap to Reconciliation by Brenda Salter McNeil https://amzn.to/3p3r2bA
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Cheryl Pittluck shares about pursuing a degree in Theater Arts, meeting and marrying a pastor named Lance, and their early years with the Holy Spirit and the Vineyard. Cheryl talks about the expectations on a pastor’s wife, the dryness in her life as a mom with young kids, and the things she prayed that changed the trajectory of her life and ignited her passion for justice work and “seeing the world made new”. Cheryl also shares a powerful word for how Christians could be the hands and feet of Love in today’s world, as well as some advice for people who feel a draw towards serving a particular people group.
Cheryl Pittluck has served both inside the church and outside as a mentor, trainer, teacher, and advocate on issues of anti-human trafficking and social justice ministries for many years. While at the Anaheim Vineyard, Cheryl led the anti-human trafficking and social justice ministries and is a founding member of the Vineyard Justice Network. She also has served extensively outside the church in areas of justice, volunteering over the last 13 years with the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force as a mentor, trainer and teacher, chairing the Task Force’s Faith Based Advisory Council. She also serves on the board for the Global Center for Women and Justice at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA., is a trained Faith Alliance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAAST) “Hands That Heal” trainer, and served on Representative Ed Royce’s Human Trafficking Advisory Council while he functioned as Chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs. She has been married to Lance Pittluck for 43 years, and has a beautiful daughter, wonderful son-in-law, and possibly the most amazing granddaughter ever.
Show Notes: https://vineyardusa.org/associations/
Vineyard USA suggested reading for August https://vineyardusa.org/gospel-with-the-poor/
Global Center for Women and Justice – Podcasts https://endinghumantrafficking.org
Vineyard Justice Network https://vineyardjusticenetwork.org
Listen to Cheryl’s talk at the 2021 Vineyard USA National Conference – Wednesday, Session 4 https://conference.vineyardusa.org/livestream/#wednesday
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Dominique Gilliard shares about his role of pastoring pastors in the work of making connections between scripture, discipleship, and our call to be ambassadors of reconciliation. He and Jay talk about the role of justice work and racial righteousness in the church, and the Biblical evidence for the marriage of evangelism and justice. Dominique discusses diversity as a revelatory gift from God, some challenging and practical questions to ask if your church is seeking to be a truly multiethnic church, and the work he is doing to provide resources for pastors to engage this conversation from a Biblical perspective.
Dominique DuBois Gilliard is the Director of Racial Righteousness and Reconciliation for the Evangelical Covenant Church. He is the author of Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice that Restores, which won a 2018 Book of the Year Award for InterVarsity Press and was named Outreach Magazine’s 2019 Social Issues Resource of the Year. Gilliard’s latest book, Subversive Witness: Scripture’s Call to Leverage Privilege won Englewood Review of Books 2021 book of the year award. Gilliard also serves as an adjunct professor at North Park Theological Seminary in its School of Restorative Arts and serves on the board of directors for the Christian Community Development Association. In 2015, the Huffington Post named him one of the “Black Christian Leaders Changing the World.” Earlier this year, Gilliard received North Park Theological Seminary’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
Show Notes: Subversive Witness website https://www.zondervan.com/p/subversive-witness/
Subversive Witness video-based small group curriculum https://vimeo.com/ondemand/subversivewitness
Rethinking Incarceration https://www.ivpress.com/rethinking-incarceration
Rethinking Incarceration video-based small groups curriculum https://seminarynow.com/programs/rethinking-incarceration
Sankofa https://covchurch.org/mercy-justice/sankofa/
Justice Journey for Kids curriculum https://covchurch.org/make-and-deepen-disciples/children/justicejourney/
Kingdom Mosaic Bible Study Series https://covchurch.org/resource/the-kingdom-mosaic-life-together-series/
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardUSA dominiquegilliard.com Dominique’s Instagram: @DominiqueDGilliard Dominique’s Twitter: @DDGilliard
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Reverend Paul Robinson shares about how the Lord has orchestrated his life since childhood, from a prophetic word given by his Sunday school teacher and his experiences in different denominations, to growing up on the south side of Chicago and his time in seminary. Reverend Robinson talks about learning from different streams of theology and thought, and how all the pieces of his life started to fit together vocationally in a very beautiful way. He and Jay also talk about being uniquely positioned to pastor through difficult times, leading constructive dialogues, and the value in listening to a diverse set of voices.
Paul Robinson is the Executive Minister of Love Mercy Do Justice for the Evangelical Covenant Church. The mission of LMDJ is to join God in making things right in a broken world. Prior to this role Paul was Senior Community Leadership Manager with the Wilder Center for Communities, former Director of the organization’s James P. Shannon Leadership Institute and Church Planter. Paul has partnered with nonprofit, for-profit, education, government and community individuals and organizations in core value clarification, leadership development, intercultural agility, anti-racism and capacity strengthening to help them better lead themselves and others. Paul is most comfortable at the intersection of ideas, difference, passion and effective action. He enjoys using his skills in meeting design, facilitation and convening to catalyze meaningful connections to stimulate individual and community transformation. Robinson holds a B.S. degree in Finance from Eastern Illinois University and a Master of Divinity degree from McCormick Theological Seminary. Paul Robinson is 2017 AARP Minnesota and Pollen Fifty over Fifty honoree. Paul is married to Kim and together they have seven adult children. Reverend Robinson’s combined experience in ministry, business, nonprofit management, and leadership development spans 25 years.
Show Notes: Sign up for a regional gathering near you! https://vineyardusa.org/events/
The Evangelical Covenant Church - Love Mercy Do Justice https://covchurch.org/mercy-justice/
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Kathy Maskell shares her story of being raised by immigrant parents, and the twists and turns of her spiritual journey during her childhood and young adults years. She and Jay talk about different experiences of justice woven throughout her life, her eventual work with anti-human trafficking organizations, and what she’s learned about God’s heart for the poor.
Kathy Maskell is the lead pastor at East Denver Vineyard. She joined the MHV staff in 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic. She also leads the Vineyard Justice Network and served on the Executive Board for Vineyard USA. Her heart for justice is shaped by her previous advocacy work with Love146 (an organization committed to ending child sex-trafficking), studying abolitionist movements, and creating intentional spaces for deep conversation and meaningful action for biblical justice.
Kathy was raised by Buddhist parents and came to faith while earning a degree in English from the University of Chicago and went on to get an M.S. Ed from City College (CUNY), and an M.Div. in systematic theology at Union Theological Seminary (NYC). She and her husband, Caleb, co-planted the Elm City Vineyard and have two children, Josiah and Emmanuelle. Some of her favorite things to do right now are exploring her new city for awesome museums and the tastiest breakfast places for dates.
Show Notes: Sign up for a regional gathering near you! https://vineyardusa.org/events/
Jars of Clay- Flood (Lift Me Up) https://bit.ly/3c9mn4X
Love 146 https://love146.org
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald J. Snider https://amzn.to/3nYXKKI
East Denver Vineyard https://www.eastdenvervineyard.org/
Vineyard Justice Network https://vineyardjusticenetwork.org
The Gospel With the Poor: VJN's First Publication https://bit.ly/3c8RmOh
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa FB for Kathy: Facebook.com/kathymaskell IG for East Denver Vineyard: @eastdenvervineyard IG for Vineyard Justice Network: @vineyardjustice
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Josh Williams shares about the intersection of faith and the civil rights movement in his parents’ lives and how that shaped his childhood. Josh talks about the bullying he faced as a child, growing through hardships, and his encounter with love and community at an Asian-American church in college. Finally, they talk about his determination to incorporate justice issues into leading a local church, and the practical ways in which Josh and Elm City Vineyard are taking ownership of their community.
Josh Williams is Vineyard USA’s Associate National Director for Evangelism and Justice. Josh grew up in Iowa and in 2004 he headed to the East Coast to study at Yale University in New Haven, CT where he majored in American Studies and Ethnicity, Race and Migration, followed by his entrance to Divinity School and getting plugged into Elm City Vineyard (ECV). During his time at grad school and in the first years of ECV, Josh started several evangelistic prayer groups on Yale’s campus, established an outdoor church for the housed and unhoused, and launched an incarnational inner-city neighborhood ministry that included a sidewalk Sunday school where many kids made first-time commitments for Jesus. In 2011 Josh was ordained as a pastor in the Vineyard and weeks later married his wife Tina (ECV’s Worship Pastor and a regular presence in Vineyard Worship recording projects). In 2014, Josh became ECV’s first full-time Lead Pastor, and he has enjoyed seeing Jesus grow the church in multi-ethnicity, justice, evangelism, spiritual formation, and Holy Spirit ministry. In the Vineyard, Josh has served as an Area Leader and an Executive Team member since 2017. He has also been on the Vineyard Ethnic Diversity task force since 2019. Josh and Tina recently celebrated ten years of marriage and parent two adorable little ones, Zoe and Joy. Their favorite family activities are going to waterfalls and beaches, eating ice cream, and singing loudly together.
Show Notes: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis https://amzn.to/3ONpXQx
Works of Love by Soren Kierkegaard https://amzn.to/3RfPvr5
The Quest for the Radical Middle by Bill Johnson and Todd Hunter https://amzn.to/3yl84le
Convoy of Hope https://convoyofhope.org
Vineyard Justice Network https://vineyardjusticenetwork.org
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Kevin Springer shares about his personal history and how he came to write alongside John Wimber. Jay and Kevin talk about the power of encouragement and caring for fallen leaders, and Kevin shares a practical word about finances and preparing for the future.
Kevin Springer is a retired lead pastor, church planter, editor and author. With 46 years in ministry, Kevin has experience in both parachurch and church organizations. His current work includes consulting with churches, conducting marriage seminars, and writing. He is the author of numerous books, booklets and articles published locally and abroad, including Power Healing and Power Evangelism, co-authored with John Wimber. He has been married to Suzanne for 52 years and they have 3 children. Kevin enjoys reading, writing, hiking, working out, and traveling with Suzanne.
Show Notes: Sign up for a regional gathering near you! https://vineyardusa.org/events/
Power Healing by John Wimber and Kevin Springer Vineyard USA’s recommended reading for June https://amzn.to/3bfbTjL
Power Evangelism by John Wimber and Kevin Springer https://amzn.to/3nFcKgZ
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Candy and Joshua Brown about the historically contentious relationship between the scientific and faith communities, and the ways in which they are working to overcome the unhealthy perspectives on both sides to document the miraculous. Candy and Joshua share about their experiences documenting the healing of people who are deaf and blind in Mozambique, their process of gathering empirical evidence to write peer-reviewed scientific articles, and the work they do at the Global Medical Research Institute.
Joshua Brown (Ph.D., Boston University) is Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University. He directs the Cognitive Control laboratory at IU, which focuses on functional brain imaging, higher cognitive function, addiction, psychopathology, transcranial electrical neurostimulation, computational neural modeling, and artificial intelligence. He has authored over 79 peer-reviewed scientific papers in all of these areas, and his work has been featured on the Discovery Channel, NPR, the New York Times, Fox news, and numerous other national and international media. He also directs the graduate program in Neuroscience at Indiana University and serves as the Director of the Global Medical Research Institute, whose work has been featured recently in the documentary film Send Proof.
Candy Gunther Brown (Ph.D. Harvard University) is Professor of Religious Studies, Indiana University, and author or editor of six books, including Testing Prayer: Science and Healing and Debating Yoga and Mindfulness in Public Schools: Reforming Secular Education or Reestablishing Religion? Media coverage includes The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Religion Dispatches, The Conversation, Huffington Post Live, Psychology Today, Mindful Leader, National Catholic Register, Atheist Yoga, Interfaith Voices, and Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.
Show Notes: Sign up for a regional gathering near you! https://vineyardusa.org/events/
Power Healing by John Wimber and Kevin Springer Vineyard USA’s recommended reading for June https://amzn.to/3bfbTjL
Global Medical Research institute https://www.globalmri.org
Debating Yoga and Mindfulness by Candy Gunther Brown https://amzn.to/3xGKten Article in Southern Medical Journal about work in Mozambique https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20686441/
Testing Prayer by Candy Gunther Brown https://amzn.to/3zMaJqp
Social Media: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa Global Medical Research Institute: facebook.com/globalmri Twitter: @candygbrown https://www.linkedin.com/in/candy-gunther-brown-a28a3232/ https://www.facebook.com/candyguntherbrown https://religiousstudies.indiana.edu/about/faculty/brown-candy.html
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay Pathak talks with Mike and Julie Yoder about each of their early years and how they met, how they’ve navigated career paths in faith, and their process of transitioning into leadership of an established church. They also discuss working through disillusionment, and how character is shaped through risks of faith and obedience.
Mike and Julie Yoder serve as the Senior Pastors of The Vineyard Church of Central Illinois and have recently accepted a role as Regional Leaders for the Midwest Central Region. Mike grew up in Arthur, Illinois as a Mennonite. He came to the Vineyard in the early 2000s and fell in love with the Holy Spirit and a girl. Mike decided to make the Vineyard his home and marry the girl. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration and Christian Studies from Crown College in 2002. Mike went on to spend 13 years in the business sector before joining the staff at The Vineyard Church of Central Illinois in 2015. Mike has a passion for organizational clarity, community partnerships, tackling tough conversations, and doing Holy Spirit ministry. He is currently getting his Masters of Divinity from Global Awakening Theological Seminary. Julie grew up in Champaign, Illinois, and was raised in the Vineyard. She earned a degree in Elementary Education from Olivet Nazarene University in 2004 and spent 4 years as a public school reading teacher. Julie is a 2009 Vineyard Leadership Institute graduate. She has spent over 15 years communicating, leading, and developing others. Julie is passionate about helping people encounter Jesus and partner with the Holy Spirit in their everyday lives. She leads the preaching team and is committed to helping communicators find their voice. Together, Mike and Julie are committed to building and cultivating the Kingdom culture of family in their church. They love partnering in ministry and in parenting their four children; Ty, Tate, Maggie, and Molly.
Show Notes: Power Healing by John Wimber and Kevin Springer Vineyard USA’s recommended reading for June https://amzn.to/3bfbTjL
The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni https://amzn.to/3aXhuLt
Sign up for a regional gathering near you! https://vineyardusa.org/events/
Vineyard Church of Central Illinois https://tvc.us
School of Kingdom Ministry (SoKM) https://www.schoolofkingdomministry.org
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa Vineyard Church of Central Illinois: @vineyardcentralillinois SoKM Social: @schoolof kingdomministry.org
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Brenda Gatlin talk about growing up in small town Alaska, learning to discern the Lord’s voice, and her powerful deliverance from a religious spirit. Brenda also shares her story of endurance in following the long call of the Lord, and the ways He provided for their family every step of the way.
Brenda Gatlin is a Super Regional Leader for Vineyard USA. Brenda, affectionately known as “B”, has had the assurance of a life-time call to full-time kingdom ministry since the age of 17. She is passionate about leading from her transparent authenticity and seeing people set free from oppression. She is focused on healing and becoming whole biblical people, so we are a right reflection of who God is. She has a long track record of fruitfulness, for training and equipping others to continue doing all the things that Jesus did and for helping leaders become healthy.
Brenda and her husband Michael have been Senior Pastors at Duluth Vineyard in Minnesota since 1997. In addition to this local leadership, Brenda served as an Area Pastor in her Region for 5 years, and in 2013 was appointed as the Regional Leader for the Midwest North Region. For nearly 10 years, she has been serving about 50 local churches in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Chicago area. Michael and Brenda have been the sending church for 6 Vineyard church plants and love Multiply Vineyard communities.
In the fall of 2021, Brenda and Michael celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. They are parents to three grown and married children, and grandparents to two girls. Her favorite ways to practice Sabbath are riding her motorcycle along Lake Superior, long talks over coffee with friends, being grandma (Mimi) to her two granddaughters, being a fan of professional bull riding, baking, and puzzling through the long winter evenings of Northern Minnesota.
Show Notes: Power Evangelism by John Wimber and Kevin Springer Vineyard USA’s recommended reading for June https://amzn.to/3PK64e2
Brenda's Deliverance resources: Clash of the Kingdoms https://duluthvineyard.org/grow/clash-of-the-kingdoms/
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Steve Nicholson shares about the process of deciding for himself to follow the Lord, his early evangelism experiences, and the Holy Spirit encounter that changed it all! He and Jay also talk about what Steve sees happening in the church today amongst different generations.
Steve Nicholson began ministering as a college student through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the early 1970s. After graduation, he moved to the Chicago area where he and several other twenty-something leaders founded a church. That fellowship, begun in 1976 in Evanston, Illinois, placed a high priority on contemporary worship, biblical teaching, openness to the Holy Spirit, and committed relationships as a church family.
In 1981, Steve and a team from the fellowship established a new church in Humboldt Park, a neighborhood in Chicago’s inner city. Both churches joined Vineyard USA in August of 1985, and Steve transferred leadership of the Humboldt Park Vineyard to one of his team members in 1986. The Evanston Vineyard has since planted nine other congregations in the Chicago area, and another fifteen in other cities or countries. Steve led Vineyard USA’s church planting task force for over twenty years. Steve has ministered to and trained church leaders in India, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Turkey, Lebanon, Brazil, Chile and several Central Asian countries as well as in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The Evanston Vineyard is a diverse congregation from over 50 nations of the world with no majority racial or cultural group. Since 1986 the ministry of the Holy Spirit has been a regular and ongoing strength and emphasis of the Evanston Vineyard.
Steve and his wife, Cindy, live in Chicago. They have three adult children and eight grandchildren.
Show Notes: Power Evangelism by John Wimber and Kevin Springer Vineyard USA’s recommended reading for June https://amzn.to/3PK64e2
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jordan Seng shares the tumultuous story of his younger years and growing up as a “wild Christian”, his first experiences in the church and how always feeling different may have been a hidden blessing. He and Jay then talk about Jordan’s experience of doing ministry in a rough neighborhood, his perspective on living out faith, and some of what the Holy Spirit is doing in his church today.
Dr. Jordan Seng and his wife Sonya are lead pastors of Bluewater Mission, a creative, justice-oriented church in Honolulu, Hawaii. Jordan is author of Miracle Work: A Down-to-Earth-Guide to Supernatural Ministries, and the upcoming Life of Try. He has ministered broadly through church-planting, teaching, healing and prophecy, and has led training conferences for every major Christian denomination and numerous para-church and missions organizations in North America, Europe, Latin America, East Asia, South Asia and the Caribbean. Jordan holds a degree in political theory from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He was a National Security Fellow at the School of Government at Harvard. He’s an avid sailor and owns two U.S patents for marine technologies. He has two teenage children.
Show Notes: Miracle Work by Jordan Seng Vineyard USA’s recommended reading for May https://bit.ly/382EPdN
Jordan’s Church www.bluewatermission.org
Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa
In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Julia Pickerill reminisce about their younger years together in youth and young adult ministry. They talk about the importance of embodied connection over simply teaching information and how Julia was changed by being exposed to a theology of the local church. Julia also passes on a crucial word about longevity in pastoring.
In January of 2021, Julia Pickerill became one of the Senior Pastors of the Columbus Vineyard alongside her husband Eric, succeeding Rich Nathan, who founded the church in 1987. Julia and Eric have been a part of the Vineyard movement for twenty-five years, during which time they’ve held multiple roles in the Columbus Vineyard and served as church planters and Lead Pastors of Vineyard Amsterdam (Netherlands). They returned to the US in 2015 and transitioned into senior leadership of Vineyard Columbus in January 2021. Julia is a nine on the enneagram, is a really bad cook, dislikes writing speaker bios, has three fabulous kids, and relaxes by reading novels about existential threats.
Show Notes: Miracle Work by Jordan Seng Vineyard USA’s recommended reading for May https://bit.ly/382EPdN
The Singer Trilogy by Calvin Miller https://amzn.to/3FRxXwk
The Tower of Geburah by John White https://amzn.to/3sFhztk