We Are Vineyard

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 natural entrance to ministry in college, leaving a lucrative career to pursue pastoring, planting a church and then leaving it to take over a church in crisis, and refocusing the church on Kingdom ministry. Finally, Matt shares some advice both to people who are considering stepping into a lead pastor role at an existing church, and current lead pastors who are starting to plan for succession. 

Matt is the lead pastor at Vineyard Cincinnati. He started his career at Procter & Gamble while at the same time volunteering with a youth ministry at Lakota High School. Following his graduation from Trinity Evangelical, he transitioned into full-time ministry.

A few things that Matt enjoys include golf, learning people’s stories, mentoring young people, fantasy football, craft beer, and laughing a ton. He and his wife Kim live in Loveland, OH and have three adult daughters.  

 

Show notes: 

Old Paths, New Power by Daniel Henderson  

Day of Giving: Seed & Soil 

 

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, 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 life and writing: mercy, the law and the gospel, and low anthropology. 

David Zahl is the founder and director of Mockingbird Ministries, editor-in-chief of the Mockingbird website, and co-host of both The Mockingcast and The Brothers Zahl podcasts. He and his family live in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he also serves on the staff of Christ Episcopal Church. Zahl is the author of Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What To Do About It and Low Anthropology: The Unlikely Key to a Gracious View of Others (and Yourself). His next book, The Big Relief: The Urgency of Grace for a Worn-Out World comes out in April 2025 from Brazos Press. His writing has been featured in The Washington Post, Christianity Today, and The Guardian, among other venues. 

 

Show Notes: 

Day of Giving: Seed & Soil 

Mockingbird website 

Mockingbird podcast

Low Anthropology by David Zahl 

Seculosity by David Zahl 

Law and the Gospel by William McDavid, Ethan Richardson, and David Zahl 

 

Social Media: 

Instagram: @mockingbirdnyc

X/Twitter: @mockingbirdmin

Facebook: @mockingbirdmin

 

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, Caleb Maskell, Associate National Director of Theology and Education, talks with Douglas 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 of doctrine with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the right and best way to draw on the riches of scripture, and how to navigate a world where so many teachers are offering different ways of thinking about scripture. Finally, Doug shares some resource suggestions for pastors who want to continue growing in their understanding of scripture.

Douglas Sweeney became the second dean of Beeson Divinity School in 2019. In this role, he shepherds the institution by providing strategic leadership and facilitating its work to prepare men and women for gospel ministry. Before coming to Beeson, Sweeney taught Aquinas College, Yale Divinity School, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, the University of Heidelberg, and several other schools in the United States and abroad. He is the author or editor of more than 20 books on the history of Christian doctrine, early modern Protestant history, American church history, Christology and global evangelicalism. His latest book is called The Substance of Our Faith: Foundations for the History of Christian Doctrine (Baker Academic). It is the first of two volumes on the global history of doctrine, or the history of the teaching of the Christian faith in churches all around the world since the time of the apostles. Sweeney is an evangelical Lutheran affiliated with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. He is married to Wilma, and they have one adult son, David, and daughter-in-law, Stephanie.

 

Show Notes:
The Substance of Our Faith by Douglas Sweeney 

Day of Giving: Seed & Soil 

 

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, 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 used outside of the church, and Leah shares a pastoral word for pastors and worship leaders.

 

Leah Payne is Associate Professor of American Religious History at Portland Seminary and a 2023–2024 Public Fellow at the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). She holds a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University and her research explores the intersection of religion, politics, and popular culture. Payne is author of God Gave Rock & Roll to You: a History of Contemporary Christian Music (Oxford University Press, 2024), and co-host of Rock That Doesn’t Roll, a Public Radio Exchange (PRX) podcast about Christian rock and its listeners and Weird Religion, a religion and pop culture podcast. Her writing and research has appeared in The Washington Post, NBC News, Religion News Service, and Christianity Today.

 

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

Day of Giving: Seed & Soil 

Vineyard Worship

Leah’s website

God Gave Rock and Roll To You by Leah Payne 

Worshipping With The Anaheim Vineyard by Andy Park, Lester Ruth, and Cindy Rethmeier

 

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, 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 Vineyard Worship and his journey from youth ministry to planting a church. Finally, John and Chris talk about prioritizing outreach in the community, and how the Hub City Vineyard became known as the “Hippie Church.” 

Chris grew up in Hagerstown, Maryland, and had a radical encounter with Jesus in 1995 that totally changed the direction of his life. After graduating from Shepherd College with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary education, Chris was hired at a local church as their youth & children’s pastor where he served for 3 years. Chris came into the Vineyard under the guidance of John Elmer in Syracuse, NY. While at the Syracuse Vineyard, he learned everything about “church”, from cleaning toilets to pastoring kids, teens, & young adults. After earning his degree from VLI & serving several years in Syracuse, Chris planted the Hub City Vineyard in Hagerstown, Maryland in 2006. After 18 years the small living room gatherings have grown into a vibrant tie-dyed community of faith. Chris is the lead pastor and enjoys Baltimore Ravens football, baseball, and the Maryland Terrapins. He has a passion for the Vineyard and seeing all people in the Tri-State Area accepted and shown the unconditional love of Jesus. Chris loves to spend time with his wife Jessica, and their six children: Isaac, Trinity, Zoe, Lily, Nolan & Phoenix. 

 

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil
Hub City Vineyard

Power Evangelism by John Wimber  

Steve Sjogren’s books 

Chris’ email: [email protected]

 

Social Account Links for Church 

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/HCV.church

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/hubcityvineyard/

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@HCVHubCityVineyard

TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@hcvhubcityvineyard

Messages – https://linktr.ee/hcvpodcast 

 

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

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 leader of Vineyard USA’s Women’s Association. In this episode, Melanie shares about finding her voice as a young female pastor and how that was influenced by becoming a mother, the differing approach to female pastors in Australia vs. the US, and some of the practical barriers to women preaching. Melanie talks about the changes she’s seen in Vineyard USA over the past 30 years regarding female pastors, and she shares some advice both to women who feel called to preach and men who are in a position to mentor and platform female preachers. 

 

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

Vineyard USA’s Women’s Association 

 

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

 

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 about the unique teaching team approach employed by Vineyard Columbus, and how it fulfills their desire to provide their church with a diverse set of teaching voices. Julia talks about the pros and cons of the team approach, how they ensure the church is hearing a cohesive voice, and how a church might approach developing a teaching team. 

 

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

Listen to Julia’s talk at the 2021 National Conference: The Way On

 

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

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 Residency Program. In this episode, Rich shares some of his preaching journey and some ways in which his preaching has changed over the last 45 years. Rich also talks about the role of empathetic imagination in preaching to a diverse audience, why whole-person communication is the heart of preaching, and how the Good News informs the shape of his sermons. 

 

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

Preaching by Tim Keller 

 

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

 

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 of the questions today, and he has some great things to say about what makes a good sermon and some key questions to ask yourself while you prepare. Jay also shares his opinion on what specifically makes a good Vineyard semon, why being a skilled speaker is not the ultimate goal, and the difference between regular Sunday sermons and the “big moment” sermons for things like holidays or community events.

 

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

 

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

 

 

 

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 journey as a pastor, how they realized they were called to preach, and the insecurities they faced while finding their unique voice. They talk about how to learn from influential pastors without mimicking them, how they approach sermon prep each week, and each of their superpowers and kryptonite as pastors. 

 

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

 

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, 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 themselves and their finances in order before planting, and the growth the church experienced before and after COVID. Finally, they share some of the cool stories that have happened in their church in recent years. 

Travis Conklin is the Lead Pastor of The Vine Church in Goshen, IN. He grew up in the mountains of Montana and has been serving in ministry since his youth, and spent most of the first decade of marriage helping church plants. It was through helping other pastors with church planting that they discerned their calling to plant The Vine Church in 2014. Travis is a natural-born entrepreneur and often dreams up business ideas he’ll never use, just for the fun of it. In his free time, he prefers any activity that gets him outside and into the woods. He is passionate about helping people connect to God and each other through intentional relationships.

Jennica Conklin serves as the Discipleship and First Impressions Pastor at The Vine Church. Passionate about discipleship, Jennica loves helping others to know, love, and follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Fun and joy for her come through things like jumping and screaming at concerts, dominating at game nights, playing in the waves of Lake Michigan, worship nights, or time with family. 

Travis and Jennica have three children: Ezekiel, Elliet and Judah.

 

Show Notes:

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

 

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, 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 Roman life was disrupted when Christians showed up. Nijay also describes how Jesus broke the mold of religious culture and disrupted dynamics of power and control. 

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: 

Strange Religion by Nijay Gupta

Tell Her Story by Nijay Gupta

 

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, 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 up in the Church of Christ and eventually attending Princeton Seminary where he met Jennifer. David and Jennifer share their desire to bridge the academy and the church in an accessible way, and how their book “Know the Theologians” is like a family reunion. They talk about what we can learn from all who came before us, the value in discovering that the big issues of our day rhyme with the past, and why humanizing historical figures really matters. 

Jennifer Powell McNutt (PhD, University of St Andrews) is Franklin S. Dyrness Chair of Biblical and Theological Studies and associate professor of theology and history of Christianity at Wheaton College. She is the author of the forthcoming The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today (Brazos, 2024) and award-winning author of Calvin Meets Voltaire: The Clergy of Geneva in the Age of Enlightenment, 1685-1798 (Routledge, 2014) and the co-editor of the forthcoming The Oxford Handbook of the Bible and the Reformation (OUP, 2024) and The People’s Book(IVP Academic, 2017). 

David W. McNutt (PhD, University of Cambridge) is senior acquisitions editor at Zondervan Academic, an imprint of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. He is also an associate lecturer of Core Studies at Wheaton College, where he teaches courses in theology, theology and the arts, and philosophical aesthetics.

They are the co-authors of Know the Theologians (Zondervan, 2024), they are both ordained ministers in the Presbyterian Church, and they are the co-founders of McNuttshell Ministries, a teaching, preaching, and writing ministry that bridges the church and the academy by sharing the Christian faith “in a nutshell.” 

 

Show Notes:
Know The Theologians by Jennifer Powell McNutt and David W. McNutt 

McNuttshell Ministries  

The Know Series by Zondervan 

Strange Religion by Nijay K. Gupta

Social Media: 

insta/X/threads: jpowellmcnutt

X: McNuttShell_Min

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 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 chose to be a Biblical scholar instead of an astrophysicist, how he got started writing books about miracles, and he shares some stories of miracles and opportunities he’s had for his faith to be strengthened.  

Craig S. Keener (PhD, Duke University) is F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is the author of thirty-five books, together 19,000 pages, with some 1.4 million copies of his books in circulation. The books have won fifteen national or international awards, including six in Christianity Today. At a popular level, these include The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. He has also authored roughly one hundred academic articles, seven booklets, and roughly two hundred popular-level articles. In 2020 Craig was president of the Evangelical Theological Society. Craig is married to Dr. Médine Moussounga Keener, who was a refugee in her home country of Congo for eighteen months; her experience and their romance appear in Impossible Love (Chosen, 2016). They attend a Vineyard church where Médine is an elder. 

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

Craig’s Blog

Craig’s Youtube Channel

Miracles Today by Craig S. Keener

Miracles: The Credibility of New Testament Accounts by Craig S. Keener

Testing Prayer by Candy Gunther Brown 

 

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, 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 the East Coast as the Vineyard was established. He talks about starting a church in a bar and creating a stereotype-breaking community where people felt loved and welcomed.

Mike Turrigiano serves as the Pastor of Leadership Development at North Jersey Vineyard and is a valuable resource to their staff, offering support and coaching in both professional and spiritual contexts. Mike is a veteran of over four decades of ministry and a Vineyard pioneer on the East Coast. He spent thirty-eight of those years church planting and pastoring in New York City. Mike is also the Director and Senior Missional Coach for the Main & Plain, a ministry that provides coaching and care for pastors and ministry leaders as well as equipping for local churches. He lives with his wife Char in Brooklyn, NY. They have two sons, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

How I Got There by Mike Turrigiano 

Teen Challenge

Roots Worship- Live at the Trash Bar

Church at Trash Bar#1,  2010 

Church at Trash Bar #2: Interviews

 

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, 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 of what the majority of migrants actually look like. They discuss the calling of the church in this situation, the impact of this work on Tina personally and how she meets Jesus in it, how she cares for her own soul, and some of the God stories she’s seen over the years.  

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 and Joy. They love the city of New Haven, beaches, eating new foods, singing and dancing, and following Jesus in community with others.

Show Notes:

Become a Volunteer– Executive Office for Immigration Review

Register for Vineyard USA’s National Conference: Seed & Soil 

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, 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 A Mission (YWAM) and Mercy Ships. Rob shares about becoming aware of the human trafficking industry, his first experience in an undercover investigation, and how that launched the work of Love146. Rob talks about the effectiveness of maintaining a posture of humility and learning, how defiant hope keeps them going, and some practical ways that you can help support the work. 

Rob Morris is the CEO and co-founder of Love146, an international human rights organization working to end child trafficking and exploitation. Prior to co-founding Love146, Rob worked with Mercy Ships International directing training schools at the International Operations Center. He has lectured and taught in over 20 countries on issues of justice, compassion, and human rights, and has been featured in the Huffington Post, the CNN Freedom Project, Forbes, WNPR, Alec Baldwin’s “Here’s the Thing” podcast on WNYC, Fox News, and more. 

Show notes:
Learn more about Love146 and support their work! 

Register for Vineyard USA’s National Conference: Seed & Soil 

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 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 about his transition to InterVaristy Christian Fellowship after seminary, and then he and Jay talk about Vineyard’s relationship with InterVarsity. 

Rev. Dr. James Choung serves as Vice President of Strategy & Innovation — overseeing evangelism, discipleship & leadership development, planting, global engagement & justice, multiethnic initiatives, and the Creative Labs — at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA. He is also ordained with Vineyard USA and has written three books — the latest being a co-written book titled Longing for Revival. 

James wrote his D. Min. dissertation on postmodern leadership development also at Fuller Theological Seminary, received his M. Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and studied management science and marketing at MIT. He has previously served on the pastoral staff of a Boston-area urban church plant, of a megachurch in Seoul, and led an LA-adjacent house church. As for other interests, he has led worship at various national conferences including the Urbana Student Missions Conference, and serves on boards for higher education and overseas for-profit and non-profit startups. For fun, he likes to travel with his wife, laugh with his two sons, spoil his daughter, bask in Los Angeles’ endless summer, and swing a racket in hopes of playing something like tennis.

 

Show Notes: 

Hear more from James at Better Together! 

2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil

James’ Website 

Longing for Revival by James Choung and Ryan Pfeiffer 

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, 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 starting a ministry to the most overlooked people in Kansas City, finding the Vineyard, and being discipled into leadership. Finally, Joel and Jeff talk about Jeff’s call to Fort Collins, the gift of a pastoral transition marked by honor and respect, and the changes they’ve seen in their church since they started incorporating a salvation call each Sunday. 

Growing up far from God with a life marked by wild living and selfish ambition, Jeff was drifting further and further away from the purposes of Christ for the first two decades of his life.

But everything changed when out of God’s abundant grace, he encountered Jesus after a spring break trip to Cancun. In this encounter, Jeff received the freedom and forgiveness he desperately needed and received a calling to spend his life leading people to Christ. Shortly after, he was introduced to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, where his encounter was matched with intentional discipleship as a student leader.

After meeting Natalie on the same IVCF leadership team (now married for 15 years with three amazing children), he launched a Christian parachurch ministry focused on serving inner-city youth.

During their time in KC, Jeff & Natalie found Vineyard Community Church and immediately felt at home. After serving KC’s youth for a number of years, Jeff transitioned onto staff at Vineyard Community Church where Mark Warner’s leadership prepared him for pastoring in the Vineyard Movement. 

After navigating a fruitful succession plan with Rick Olmstead, Jeff now leads Vineyard Church of the Rockies in Fort Collins, CO.  He continues to lead with the same passion for helping people experience God matched with an ongoing process of discipleship.

Show Notes: 

2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

Hear more of Jeff and Rick Olmstead’s pastoral succession story

Hero Maker by Dave Ferguson and Warren Bird 

 

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 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 powerful moment he fell in love with the Vineyard Movement. Finally, Gary shares where he’s seen progress in the Vineyard regarding racial equity and where he still sees the need for breakthrough. 

Gary Dawkins is a pastor, public communicator, and community leader who earned his MBA from Syracuse University and Master of Science in Communications Management from Morgan State University, a historically black university (HBCU). He serves as Lead Pastor of the Mercy Vineyard Church in Minneapolis, MN. 

He is also passionate about justice for the marginalized and uplifting his community. Gary cares and wants to see the marginalized flourish in every area of life. 

Gary is a former media professional and educator, who is now captivated by helping people grow in their faith and relationships. He is especially passionate about developing a lasting discipleship culture that includes acts of service, social justice, and cultural competency.

He is the husband of the beautiful LeKita Scott Dawkins and father to the brilliant Grace. They love cooking together and playing Monopoly. Game on!

Show notes: 

Better Together Conference 

Vineyard Worship’s Sound Lab

Vineyard USA’s 2024 National Conference: Seed & Soil 

Vineyard USA Associations 

Vineyard USA’s Financial Well-being of Pastors Initiative 

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 talks about how studying social work helped her make sense of her observations of the world, and the grace of coming to the end of herself in ministry, slowing down and doing some internal work. Finally, Jess and Jay discuss the incredible ongoing partnership between Alpha and the Vineyard, the turnkey evangelism course Alpha provides, and the profound gift of bringing churches back to the basics of hospitality, Jesus’ love, and experiencing the Holy Spirit. 

Jessica Gatton has been in the Vineyard for 30 years and is now on staff as VP of Ministry with Alpha USA.

Show Notes: 

Alphausa.org

Emotionally Focused

Watch Nicky Gumbel’s interview at the 2023 Vineyard USA National Conference! 

 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with John Mark Comer about starting in ministry at a young age, the gifts he received from the staunch evangelical worldview in which he was raised, and the life circumstances that inspired him to learn a more biblical model of discipleship and spiritual formation. John Mark shares about the ancient practices that have helped him feel unstuck, the changes he noticed in his church during a season of extreme growth, and how their metrics of success had to change once they altered the social contract of their church. 

John Mark Comer is the New York Times bestselling author of Practicing the Way, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, Live No Lies, and four previous books. He’s also the Founder and Teacher of Practicing the Way, a simple, beautiful way to integrate spiritual formation into your church or small group. Prior to starting Practicing the Way, he spent almost twenty years pastoring Bridgetown Church in Portland, OR, and working out apprenticeship to Jesus in the post-Christian West. He lives in Los Angeles.

Show Notes: 

John Mark Comer’s Website  

 

Welcome to season 3 of the We Are Vineyard podcast! This year marks the 50th anniversary of Vineyard churches in the US, and to celebrate we will be highlighting stories of local churches throughout the country. In today’s episode, Jay talks with John Elmer and Brad Bailey about Westside Vineyard Church. John and Brad share stories of how the church was formed, the approach to learning leadership lessons as they were figuring things out in the early days, and some characteristics and values of the Vineyard that have remained through all these years. 

Brad Bailey serves as the Lead Pastor of the Westside Vineyard Church (on the Westside of Los Angeles). He began attending the church in 1985 and became the Lead Pastor in 1991, the second to follow Kenn Gulliksen who had initially planted the church. Brad is also a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has valued serving the Vineyard movement as an Area Leader and Missional Partnership Leader for India. Brad’s wife Leah is a Bone Marrow Transplant Coordinator at UCLA. They have four young adult children, having left the “nest” to Buddy…the Golden Retriever.

Show Notes: 

Listen to John Elmer’s episode of We Are Vineyard (season 1, episode 14)

The Ferment Podcast by Vineyard Worship 

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 

 

 

Show Notes: 

Listen to sessions from some of our Regional gatherings: https://vineyardusa.org/2023-regional-conferences/

Financial Well-being of Pastors Initiative: https://vineyardusa.org/financial-well-being-of-pastors-initiative/

Evangelical Covenant Church: https://covchurch.org/

2024 Better Together Conference: https://bettertogether.vineyardusa.org/

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Geno Olison, leader of our VUSA Black Pastors and Leaders Association, shares a devotion he has prepared on the theme of Love from 1 John 4:7-14, Romans 5:8, John 3:16, followed by the song “Behold,” the title track of Vineyard Worship’s newest album release, created in partnership with Heaven and Earth, Vineyard Columbus’s worship and songwriting community.

We’ll see you in February 2024 with new episodes!

Show Notes: 

Behold

Heaven and Earth Worship

Vineyard Worship

Vineyard USA Associations

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Kirk Yamaguchi, leader of our VUSA Asian American Pacific Islander Association, shares a devotion he has prepared for the third week of Advent on the theme of Joy from Philippians 4:4-5. We’ll then hear the song “This Joy” from Vineyard Worship!

As a reminder, we’ll be taking off the month of January, but we’ll be back in February with our regular interviews!

Show Notes: 

This Joy

Vineyard Worship

Vineyard USA Associations

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Rubén Quintero, leader of our VUSA Hispanic Association, will be sharing a devotion he has prepared for the second week of Advent on the theme of Peace from Luke 2:13-14, followed by the song “Shalom” from Vineyard Worship’s album “This Joy.”  

As a reminder, we’ll be taking off the month of January, but we’ll be back in February with our regular interviews!

Show Notes: 

This Joy

Vineyard Worship

Vineyard USA Associations

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Melanie Forsythe-Lee, leader of our VUSA Women’s Association, shares a devotion she has prepared on the theme of Hope from Isaiah 11:1-10, followed by the song, “O Come O Come Emmanuel” from Vineyard Worship’s newest album release “Behold,” created in partnership with Heaven and Earth, Vineyard Columbus’s worship and songwriting community.

As a reminder, we’ll be taking off the month of January, but we’ll be back in February with our regular interviews!

Show Notes: 

Behold

Heaven and Earth Worship

Vineyard Worship

Vineyard USA Associations

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Tish Harrison Warren about Advent. They discuss the beautiful ways that observing the church calendar provides intentional points of connection with the Holy Spirit, and how it affords the chance to learn the entirety of Scripture by working within the story communally throughout the year. Tish also talks about how the season of Advent not only connects us with the waiting of the past and the places where we’re still waiting for Jesus to come today. 

Tish Harrison Warren is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America. She is the author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life (Christianity Today‘s 2018 Book of the Year) and Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work, or Watch, or Weep (Christianity Today‘s 2022 Book of the Year). 

Currently, Tish writes a weekly newsletter for The New York Times and is a columnist for Christianity Today. Her articles and essays have appeared in Religion News Service, Christianity Today, Comment Magazine, The Point Magazine, The New York Times, and elsewhere. 

For over a decade, Tish has worked in ministry settings as a campus minister with InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministries, as an associate rector, and with addicts and those in poverty through various churches and non-profit organizations. Now, Tish serves as Writer in Residence at Resurrection South Austin. She is a founding member of The Pelican Project and a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum. She lives with her husband and three children in the Austin, Texas area.

 

Show Notes: 

Advent: The Season of Hope by Tish Harrison Warren

Register now for Better Together!

 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with David Parker about growing up as a troublemaker in an irreligious home and the backward way he came to know Jesus. David shares about building a church where people feel comfortable bringing their loved ones, some practical ways to make your church more welcoming to unchurched people, and why he loves having a church filled with non-Christians.

David Parker is Pastor Emeritus of the Desert Vineyard Christian Fellowship, an outward-focused church in the high desert of Southern California. Over its 45-year history, the Desert Vineyard has pursued a vision to connect with its community and culture in a way that has produced a diverse and fruitful congregation. 

David has a B.A. in Ancient History from the University of Missouri and an M.A. in Theology from Regent College, Canada. He has been a featured speaker for the past 35 years at worldwide Vineyard and New Wine conferences.  David and his wife Nancy have a loving marriage of 47 years and a close family of four adult children and five grandchildren who live in the western parts of Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

Show Notes: 

David Parker’s sermon at Arvada Vineyard 11/5

Knowing God by J.I. Packer 

Register Now for Better Together!

 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Christian Dunn about how well the church cared for his family during a hard time in his childhood, being empowered to lead a youth group as a teenager, and launching a youth conference that drew hundreds of teens. They discuss the value of fluid spaces that church members can move in and out of for connection and training and the relational magic that happens before and after structured church meetings. Christian talks about the biggest changes he’s noticed in youth ministry over the last years, the things he’s praying for right now in Vineyard Youth, and some thoughts for senior pastors. 

Christian, and his wife Mandy, live with their four amazing kids in southeastern Pennsylvania. He worked in youth ministry for 20+ years before planting CityLight Vineyard Church in 2017. He has had the pleasure of serving as the leader of the East Region for over a decade, and is currently serving as the 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.” 

Show Notes: 

Redpoint Podcast 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Marshal Prewitt about growing up in an enthusiastically Christian household in the early 90s and the positive ways that shaped him. Marshal shares an experience where he decidedly dedicated his life to serving the Lord, following a prophetic word to an internship in New Zealand, and learning quiet intimacy with the Lord in prayer rooms. Marshal talks about discovering the need for pastoring and relationships to accompany the prophetic and finding his home in a Vineyard church where he was further shaped by the faithful steadiness of his community and leaders. Finally, Marshal shares some thoughts on the full-circle moment he finds himself in.

Marshal Prewitt is the lead pastor of Vancouver Vineyard Church in southwest Washington and is the VUSA Regional Leader for the Northwest Region.

Show Notes:

Vancouver Vineyard Church

 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Raymond McDonald about being born to teenage parents, how the race issues in his church taught him that Jesus is not limited by the beliefs of humans, and the influence of his praying grandmother who continually reminded him of the pastoral call on his life. Raymond shares about wrestling between a life of rock’n’roll and pastoring, the Lord’s relentless pursuit of him, and the prophetic occurrences that finally made him decide for the Kingdom. Raymond also talks about some of the ups and downs he’s experienced during his years in the Vineyard and why he’s sticking with it. 

Raymond McDonald is the new Regional Leader for the Gulf Coast Region and has previously served Multiply Vineyard as a Regional Representative and a Church Planting Coach.

Raymond has been part of the Vineyard since 1991 when he came to Anaheim Christian Fellowship as a guitar player involved with Vineyard Music. After leaving the Anaheim Vineyard in 1996, Raymond and his wife, Teresa, planted the Vineyard Church of Conroe in January 2001. Raymond has been very involved in the city, serving on many boards as well as City Council.

He is also known in the Christian music world by the stage name the “Hon. Rev. Sleepy Ray”, and has toured and recorded albums with his band “Sleepy Ray and The Mighty Blood.”  Raymond and Teresa have been married for 30 years and have raised their 3 children and adopted 8 more and now have 7 grandchildren.  

Show Notes:
Vineyard Church of Conroe

Hon. Rev. Sleepy Ray on Spotify

 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Van and Laurie Cochrane about their family backgrounds and how the Lord orchestrated their relationship. Van shares his process of unlearning the cessationist teachings of his seminary, their emotional and spiritual adjustment to beginning to feel and witness the moves of the Holy Spirit, and their journey into the Vineyard.

Van and Laurie Cochrane are the founding and senior pastors of Vineyard Northwest in Ohio and serve Vineyard USA as Regional Leaders for the Great Lakes Region.

After pastoring cessationist churches for 15 years, God opened Van’s heart to the full ministry of the Holy Spirit in 1994. He and Laurie eventually launched Vineyard Northwest in 2001. In 2011-2012, they began to lead the church into a renewed passion for the Holy Spirit, focusing on presence-driven worship, healing, and prophetic ministry. In the past ten years, the Lord has brought dynamic young leaders, dynamic older leaders, in-house prophets, and more Holy Spirit power and ministry than they had seen before. School of Kingdom Ministry has had a big impact on Vineyard Northwest. Van’s heart is to see young leaders raised up and empowered and older leaders renewed and empowered. He deeply appreciates healthy prophetic ministry and has a special call to restore wounded prophets. They have been married for 48 years and have four married children and ten grandchildren.

Show notes: 

Vineyard Northwest on Youtube 

Surprised By The Power Of The Spirit by Jack Deere

 

 

 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Alexia Salvatierra about being born with a sense of justice in her gut, and then meeting Christ and experiencing a hope that power and love can coexist. Alexia shares about wrestling through the obstacles of being a woman in ministry, the scriptural basis for why she believes women can be pastors and preachers, and the many facets of how she sees her call as a person of justice. Alexia also provides some insight into current immigration issues in the US and some easy on-ramps to befriending people in your community who are different than you. 

Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra is the Academic Dean for Centro Latino at Fuller Theological Seminary. She is the co-author of “Faith-Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World” and “Buried Seeds: Learning from the Resilience of Vibrant Marginalized Christian Communities”, and as part of a team, “God’s Resistance: Mobilizing Faith to Defend Immigrants”. She is a Lutheran Pastor with over 40 years of experience in congregational (English and Spanish) and community ministry, including church-based service and community development programs, congregational/community organizing and legislative advocacy.

Dr. Salvatierra is a consultant for a variety of organizations, including World Vision, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, and the Christian Community Development Association. She has been a national leader in the areas of working poverty and immigration for over 25 years and has founded multiple programs and organizations both in the US and overseas. These included a gang prevention program for at-risk immigrant youth, a community computer center, and an intergenerational community garden where the elderly taught at-risk youth to grow produce for sale as well as a collaborative of UC students, homeless leaders, and congregation members providing emergency services in the streets of Santa Cruz and the migrant farmworker camps in Watsonville. In the Philippines, she trained urban poor women in Manila to serve as chaplains to their neighbors.

Show Notes: 

Faith-Rooted Organizing by Alexia Salvatierra and Peter Heltzel

Buried Seeds by Alexia Salvatierra and Brandon Wrencher 

God’s Resistance by Brad Christerson, Alexia Salvatierra, Robert Chao Romero and Nancy Wang Yuen 

Centro Latino de Fuller Seminary

 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Paul Zahl about soul care as we transition through different life stages. Paul shares how our internal life changes as we move from the busyness of mid-life into a slower third stage of life, why it’s crucial to deal with unhealed trauma and the harmful effects of habitually suppressing feelings. Jay and Paul discuss the difference between meddling and helping in mentoring relationships, the necessity of finding ways to have fun and laugh, and the life-changing opportunities in real listening. Finally, Paul shares some encouragement for Vineyard Pastors.  

Paul Zahl is a retired Episcopal minister with 48 years of ordained service. He attended Harvard College, the University of Nottingham, and Tuebingen University in Germany, where he received his doctorate in systematic theology in 1993. He has served parishes in Washington, D.C.; New York City and Westchester County, NY; Charleston, S.C.; and Birmingham, AL, where he was Dean of the Episcopal Cathedral.  He later became Dean/President of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. He has written 11 books.

Paul and his wife of almost 50 years, Mary, have three adult sons, all of whom are in full-time Christian service.

Show Notes: 

Peace in the Last Third of Life by Paul Zahl

More of Paul’s books

PZ’s Podcast by Mockingbird Ministries (directed by Paul’s son David)

 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Marvin and Carmen Suarez about each of their early life experiences, first encounters with the Holy Spirit, and dedicating their life to serving the Lord and the church. Marvin and Carmen recount their journey of faith, moving to Colorado to attend Seminary while struggling to find a church community and the welcome they received at the Fort Collins Vineyard that changed everything. They talk about navigating God’s call to return to Puerto Rico to plant a Vineyard church and some of what they have experienced over their years in the Vineyard as Hispanic leaders. 

Marvin and Carmen Suarez are the founders and Senior Pastors of La Viña Church in the west side of Puerto Rico, Area Leaders for the Puerto Rico area, and serve on the core team of Vineyard USA’s Hispanic Association. They just completed a Two Year Bilingual Program on Spiritual Direction from Sustainable Faith. 

Carmen holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Puerto Rico. She worked as a Supply Chain Manager and other Project Management Positions in Hewlett Packard (in PR and CO) for over 28 years. She left the business world to become a full-time pastor in Dec 2012. Marvin graduated with a Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering and a Master’s in Engineering Systems from the Engineering School of the University of Puerto Rico and worked in this vocation for over ten years.  He also completed an M.Div from Denver Seminary, CO.  

They have been married since 1985 and have two adult children.

Show Notes: 

Pastors at Risk by H.B. London and Neil B. Wiseman

Marvin & Carmen’s Church 

Watch Tuesday’s session of the National Conference, hosted by the Hispanic Association! 

Vineyard Worship resources in español

Denver Seminary 

 

 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Dany and Letty Mercado about each of their immigration stories and how they met in a Catholic church choir in Chicago. Dany shares how his life was derailed by his parents’ divorce and how the Lord orchestrated his path to repentance. Dany and Letty describe their journey in bi-vocational ministry while raising a family, doing Holy Spirit ministry in the Catholic church, attending Moody Bible Insitute while ministering in a Baptist church, and their introduction to the Vineyard through worship, and they share about how continually saying yes to the Lord has impacted their marriage and ministry. 

Dany and Letty pastor La Viña Gurnee in Illinois. In 2009 the Mercados joined the Vineyard, and after working for more than 15 years in youth ministry (and Dany leading worship), they were challenged to plant a bilingual Hispanic Church. This is how La Viña Gurnee was founded (with 6 other people) in November 2013.

Currently, Dany and Letty serve as the Midwest North Regional Leaders as well as Area Leaders for the Southern Wisconsin Vineyard Churches/Chicago Las Viñas. Dany is also part of Ruben Quintero’s team for the Hispanic Association (Las Viñas). 

Dany and Letty have been married for 29 years and have 3 children and 4 grandchildren.

Show Notes: 

Register for the Personal Development Course through the Hispanic Association or email [email protected] for more info! 

Vineyard Worship resources en español

 

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. He and his wife 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 while in High School. This year marks 35 years of church ministry as a Vineyard Pastor.

Paul and his wife Linnea have been happily married for 35 years, and they are incredibly proud of her and their kids Brian (Bonnie) and Brittany (Andy). They have been together since they were both in middle school. Paul is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys biking, fly fishing, camping, golfing, and other sports. He also loves baking bread, playing guitar, reading and writing poetry.

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 Olson
bit.ly/3RhyUWe

Tehachapi Vineyard
Tehachapivineyard.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. 

 

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. 

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 Thao

Asbury 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 Kid*Net 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: 

 

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

Listen to Mary Anne’s talk at the AAPI Summit:

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/pentecost2023 Hear Josh and Candy on a previous episode of We Are Vineyard!:  New York Times Article about Josh and Candy: https://nyti.ms/3oKrH5b Christ The Healer by F.F. Bosworth: https://amzn.to/41UA8sM Pablo 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 UK

Trent 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 catalyst 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: 

@vineyardusa

Twitter: @nickygumbel

Insta: @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/3G7OEVr

Let 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 notes
Register now for Vineyard USA’s 2023 National Conference!
The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
Surprised By The Power Of The Spirit by Jack Deere

social:
VUSA Instagram: @Vineyardusa
Instagram: @pchorlian
Facebook: philchorlian
twitter: @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.   

 

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 Loritts
https://amzn.to/41fz3wb

Black Pastors and Leaders Association
https://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/podcast

Read stories of Black leaders in the Vineyard, and learn more about Black History Month!
Vineyardusa.org/blackhistorymonth

Vineyard USA Associations
https://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.

 

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.

 

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.

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 Haidt
https://amzn.to/3iQglt8

The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt
https://amzn.to/3Hvs3Uj

The Atheist’s Guide to Reality by Alex Rosenberg
https://amzn.to/3iPPUUs

Socials:
@vineyardusa
Vineyardusa.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:
@vineyardusa
Vineyardusa.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