WHO WE AREA History of Vineyard Missions. Since 2002, Vineyard Missions USA has served as the missions arm of the Vineyard, A Community of Churches. Each of the more than 630 churches belonging to the Vineyard community is an independent local congregation and has full autonomy, with responsibility for its own decisions, including its missional efforts. Vineyard Missions serves these churches by interacting with interested individuals and organizations internationally, organizing various volunteer groups (e.g., the Missions Task Force and country partnerships), and reporting back to the churches on the development of church planting efforts internationally. It also provides capacity building in cross-cultural skills, leadership development and for the care of long-term, cross-cultural workers (LTCCWs) supported by the individual churches of the community. The Vineyard Genetic Code. Local church based missions is part of the genetic code of the Vineyard. John Wimber, its founder, always said that equipping of the Saints is crucial and that “Everyone gets to play!” – meaning simply that in the church every member has something to offer. At a Vineyard pastor’s conference in September1992, Wimber taught on 10 areas of ministry that were essential to any Vineyard church, which he called the "Vineyard Genetic Code." This Code includes common denominators that identify the Vineyard as a family. Among these is a commitment to missions and church planting at home and the world abroad.
A Partnership Model. The Vineyard uses U.S. based partnerships to further missions. A partnership is a group of churches that voluntarily come together and choose a particular target area to focus in. No church is expected to go it alone! Together, along with the people living in the target areas, they develop a strategic plan and carry out the vision. Partnerships make cross-cultural and trans-local missions available to churches of all sizes. In partnership, the total burden does not fall on one church and the work in the targeted area does not fluctuate with the life of a single church. In addition, new opportunities for fellowship and friendships are available among the partners. As the African proverb says, “If you want to go fast - go alone. If you want to go far - go together.” Background Information. The name of the corporation is: Association of Vineyard Churches – Missions. The specific purpose of the organization is to proclaim the Christian message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by mobilizing, equipping and empowering Vineyard churches in the United States to engage in cross-cultural ministry and to develop the Vineyard movement throughout the world. It was formed as an integrated auxiliary of the Association of Vineyard Churches - USA, a nonprofit religious corporation now known as Vineyard, A Community of Churches. It provides the organizational and administrative services and the theological and spiritual underpinnings through which the long-term, cross-cultural activities of the movement and its affiliated churches occurs.
Board of Directors. All of the members of the Board of Directors of the Corporation are designated by the Association of Vineyard Churches – USA. The board currently consists of:
The financial resources of the organization are entirely derived from the AVC USA which raises the funds by a percentage contribution made by its constituent churches. The organization adheres to the Statement of Faith of the AVC, USA. |