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 Phil Strout, the new Vineyard USA National Director Elect, posted an updated on the leadership transition on his blog this morning. At a little over nine minutes, it is a fairly short video – so I would recommend wandering over there and watching it.
In the meantime here are some of my thoughts about the what Phil said:
First off, I just realized that the full leadership transition is going to take a full 12 months instead of the six or nine that I originally thought. This means that both Phil and Bert Waggoner will be working together throughout 2012 (it is the here and not yet of national leadership!!) 
Secondly, in the video Phil talked a bit about focusing the actions and personnel of the Vineyard instead of chasing too many ministries… the example he told was of an eagle who tried to catch two rabbits at the same time. In the end, the eagle was left hungry as its attention was divided.
While I can understand the point Phil is trying to make…I also have concerns about what that looks like.
One of the jewels of the Vineyard is that we have tried to be a center-set movement welcoming anyone who is chasing King Jesus. This means that we have a wide range of people with different church backgrounds, theological viewpoints, culture worldviews, passions, etc. There is no ‘in’ or ‘out’ boundary so much as we try to operate as a family help each other follow Jesus (emphasis on the ‘try’ as this is a hard tension to live in).
As such, my concern with Phil’s comments on focusing is that I hope it does not lead to an ‘in’ or ‘out’ mentality in which churches or individuals are judged based upon the way they look, the ministries they have or whatever boundary marker is chosen.
Continue reading Vineyard USA Leadership Transition: Comments on Phil Strout’s Recent Update
 In case you haven’t heard, Vineyard USA is in the middle of choosing a new National Director as Bert Waggoner announced that he was retiring near the beginning of the year. The process that the National Board decided to follow is an amazing one that bridges the gap between organizational oversight and Spirit lead.
The process started off in the month of May with each senior pastor nominating someone (besides themselves) that they thought would be a good National Director. The top 13 candidates (men and women) were then asked if they felt God calling them to the position. Of those 13, four of them felt compelled to walk forward – leading to a three month application and review process with the National Board, who would then choose a final candidate.The last phase of the nomination process is a movement wide confirmation of the nominated National Director by each of the local churches.
It is too this last phase of the process that I would like to draw your attention as the National Board has proposed Phil Strout as the next Vineyard USA National Director.
As he awaits the final confirmation for the local churches within the movement, Phil has posted a video introducing himself and sharing his heart for the Vineyard. I would highly recommend everyone (inside or outside the Vineyard) to watch this video as I believe it caries a message for the church in general.
Continue reading Introduction by the Newly Proposed Vineyard National Director
Vineyard USA just released the audio sound tracks of the 2011 National Conference. I highly recommend that you wonder over there and give the main sessions a listen as they are powerful (yes, this means folks both within and without the Vineyard – God’s word knows no boundaries).
Brian Anderson – The Kingdom of [...]
Next week is the 2011 Vineyard USA National Conference in Phoenix, Az. It should be a happening conference concerning that Bert Waggoner, the current director of the Vineyard, is stepping down this year….
Add to that, the fact that this will be Emily and mine first National Conference as Senior Pastors (A HUGE shout [...]
 (Audio recording of this sermon can be found on the PRV website)
Today, I’m going to kick off a five or six week series looking at who we are because I believe it is extremely important that we know who we are and why God put us here in this valley – in the Payette River drainage.
Then over the next few weeks I am going to be talking about the five values of the Vineyard Movement – one at a time:
- The Theology and Practice of the Kingdom of God
- Experiencing God
- Culturally Relevant Mission
- Reconciling Community
- Compassionate Ministry
This should bring us up to mid-April, just in time to celebrate Easter. Following Easter – say, the beginning of May – I would like to take a look at the big picture of the Bible. What has been God been doing all this time? What is the central motif or framework that supports everything throughout the Old and New Testament?
A lot of time we hear stories about Abraham, Noah, David, Ruth and Joshua – but we really don’t know how they all fit together. They can become isolated stories that may or may not have an impact on our lives….
Starting in May, I would like for us to start on a journey through the entire Bible (don’t worry, we will be moving a lot faster than we did with Acts!) – looking at its unity and focus and how we can join with God in His mission. Sounds good?
Ok…
 It is interesting that right after I wrote yesterday post about celebrating the plethora of movements within Christianity, I received a letter from Bert Waggoner (Vineyard USA National Director) highlighting the diversity within the Vineyard.
Within our movement there are “former Anglicans, Methodists, Nazarenes, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and all varieties in between…Reformed, Calvinist, Wesleyan, Armenian, Catholic, Evangelical, Post-modern, Post-Pentecostal/Charismatic – you name it.”
We have folks on both (or more) sides of almost every theological issue facing church today – not to mention the vast differences of practice within the Movement. There are those who think that the “church should be involved in social justice, protecting the environment (tending the garden), pushing for immigration reform, fighting sex slavery, addressing racism, and resisting war. Still others think the church should confine its efforts to saving souls, healing the body, and perhaps feeding the poor.”
Don’t forget that we have both “left-leaning political liberals and right wing ultra-conservatives” – people from various ethnic group, different geographical area -“north and the south, urban and suburban, urban and rural residents, university city dwellers and small town residents.”
The only folks we don’t have are the true theological liberals or the hard core fundamentalists – neither group could tolerate the kinds of diversity embraced by the Vineyard.
“The fact is, we have few ideologues or theological purists. Most Vineyard leaders do not live in the world of black and white in terms of theology or practice, but rather in the gray that is the reality of church life.”
As Bert pointed out all diversity within the Movement, I began to wonder what held us together… Luckily foresaw that question and answered it with words that echoed those in my heart: Continue reading Thoughts on Bert Waggoner’s Letter to the Vineyard USA
There where some power hitting sermons at the national conference last week. Shoot – I’m still processing a few of them!
The good news is that they are now online!
Session 1: Bert Waggoner
This was a great session outlining the future of the Vineyard Movement, the challenges faced and the opportunities ahead.Session [...]
I was browsing the Vineyard National site when I noticed an article published by Bert Waggoner about the Vineyard Core Values. It seems that the National Board has simplified the long list of beliefs and values into five (5) core ones:
* The Theology and Practice of the Kingdom of God * Experiencing God [...]
Bert Waggoner had an insightful answer to a question about the Church’s response to legalized homosexual marriages in California:
We are not called to police society. We are called to be a people who genuinely, authentically love and display the gospel in order to be salt and light and bring transformation.
Here’s the [...]
I discovered a lecture by Bert Waggoner, the US AVC National Director, entitled "The Vineyard Legacy" – given at the 2008 Northwest Leaders Gathering – Vancouver, WA. In this session, Waggoner pretty covers everything we have been discussing in this thread!! If you the time, I would highly recommend downloading and listening to it!!
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Who Writes This Mess? My name is Joshua Hopping and I am a Son of the Most High journeying through a foreign land following the Wild Goose (i.e. the Holy Spirit) one step at a time.
As I journey along the Way, I have the privilege of serving as the bi-vocational pastor of the Payette River Vineyard Christian Fellowship. I am also a voracious reader who loves studying church history, theology, and world missions.
This blog, "Requisite Danger", is a record of what God is teaching and showing me as I try to follow Him wherever He leads as well as occasional random thoughts. I pray that you will join me in this journey through online/offline interaction as this life is lived in community.
May His grace and peace be upon you.
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