A Vineyard Church

Every community of believers has its own culture. Our cultural style, values and distinctives come from the tribe we belong to, namely, VineyardUSA.

As a member of VineyardUSA we root our theology in Jesus’ teaching of the now and not yet of the Kingdom of God, with an emphasis on the priesthood of believers where everybody gets to play. We believe in a naturally supernatural model where we get to do “the stuff” that is outlined in the pages of the New Testament.

The Vineyard is a God-initiated, global movement of churches (of which VineyardUSA is a part) with the Kingdom of God as its theological center. The Bible is our rule of faith and practice. Our desire is to know the Bible, do what it says, and experience the way of living it describes. We embrace a full range of Kingdom practices, from proclaiming the Good News of Jesus, to healing and deliverance, to ministry with the poor. Vineyard churches practice intimate worship, actively equipping ordinary people for ministry, responding to the initiative and leading of the Holy Spirit, and joining God’s mission in the world.

We occupy the middle ground between Evangelicals and Pentecostals in that we believe the miracles and the gifts of the Spirit are for today while maintaining an evangelical theology rooted in the main and the plain of Scripture. As such, we are known as Empowered Evangelicals.

At Tampa Bay Vineyard we are passionate for Jesus and we partner with the Holy Spirit so that the proclamation and demonstration of God’s Kingdom go hand in hand. As part of our values we pray for the sick, we confront injustice, and we seek to hear the voice of God on behalf of others.

What it Means to be Vineyard

We are a part of the Vineyard Association of Churches, but what does that really mean?

Pastor Jay has taught frequently on many Values of the Vineyard but it is not easy to cover all that is Vineyard on any given Sunday.

The vineyardusa.org website has a wonderful amount of information on their site that can supplement the information that has been shared over the past months. Additionally, they have numerous Podcasts you can listen to on a variety of subjects. All of this information will help to understand what it means when we say “We are Vineyard”.

So, to get the full picture on being Vineyard, check out the VineyardUSA website. For a brief overview, see some of the summaries below.

About the Vineyard

The Vineyard Purpose

The Vineyard’s primary purpose - “Equipping ordinary people for the work of ministry." What does this all mean? Basically it means:

“The Vineyard family of churches is a missionally-minded community, committed to carrying the words and works of Jesus into every arena of human life.”

The Vineyard USA website

The Vineyard Core Values & Beliefs

The key aspect of the values and beliefs is “Maintaining historical, Biblical orthodoxy - embracing the authority of the Scriptures and the activity of the Spirit.” This includes:

• Partner with the Holy Spirit

• Experience & Worship God

• Engage in Compassionate Ministry

• Reconcile People with God & all Creation

• Pursue Culturally Relevant Mission in the World.

For more on the Vineyard Core Values, check out the following:

• Check out the Ordinariness and the Extraordinaries of what God has called us to. Our Core Values

• Download the PDF Vineyard Core Values and Beliefs.

The Vineyard Distinctives

Some of the most popular distinctives provide an overview of what it is to be Vineyard:

The Main & The Plain - Our experience of the Kingdom of God is rooted in the words and works of Jesus. We teach the Bible, and the main and the plain truths of the Kingdom.

Come, Holy Spirit - We need a constant filling of the Holy Spirit, and this ancient prayer is an invitation for the Spirit to touch us again.

Come As You Are, But Don’t Stay As You Are - You’ll be loved no matter what state you’re in when you come to the Vineyard. But we also believe that Jesus intends to change us, so we say “Yes.”

Remember The Poor - We lean toward the lost, the poor, the outcast, and the outsider with the compassion of Jesus. 

The Already & The Not Yet - God’s Kingdom is here – it is already. It is also not fully here – it is not yet. That means we have a theology both for suffering, and for signs and wonders.

Everyone Gets To Play - We don’t have superstar leaders. Whether we’re praying for the sick or caring for the poor, we believe that anyone can do the work of the Kingdom. 

Naturally Supernatural - We avoid hype or emotional manipulation. We want to be naturally supernatural as we pray for healing, prophesy, or care for the broken.

For a more complete explanation on What is the Vineyard, here is a PDF on Our History, Values, and Distinctives.

Vineyard Media

What is the Vineyard?

To get a good understanding of what it means to be Vineyard, check out the following:

John Wimber

The Vineyard is rich in offerings. Some of the best teachings come from the early face of the Vineyard, John Wimber. Here you can find a brief bio on John Wimber as well as some of the most popular teachings.

John Wimber

Podcasts

The Vineyard offers numerous Podcasts, on various platforms, including - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music and Castbox. Last year they would put out a new Podcast on each Wednesday. So, if you haven’t checked them out go listen to a few. There are different subjects, as well as different speakers. Currently there are dozens to listen to, so give it a listen.

PODCASTS

Also, there is a list of suggested reading to help you learn more about the Vineyard, so if listening to a podcast is not your cup of tea, check out some of the recommended reading materials.

Global Vineyard

The Vineyard Church is not just limited to the USA. There are over 2400 Vineyard churches world wide. Currently there are Vineyards in 95 countries. So, it is not just an American thing, here are some of the Global Vineyards: