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Association of Vineyard Churches

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Association of Vineyard Churches
Vineyard Wordmark
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationNeo-charismatic
TheologyEvangelical
AssociationsChristian Churches Together
RegionClaims 95 countries
Origin1982
Separated fromCalvary Chapel
SeparationsToronto Blessing
CongregationsClaims 2,400
Members220,941 in US (2010)
Official websitewww.vineyard.org
Christian denominations in the United States
American interchurch
Anabaptist
Anglican
Baptist

African-American Baptist

Catholic
Eastern Christian
Eastern Orthodox

Oriental Orthodox

Eastern Protestant

Eastern Catholic
Lutheran
Methodist and Holiness
Pentecostal
Holiness Pentecostal

Finished Work Pentecostal

Oneness Pentecostal

Presbyterian and Reformed
Radical Pietist
Stone-Campbell
Other

The Association of Vineyard Churches, also known as the Vineyard Movement, is an international neocharismatic evangelical Christian association of churches.[1]

The Vineyard Movement is rooted in the charismatic renewal and historic evangelicalism. Instead of the mainstream charismatic label, however, the movement has preferred the term Empowered Evangelicals (a term coined by Rich Nathan and Ken Wilson in their book of the same name) to reflect their roots in traditional evangelicalism as opposed to classical Pentecostalism. Members also sometimes describe themselves as the "radical middle" between evangelicals and Pentecostals, which is a reference to the book The Quest for the Radical Middle, a historical survey of the Vineyard by Bill Jackson.

It has been associated with the "Signs and Wonders" movement,[2]: 199  the Toronto blessing,[2]: 222  the Kansas City Prophets[2]: 160  and a particular style of Christian worship music.[2]: 212 

The Vineyard operates a publishing house, Vineyard International Publishing.

History

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The Vineyard has its origins in the founding of a Calvary Chapel church by Kenn Gulliksen and his wife Joanie, members of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, in 1974, in Los Angeles in the United States.[3][4] In early 1975, thirteen groups met at the Beverly Hills Women's club.[5]: 80  These Bible studies, and others like them, were attended by many popular actors/actresses and musicians including Bob Dylan.[5]: 81  Gulliksen's Vineyard had spun off sister churches.

In 1977, John Wimber, an evangelical pastor and teacher on church growth, founded a Calvary Chapel in Yorba Linda, California.[6] Wimber's teaching on healing and the ministry of the Holy Spirit led to conflict. In a meeting with Calvary Chapel leaders, it was suggested that Wimber's church stop using the Calvary name and affiliate with Gulliksen's Vineyard movement.[7] In 1982, Wimber's church changed its name to the Anaheim Vineyard Christian Fellowship. Gulliksen turned over the churches under his oversight to Wimber, beginning his leadership of the Vineyard movement. Evangelist Lonnie Frisbee credits Gulliksen as founder of the Vineyard movement.[8] In 1982, 8 churches founded the Association of Vineyard Churches.[9]

Beginning in 1988, Wimber established relationships with leaders known for their prophetic ministry, such as Paul Cain, Bob Jones, and Mike Bickle who pastored Kansas City Fellowship, an independent church which would come under the Vineyard banner as Metro Vineyard (see Kansas City Prophets). For a time, these men had considerable influence on Wimber and the Vineyard—according to Jackson, Wimber's son was delivered from drug addiction through a prophetic word from Jones.[10] However, there were those in the Vineyard who were skeptical, and Wimber himself became disillusioned over the restorationist teaching and failed prophecies of these men. Around 1991, Wimber began to distance himself from the prophetic movement, leading the Vineyard back to a church-planting direction, while Bickle's church withdrew and dropped the Vineyard label.

The Vineyard Movement suffered a visible leadership vacuum after Wimber's death on November 16, 1997.[11] However, Todd Hunter, who served as National Coordinator since February 1994 and as acting Director of the Vineyard at the time of Wimber's death, became the National Director in January 1998 and served in that capacity until he resigned in May 2000.[12] After Hunter's resignation, the National Board of Directors named Bert Waggoner of Sugar Land, Texas, as the new National Director. As of 2007, the Association of Vineyard Churches includes over 2400 churches around the world, and this number continues to grow due to a strong priority placed on church-planting within the Vineyard mission.[6] In October, 2011, Phil Strout was selected by the National Board of Directors to succeed Waggoner as National Director in January 2013.[13] He served until October, 2021 when Jay Pathak was installed as the National Director.

Statistics

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According to a census published by the association in 2022, it had 2,400 churches in 95 countries.[14] The 2010 US Religious Census showed over 200,000 members in the United States.[15]

Beliefs and practices

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Doctrinal statements

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For most of the early life of the Vineyard Movement, Vineyard churches had no official statement of faith. This is not to be interpreted as an absence of a common belief structure; rather, the primary reasons for the absence of such a declaration were:

  • the demonstrative teaching of John Wimber, who effectively set the tone and doctrinal beliefs of the movement
  • a desire to reflect the "low-key," "low-pressure" environment of the church that encouraged people to "come as you are"
  • specifically, de-emphasizing any atmosphere or actions that could be considered overtly dogmatic.

According to text in the official Vineyard Statement of Faith[16] released in 1994, an effort to create a common Statement of Faith had been underway since 1983, but took 10+ years to complete because: "On one hand, we felt obliged to set forth our biblical and historically orthodox beliefs; on the other hand, we wanted to describe the values and priorities that make the Vineyard unique within the context of Evangelicalism."[17]

LGBTQ+ position

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In a 2020 letter to local church leaders, Vineyard Canada expressed its position that having a non-heterosexual orientation is not itself sinful, however the church does not allow the officiating of same sex marriages or licensing people in same sex marriages for pastoral ministry. This letter also distinguished gender identity from sexual orientation as its own theology and policy matter that requires further consideration.[18]

Branches

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United States

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The national headquarters of Vineyard USA is currently located in Stafford, Texas. Vineyard USA is divided into eight regions, and each region has clusters of churches grouped together by location, facilitated by an Area Pastoral Care Leader (APCL). The APCL's work together with the Regional Overseer (RO) to provide leadership and encouragement to the region. The central governing body of the Vineyard in the U.S. is known as the Executive Team, and includes the National Director. Currently, the President and National Director is Jay Pathak. All major strategic decisions, including theological and doctrinal statements, are made by the National Board. In 2018, Vineyard USA is estimated to have approximately 200,000 members in 600 churches.[19]

In the United States, Vineyard is nondenominational and evangelical.[20]

United Kingdom and Ireland

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Main article: Vineyard Churches UK and Ireland

Denmark

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As of December 2022, there are seven Vineyard churches in Denmark. Those are located in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Roskilde, Aalborg, Rønne (Bornholm), and Helsingør.[1]

Vineyard Worship

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Vineyard Worship is a record label created and used by the Association of Vineyard Churches. The organization uses it to release worship albums. A UK branch of the record label exists, called Vineyard Records. Its musicians include Samuel Lane, Brenton Brown,[21] Brian Doerksen, David Ruis, Cindy Rethmeier, Scott Underwood, Andy Park, Kevin Prosch, Anabeth Morgan, Tim Brown, Joshua Miller, Tina Colón Williams, Kyle Howard, Casey Corum, Ryan Delmore, Darren and Jessie Clarke, Nigel Briggs, Nigel Hemming, Jeremy Riddle, Kathryn Scott,[22] and many others.[23]

History

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Vineyard Music was developed by the Vineyard church in 1985. The church began to write its own worship songs, so John Wimber founded Mercy Records. This later became Vineyard Worship.

Early discography

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  • Worship Songs Of The Vineyard 1: Hosanna (1985)
  • Worship Songs Of The Vineyard 2: You Are Here (1985)
  • Worship Songs Of The Vineyard 3: Come Holy Spirit
  • Worship Songs Of The Vineyard 4: Glory (1986)
  • Worship Songs Of The Vineyard 5: Draw Me Closer (1988)
  • Worship Songs Of The Vineyard 6: We Welcome You (1989)
  • Worship Songs Of The Vineyard 7: No One but You (1989)
  • Worship Songs Of The Vineyard 8: Give Him Praise (1990)
  • Worship Songs Of The Vineyard 9: I Want to Know You (1990)
  • Worship Songs Of The Vineyard 10: Refiner's Fire (1991)
  • Worship Songs Of The Vineyard 11: Bring Your Kingdom (1992)
  • Worship Songs Of The Vineyard 12: Lord Over All (1993)
  • Hungry (1999)

Controversies

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Healing on the Streets

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A leader within the Causeway Coast Vineyard, in Northern Ireland, Mark Marx, started a branch of the church called 'Healing on the Streets'.[24] This organisation made promises to cure medical conditions through faith healing, first on the streets of Coleraine and then training other churches.[25] These claims - including the claim they could heal cancer - have been challenged by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) who concluded that the claims were 'misleading'. This led to media stories around the Bath group,[26] and the Nottingham group.[27]

The Evangelical Alliance policy arm is led by Peter Lynas, who is also Chair of the Causeway Coast Vineyard board.[28] Evangelical Alliance supported Mark Marx organisations and believes the regulations should not apply to the Healing on the Streets activities.[29]

Mark Marx and Causeway Coast Vineyard founder Alan Scott have now moved together to Dwelling Place, California.[30]

Causeway Coast Vineyard

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The founder and trustees of the Causeway Coast Vineyard in Northern Ireland have been the subject of a number of internal and external investigations. Founder Alan Scott has been accused of having a messiah complex,[31] and in 2023 several of his family members had to resign from leadership positions in the church following historic allegations of spiritual abuse.[32]

The church's founders, Alan and Kathryn Scott, had left and moved to Anaheim Vineyard, California, in 2018. Before Alan and Kathryn left, Kathryn's sister, Janet Young, along with her husband, Neil Young, were made joint senior pastors.[33]

A prominent Theologian, Dr. Luke Martin, attended the church as a teenager before achieving a PhD at Oxford University and teaching at the famous Eton College.[34] He has criticised Alan publicly and pointed out that there was no open recruitment between Alan and Kathryn Scott leaving Northern Ireland, and the appointment of their family members Neil and Janet Young. Dr. Martin also noted that neither Neil and Janet had any theological qualifications.[35]

After Alan and Kathryn's departure, reports started to emerge that Alan had been an abusive leader in Northern Ireland. The trustees of the church eventually commissioned an independent report. In this, respondents alleged that Alan Scott had appeared ‘all knowing’ and that he had told them God would tell him if anybody spoke about him, even in their own homes, and that he knew people's sin by looking at them.[36]

Neil and Janet Young resigned in 2023 as they could not support the findings of the trustee's independent report against their family members.[37]

At the same time, in California, Anaheim Vineyard took Alan to court for fraud due to his decision to take the Anaheim church and its $62 million worth of assets out of the Vineyard movement.[38] The Vineyard movement alleged that Alan had promised not to do this during the recruitment process, and they alleged he had been fraudulent in this promise.

Alan renamed the now independent Anaheim church 'Dwelling Place',[39] where he remains as pastor. Similar concerns have continued at Dwelling Place under Scott, and in 2024 their worship leader was prohibited from attending a Christian conference following allegations of spiritual abuse while under Alan Scott's leadership at Dwelling Place.[40]

In September 2024, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland stepped in and have decided to run another investigation into the Causeway Coast Vineyard.[41] The focus of this new probe is around the church's governance arrangements and its response to the allegations made against Alan and Kathryn Scott.

Like the senior leadership of the church, the trustee board is dominated by one family - the Lynas family - and their spouses.[42] The Lynas family are one the wealthiest in the area, who own a major food distribution operation.[43] The Chairperson, Peter Lynas, is also works for Evangelical Alliance,[44] a controversial lobby group who have been criticised for their conservative stance on a range of issues.[45], [46]

The Toronto Blessing

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Main article: Toronto Blessing

In January 1994, the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church, a member of the association, experienced an outbreak of physical manifestations (such as laughter, weeping, and shaking) that it claimed were the work of the Holy Spirit.[47] These events continued for many months and became known as the Toronto Blessing.[47] Large numbers of Christians from numerous countries visited the church to experience the phenomena and take them back to their home congregations.[47] The "blessing" received considerable publicity and proved highly controversial.[47] Some Christian leaders disputed the church's assertion that the manifestations were divine in origin.[47] A leading critic was Hank Hanegraaff who wrote a book, Counterfeit Revival, which charged the church with promoting heresy.[48] However, other Christian leaders endorsed the "blessing" as a genuine work of God.[47] In December 1995, the Toronto church was removed from membership in the Association of Vineyard Churches for placing excessive emphasis on the manifestations and losing focus on the Bible.[49] The church then changed its name to Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, and later to Catch The Fire Toronto.

The Network

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The Network is an international group of churches founded by Steve Morgan which broke away from the Vineyard Association in 2006. The Network's methods and practices have been criticized for being spiritually abusive,[50] controlling, manipulative,[51] and misogynistic.[52] Steve Morgan's qualifications as a pastor have also been questioned because of his arrest in 1987 for allegedly committing aggravated criminal sodomy against a teenager in November, 1986.[53] Former Vineyard officials who had contact with Steve Morgan during the time of his ordination have denied knowledge of Steve Morgan's arrest.[54]

Steve Morgan had originally planted Vineyard Community Church of Carbondale, Illinois in 1995 after hearing John Wimber speak at a conference. Vineyard Community Church of Carbondale, Illinois, changed its name to Vine Church and left the Vineyard denomination in 2006, taking several midwest Vineyard churches with it to form an independent church planting network, which they called a "No Name, No Account Network."[55] Eventually, this name became shortened to "The Network."

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. ^ Despite the fact that some might see denominational labels as divisive, the founder of the movement John Wimber said "The Association of Vineyard Churches – for better or worse – is a denomination." Nigel Scotland Charismatics and the New Millennium (Guildford: Eagle, 1995).
  2. ^ a b c d Nigel Scotland Charismatics and the New Millennium (Guildford: Eagle, 1995)
  3. ^ Drew Blankman, Todd Augustine, Pocket Dictionary of North American Denominations, InterVarsity Press, USA, 2010, p. 22
  4. ^ Randall Herbert Balmer, Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism: Revised and expanded edition, Baylor University Press, USA, 2004, p. 713
  5. ^ a b Jackson, Bill (1999). The Quest for the Radical Middle. Vineyard International Publishing. ISBN 0-620-24319-8.
  6. ^ a b "History & Legacy". Vineyardusa.org. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  7. ^ Jackson, Bill. "A Short History of the Association of Vineyard Churches" in Church, Identity, and Change: Theology and Denominational Structures in Unsettled Times. David A. Roozen and James R. Nieman, Editors. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005. ISBN 0-8028-2819-1. p. 136.
  8. ^ Frisbee, Lonnie; Sachs, Roger (2012). Not By Might Nor By Power. Santa Maria, CA: Freedom Publications. p. 127. ISBN 978-0978543310.
  9. ^ Peter Clarke, Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements, Routledge, Abingdon-on-Thames, 2004, p. 672
  10. ^ Jackson (2005), p. 137.
  11. ^ "The Quest for the Radical Middle". Archived from the original on 2006-05-03. Retrieved 2006-09-12.
  12. ^ "The Vineyard | A Community of Churches". Archived from the original on 2006-09-10. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
  13. ^ "Vineyard Distinctives". Vineyardusa.org. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  14. ^ Association of Vineyard Churches, Our Global Family, vineyardusa.org, USA, retrieved November 5, 2022
  15. ^ "US Religious Census - Single-year report - all denominations - 2010".
  16. ^ "Foreword" (PDF). Vineyardusa.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  17. ^ "Welcome to The Vineyard Church". Thevineyardchurch.us. Archived from the original on 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  18. ^ "2020-02-05 National Vineyard Letter" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-02-20. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  19. ^ "Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches". The National Council of Churches. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
  20. ^ Luhrmann (2012, pp. 3, 15); Freudenberg (2019, paragraph 10).
  21. ^ "Ultimate Easter Worship Collection – CCM Magazine". Ccmmagazine.com. 15 March 2014. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  22. ^ "Kathryn Scott: Declaring His Goodness – CCM Magazine". Ccmmagazine.com. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  23. ^ "Sarah Brusco: 'The Woven Whisper' album review – CCM Magazine". Ccmmagazine.com. March 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  24. ^ "Healing On The Streets". Healing On The Streets. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  25. ^ "Are miracles happening on the streets of Coleraine?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  26. ^ "Bath Christian group's 'God can heal' adverts banned". BBC News. 2012-02-03. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  27. ^ "Nottingham church changes healing claim after complaint". BBC News. 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  28. ^ "Peter Lynas". Evangelical Alliance. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  29. ^ Alliance, Evangelical. "Healing on the Streets advertising appeal". Evangelical Alliance. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  30. ^ "Meet the Team". Dwelling Place Anaheim. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  31. ^ "Causeway Coast Vineyard shows why not to trust a man with a messiah complex". 2023-10-13. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  32. ^ "CCV church leaders resign amid spiritual abuse probe". BBC News. 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  33. ^ Vineyard, Causeway Coast (2023-10-29). "Statement from the Senior Leadership Team and the Trustees of Causeway Coast Vineyard regarding the resignation of Senior Pastors Neil & Janet Young - Causeway Coast Vineyard". causewaycoastvineyard.com. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  34. ^ White, Josh (2020-12-02). "Theology teacher at Eton claims 'pupils are being indoctrinated'". Mail Online. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  35. ^ "The Story behind Creed and Culture | Dr Luke Martin". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  36. ^ "Alan Scott: CCV pastor 'knew people's sins by looking at them'". BBC News. 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  37. ^ Vineyard, Causeway Coast (2023-10-29). "Statement from the Senior Leadership Team and the Trustees of Causeway Coast Vineyard regarding the resignation of Senior Pastors Neil & Janet Young - Causeway Coast Vineyard". causewaycoastvineyard.com. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  38. ^ Silliman, Daniel (2022-11-22). "Lawsuit: Vineyard Anaheim Exit Was About Money, Not Holy Spirit". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  39. ^ "Dwelling Place Anaheim: A Welcoming Church Community in Anaheim, CA". Dwelling Place Anaheim. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  40. ^ Hopkins, Rebecca (2024-04-24). "Jeremy Riddle Removed from Prayer Conference Amid Allegations of Spiritual Abuse". The Roys Report. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  41. ^ "Fresh probe launched into troubled NI church". 2024-09-26. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  42. ^ "CAUSEWAY COAST VINEYARD CHURCH people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  43. ^ "Lynas expansion aims to create 100 jobs with roll-out of outlet stores". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 2017-06-22. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  44. ^ "Peter Lynas". Evangelical Alliance. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  45. ^ Braidwood, Ella (2018-07-16). "Vicky Beeching calls Evangelical Alliance to account over blog post that 'spreads misinformation'". PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  46. ^ "'Easier to reveal sexuality than faith,' Education Committee told". BBC News. 2024-11-07. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  47. ^ a b c d e f Maxwell, Joe (1994-10-24). "Is Laughing for the Lord Holy?". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  48. ^ Hanegraaff, Hank Counterfeit Revival Word Publishing. 1997
  49. ^ James A. Beverley,Vineyard Severs Ties with 'Toronto Blessing' Church, christianitytoday.com, USA, January 8, 1996
  50. ^ "Former members of Bloomington's High Rock Church allege spiritual abuse". IDS News. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  51. ^ Gutteridge @nico_gjc, Nicholas (2023-04-20). "'I entered as a spiritual refugee and stayed on as a prisoner'". The Battalion. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  52. ^ "Misogynistic content in Valley Springs Church's Instagram Post". LEAVING THE NETWORK. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  53. ^ "Whistleblowers: Network Church Leader Hid 'Horrific' Sex Crime for 36 Yrs". The Roys Report. 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  54. ^ "Vineyard Officials Were Not Aware of Steve's Arrest for Sexual Assault Against a Minor". LEAVING THE NETWORK. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  55. ^ Morgan, Steve (November 2011). "Our Story and How We Do Church: A Training Resource for Network Pastors" (PDF).

Sources

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Further reading

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  • Worshiping with the Anaheim Vineyard: The Emergence of Contemporary Worship by Andy Park, Lester Ruth, and Cindy Rethmeier ISBN 978-0-8028-7397-2
  • The Quest for the Radical Middle: A History of the Vineyard by Bill Jackson ISBN 0-620-24319-8 – A look at the history of the Vineyard through 1999.
  • The Way It Was by Carol Wimber ISBN 0-340-73539-2 – A biography of John & Carol Wimber's life before and during their time in the Vineyard.
  • Power Healing by John Wimber ISBN 0-340-39090-5 – John Wimber's teachings regarding healing
  • Power Evangelism by John Wimber ISBN 0-340-56127-0 – John Wimber's teachings regarding evangelism
  • Empowered Evangelicals by Rich Nathan and Ken Wilson ISBN 0-89283-929-5
  • Who Is My Enemy by Rich Nathan ISBN 0-310-23882-X
  • Jesus Brand Spirituality by Ken Wilson ISBN 0-8499-2053-1
  • Saving God's Green Earth: Rediscovering the Church's Responsibility to Environmental Stewardship by Tri Robinson ISBN 0-9748825-8-5
  • Small Footprint, Big Handprint: How to Live Simply and Love Extravagantly by Tri Robinson ISBN 0-9786394-8-0
  • Naturally Supernatural by Gary Best ISBN 0-620-34814-3
  • Conspiracy of Kindness by Steve Sjogren ISBN 978-0-8307-4572-2 – Detailing the practice of "Servant Evangelism" embraced and employed by many of the churches within the Vineyard Movement in early 1990s to present as well as a large portion of evangelical churches outside the movement.
  • Not The Religious Type by Dave Schmelzer ISBN 1-4143-1583-X – A perspective on faith in Jesus from a former atheist-turned-Vineyard pastor.
  • Breakthrough by Dr. Derek Morphew, Academic Dean of Vineyard Institute. A perspective of the Gospel as a proclamation of the Kingdom of God. ISBN 1-86823-039-2
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