About
The Vineyard Southeast is a part of the Vineyard USA.
Vineyard USA History from Vineyard USA on Vimeo.
1. God the King and the Holy Trinity
WE BELIEVE that God is the Eternal1 King2. He is an infinite,3 unchangeable4 Spirit,5 perfect6 in holiness,7 wisdom,8 goodness,9 justice,10 power11 and love.12 From all eternity13 He exists as the One14 Living15 and True16 God in three persons17 of one substance,18 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,19 equal in power and glory.20
1Deuteronomy 33:27; Romans 1:20; 2Psalm 95:3; Isaiah 43:15; 3Psalm 147:5; Job 11:7-9; 4James 1:17; 5John 4:24; 6Matthew 5:48; 7Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 115-16; 8Psalm 104:24; Proverbs 2:6; Isaiah 28:29; 9Exodus 33:19; Psalm 63:2; Psalm 31:19; 10Psalm 33:5; Psalm 89:14; Isaiah 30:18; 11Exodus 15:6; 121 John 4:8; 13Isaiah 43:13; 14Isaiah 45:5; 1 Corinthians 8:4; 15Psalm 42:2; Psalm 84:2; 16Jerimiah 10:10; 17John 1:18; John 10:30; John 14:9; John 14:16-17; John 14:26; John 15:26; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 18John 1:1; John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 3:17; 19Matthew 28:19-20;2 Corinthians 13:14; Revelation 1:4; 20Revelation 5:13; Ephesians 3:14-21
2. God the King: The Creator and Ruler of All Things
WE BELIEVE that God’s kingdom is everlasting.21 From His throne,22 through His Son, His eternal Word,23 God created,24 upholds25 and governs26 all that exists:27 the heavenly places,28 the angelic hosts,29 the universe,30 the earth,31 every living thing32 and mankind.33 God created all things very good.34
21 Psalm 45:6; Psalm 145:13; Daniel 4:3; 22Psalm 93:1-2; 23John 1:1-3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 1:1-2; 24Genesis 1:1; Psalm 95:3-5; 25Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3; 26Psalm 103:19; Psalm 104:24-29; 27Psalm 96:4-6; 28Psalm 89:11; 29Psalm 103:20-21; 30Colossians 1:16-17; 31Psalm 104:5; 32Psalm 103:22; 33Psalm 22:28; Psalm 47:8; 34Genesis 1:31
3. Counterfeit Kingdom: Satan and Demonic Hosts
WE BELIEVE that Satan, originally a great, good angel, rebelled against God, taking a host of angels with him.35 He was cast out of God’s presence and, as a usurper of God’s rule, established a counter-kingdom of darkness36 and evil on the earth.37
35Revelation 12:7-9; 362 Corinthians 11:14; Colossians 1:13-14; Ephesians 6:12; 37Mark 3:22-26; Ephesians 2:1-2; 1 John 5:19
4. The Kingdom in the Creation of Man, the Fall and The Doctrine of Original Sin
WE BELIEVE that God created mankind in His own image, male and female,38 for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth.39 Under the temptation of Satan,40 our original parents fell from grace,41 bringing sin,42 sickness43 and God’s judgment of death to the earth.44 Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God’s good creation.45 Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam’s original sin.46 Human beings are born in sin,47 subject to God’s judgment of death48 and captive to Satan’s kingdom of darkness.49
38Genesis 1:26-27; 39Genesis 1:26; 40Genesis 3:1; Revelation 12:9; 41Genesis 3:8; Romans 1:21; Romans 5:16; 42Romans 5:12; 43John 5:14; 441 Corinthians 15:22; 45John 8:44; 1 John 5:19; 46Romans 8:20-23; 47Psalm 51:5; 48Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 2:5; Romans 2:12; Hebrews 9:27; 49Galatians 1:3-5; Galatians 4:8-9; Colossians 1:13
5. God’s Providence, Kingdom Law and Covenants
WE BELIEVE that God did not abandon His rule over the earth50 which He continues to uphold by His providence.51 In order to bring redemption, God established covenants52 which revealed His grace to sinful people.53 In the covenant with Abraham, God bound Himself to His people Israel, promising to deliver them from bondage to sin and Satan and to bless all the nations through them.54
50Psalm 24:1; Psalm 96:10; 51Isaiah 40:22; Hebrews 1:3; 52Romans 9:4; 53Ephesians 2:12; 54Genesis 17:3-8; Genesis 12:2-3; Genesis 15:4-6; Romans 4:3-5; Romans 4:16; Romans 4:20- 25; Galatians 3:6-9; Galatians 3:13-14
WE BELIEVE that as King, God later redeemed His people by His mighty acts from bondage in Egypt55 and established His covenant through Moses, revealing His perfect will and our obligation to fulfill it.56 The law’s purpose is to order our fallen race57 and to make us conscious of our moral responsibility.58 By the work of God’s Spirit,59 it convicts us of our sin60 and God’s righteous judgment against us61 and brings us to Christ alone for salvation.62
55Exodus 15:3-18; 56Exodus 19:3-6; Exodus 24:3-4; Exodus 24:7; Romans 8:3-4; Romans 8:12- 14; 57Deuteronomy 5:1-3; Deuteronomy 30:15-18; Galatians 3:23-25; 58Psalm 25:8-10; Romans 7:7; 59John 15:26; John 16:8-11; 2 Corinthians 3:14-17; 60Romans 7:13; Galatians 3:19; Galatians 3:21-22; 61Romans 2:1-11; 62Galatians 3:24; Philippians 3:8-9
WE BELIEVE that when Israel rejected God’s rule over her as King,63 God established the monarchy in Israel64 and made an unconditional covenant with David,65 promising that his heir would restore God’s kingdom reign over His people as Messiah forever.66
631 Samuel 8:6-8; 641 Samuel 8:21-22; 1 Samuel 9:15-16; 1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 10:24; 652 Samuel 7:11b-16; Psalm 89:34-37; 66Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:1-5; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Ezekiel 34:23
6. Christ the Mediator and Eternal King
WE BELIEVE that in the fullness of time,67 God honored His covenants with Israel and His prophetic promises of salvation68 by sending His Son,69 Jesus, into the world.70 Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary,71 as fully God and fully man in one person,72 He is humanity as God intended us to be.73 Jesus was anointed as God’s Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit,74 inaugurating God’s kingdom reign on earth,75 overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation,76 preaching the good news of salvation,77 healing the sick,78 casting out demons79 and raising the dead.80 Gathering His disciples,81 He reconstituted God’s people82 as His Church83 to be the instrument of His kingdom.84 After dying for the sins of the world,85 Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day,86 fulfilling the covenant of blessing given to Abraham.87 In His sinless, perfect life88 Jesus met the demands of the law89 and in His atoning death on the cross90 He took God’s judgment for sin91 which we deserve as law-breakers.92 By His death on the cross He also disarmed the demonic powers.93 The covenant with David was fulfilled in Jesus’ birth from David’s house,94 His Messianic ministry,95 His glorious resurrection from the dead,96 His ascent into heaven and His present rule at the right hand of the Father.97 As God’s Son and David’s heir,98 He is the eternal Messiah- King,99 advancing God’s reign throughout every generation and throughout the whole
earth today.100
67Mark 1:15; Galatians 4:4; 68Romans 1:2-4; 69John 1:14; 70John 1:17-18; 71Luke 1:30-35, 72John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-7; 73Romans 5:19; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 1 Peter 2:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:29; 74Luke 3:21-22; Luke 4:16-21; 75Mark 1:14-15; Luke 11:20; Luke 17:20-21; 76Luke 4:1-13; 77Luke 4:43; 78Luke 4:40; 79Luke 4:41; 80Luke 7:14-17; 81Mark 1:16-17; 82Mark 3:13-15; 83Matthew 16:18; 84Luke 9:1-2; Luke 10:1-17; 85John 1:29; John 6:51; John 4:9-10; 86Mark 8:31; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; 87Galatians 3:13-14; 88Acts 3:14-15; Hebrews 4:15; 89Romans 5:18-19; 90 1 Peter 2:24; 91Galatians 3:13; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 92Romans 1:18; Romans 1:32; Romans 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; 93Colossians 2:13-15; 94Matthew 1:1; 95Luke 1:68-72; Luke 2:10-11; Matthew 9:27; 96Acts 2:24-28; 97Acts 2:29-36; 98Romans 1:1-4; 99Hebrews 1:1-3; 100 1 Corinthians 15:24-26; Ephesians 1:19-23; Revelation 5:5
7. The Ministry of the Holy Spirit
WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church at Pentecost in power,101 baptizing believers into the Body of Christ102 and releasing the gifts of the Spirit to them.103 The Spirit brings the permanent indwelling presence of God to us104 for spiritual worship,105 personal sanctification,106 building up the Church, 107 gifting us for ministry,108 and driving back the kingdom of Satan by the evangelization of the world109 through proclaiming the word of Jesus110 and doing the works of Jesus.111
101Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-4; 1021 Corinthians 12:13; 1031 Corinthians 12:4-7; 104John 14:16-17; 105Romans 12:1; Ephesians 5:18-20; 106Romans 8:3-4; 1071 Corinthians 14:12; 1 Corinthians 14:26; 108Romans 12:4-6; 109Luke 11:20; 1 John 3:8b; 110Ephesians 6:10-20; 111John 14:12-13; Romans 15:18-19; 1 Corinthians 4:20
WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ112 and that He is our abiding Helper,113 Teacher,114 and Guide.115 We believe in the filling or the empowering of the Holy Spirit,116 often a conscious experience,117 for ministry today.118 We believe in the present ministry of the Spirit119 and in the exercise of all of the biblical gifts of the Spirit.120 We practice the laying on of hands for the empowering of the Spirit,121 for healing,122 and for recognition and empowering of those whom God has ordained to lead and serve the Church.123
112Romans 8:9-10; 113John 16:7; 114John 14:26; 115John 16:13-15; Romans 8:14; 116Luke 24:49; Acts 4:31; 117Acts 8:18-19; Acts 19:1-2; 1181Corinthians 2:4-5; 2 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Corinthians 6:4-7; 119Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:15-17; 1201 Corinthians 12:7-11; 1 Corinthians 14:1; 1 Corinthians 14:5; 1Thessalonians 5:19-21; 121Acts 8:14-17; Acts 19:6; 122Mark 1:41; Luke 6:18b-19; Mark 16:18; 123Acts 13:1-3; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6
8. The Sufficiency of Scripture
WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of Holy Scripture124 so that the Bible is without error125 in the original manuscripts. We receive the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments126 as our final, absolute authority, the only infallible rule of faith127 and practice.128
1242 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13; John 14:26; 125Psalm 19:7-9; Psalm 119:30; Psalm 119:43; Psalm 119:89; Matthew 5:17-18; John 3:34; John 10:35; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Revelation 22:6; 126Luke 24:44; 2 Peter 3:15-16; Revelation 22:18-19; 127Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35; 128Matthew 7:21; Matthew 7:24; Luke 1:38; James 1:22-25
9. The Power of the Gospel Over the Kingdom of Darkness
WE BELIEVE that the whole world is under the domination of Satan129 and that all people are sinners by nature130 and choice.131 All people therefore are under God’s just judgment.132 Through the preaching of the Good News of Jesus and the Kingdom of God133 and the work of the Holy Spirit,134 God regenerates,135 justifies,136 adopts137 and sanctifies138 through Jesus by the Spirit139 all who repent of their sins140 and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord141 and Saviour.142 By this they are released from Satan’s domain and enter into God’s kingdom reign.143
129Luke 4:5-7; 1 John 5:19; 1301 Corinthians 15:22; Ephesians 2:1-3; 131Romans 1:21-23; Romans 1:32; 132Romans 1:18; Romans 2:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Ephesians 5:6; 133Mark 1:14-15; Acts 8:12; Acts 28:31; Ephesians 5:5; 134John 16:7-11; 135John 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:23; 136Romans 5:1-2; Romans 5:9; 137Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6; 138Ephesians 5:25; Hebrews 13:12; 1391 Peter 1:1-2; 140Acts 2:38; 141Romans 10:9; 1421 John 4:13-15; 143Colossians 1:13-14; Philippians 3:20
10. The Church: Instrument of the Kingdom
WE BELIEVE in the one,144 holy,145 universal Church.146 All who repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit147 and form the living Body of Christ,148 of which He is the head149 and of which we are all members.150
144John 17:20-21; Ephesians 4:3-6; 1451 Corinthians 3:16-17; 146Matthew 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 2:18-19; 1 Peter 2:9-10; 147Titus 3:4-7; 148Romans 12:4-5; 149Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 5:23; 1501 Corinthians 12:27
11. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ committed two ordinances to the Church: water baptism151 and the Lord’s Supper.152 Both are available to all believers.
151Matthew 28:19-20; 1521 Corinthians 10:14-17; 11:23-26
12. The Kingdom of God and the Final Judgment
WE BELIEVE that God’s kingdom has come in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ,153 that it continues to come in the ministry of the Spirit through the Church,154 and that it will be consummated in the glorious, visible and triumphant appearing of Christ155 – His return to the earth as King.156 After Christ returns to reign,157 He will bring about the final defeat of Satan and all of his minions and works,158 the resurrection of the dead,159 the final judgment160 and the eternal blessing of the righteous and eternal conscious punishment of the wicked.161 Finally, God will be all in all162 and His kingdom, His rule and reign,163 will be fulfilled in the new heavens and the new earth,164 recreated by His mighty power, in which righteousness dwells165 and in which He will forever be worshipped.166
153Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 12:28; 154Matthew 6:10; Matthew 10:7-8; Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:11; John 15:26-27; Romans 14:17-18; 155Mark13:26; Acts 1:9-11; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; 156Revelation 19:11-16; 157Matthew 25:31-32; 1 Corinthians 15:23-25; 158Revelation 20:10; 1591 Corinthians 15:51-52; 160John 5:28-30; Revelation 20:11-15; 161Matthew
25:31-46; 1621 Corinthians 15:24-28; 1631 Timothy 6:13-16; 1642 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:5; 165Revelation 21:27; 1661 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 7:9-12
Humble Beginnings
The Vineyard story is about ordinary people who worship and serve an extraordinary God. The Vineyard is simply one thread in the rich tapestry of the historic and global Church of Jesus Christ. But it is a thread of God’s weaving.
From the beginning, Vineyard pastors and leaders have sought to hold in tension the biblical doctrines of the Christian faith with an ardent pursuit of the present day work of the Spirit of God. Maintaining that balance is never easy in the midst of rapid growth and renewal.
John Wimber was a founding leader of the Vineyard. His influence profoundly shaped the theology and practice of Vineyard churches from their earliest days until his death in November 1997. When John was conscripted by God he was, in the words of Christianity Today, a “beer-guzzling, drug-abusing pop musician, who was converted at the age of 29 while chain-smoking his way through a Quaker-led Bible study” (Christianity Today, editorial, Feb. 9 1998).
The Early Years
In John’s first decade as a Christian he led hundreds of people to Christ. By 1970 he was leading 11 Bible studies that involved more than 500 people. Under God’s grace, John became so fruitful as an evangelical pastor he was asked to lead the Charles E. Fuller Institute of Evangelism and Church Growth. He also later became an adjunct instructor at Fuller Theological Seminary where his classes set attendance records. In 1977, John reentered pastoral ministry to plant Calvary Chapel of Yorba Linda.
Throughout this time, John’s conservative evangelical paradigm for understanding the ministry of the church began to grow. George Eldon Ladd’s theological writings on the kingdom of God convinced John intellectually that all the biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit should be active in the church. Encounters with Fuller missiologists Donald McGavaran and C. Peter Wagner and seasoned missionaries and international students gave him credible evidence for combining evangelism with healing and prophecy. As he became more convinced of God’s desire to be active in the world through all the biblical gifts of the Spirit, John began to teach and train his church to imitate Jesus’ full-orbed kingdom ministry. He began to ‘do the stuff’ of the Bible that he had formerly only read about.
The Vineyard Is Born
As John and his congregation sought God in intimate worship they experienced empowerment by the Holy Spirit, significant renewal in the gifts and conversion growth. It became clear that the church’s emphasis on the experience of the Holy Spirit was not shared by some leaders in the Calvary Chapel movement. In 1982, John’s church left Calvary Chapel and joined a small group of Vineyard churches. Vineyard was a name chosen by Kenn Gulliksen, a prolific church planter affiliated with Calvary Chapel, for a church he planted in Los Angeles in 1974. Pastors and leaders from the handful of Vineyard churches began looking to John for direction. And the Vineyard movement was born.
A Season of Expansion
Twenty-five years later, there are more than 1,500 Vineyard churches worldwide, six-hundred in the US, with 8 regions actively planting churches across the country. Vineyard worship songs, documented by Vineyard Music, have helped thousands of churches experience intimacy with God. Many churches have been equipped to continue Jesus’ ministry of proclaiming the kingdom, demonstrating the kingdom and training disciples.
The Vineyard’s journey has not been a straight path. It winds through many trials and triumphs. If you are interested in more, there are a number of books and DVDs available from Vineyard Resources that explore the history, events, issues and people who shaped the Vineyard in its first two decades.
Kingdom Theology & Practice
The Vineyard is committed to the theology and practice of the kingdom of God—rooted in the vision of the Hebrew prophets and fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. The movement is distinctively rooted in a renewed understanding of the centrality of the kingdom in biblical thought. We view the kingdom of God as the overarching and integrating theme of the Bible.
From the beginning, the Vineyard has been committed to proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God and to bearing witness to the “already and not yet” of the kingdom in our words and deeds—through healing (physical, emotional, and social), doing justice, and delivering those held captive by evil. Since the kingdom of God is the future reign of God breaking into the present through the life and ministry of Jesus, we are a forward-leaning movement that emphasizes the ever-reforming nature of the church and engages the world in love.
Culturally Relevant Mission
The church exists for the sake of those who are exiled from God. We are called to bring the gospel of the kingdom to every nook and cranny of creation, faithfully translating the message of Jesus in language and forms that are relevant to diverse peoples and cultures.
The Vineyard seeks to plant churches that are culturally relevant in a wide variety of settings, both locally and internationally. Each Vineyard church is encouraged to reach those in its community not already reached by existing churches. To this end, we promote a creative, entrepreneurial, and innovative approach to ministry that is faithful to Jesus and expressive of his desire to reach those who are far away from God.
Compassionate Ministry
We lean toward the lost, the poor, the outcast, and the outsider with the compassion of Jesus, knowing we are sinners whose standing before God is utterly dependent on his mercy. This mercy can only be truly received inasmuch as we are willing to give it away.
We believe that ministry in Jesus’ name should be expressed in concrete ways through the local church. The poor are to be served as though we serve Jesus himself. This is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a church expressing the love of Christ in a local community.
In fact, in all forms of ministry, compassion is a hallmark of the One who was “moved with compassion” in the face of human need. This being the age of grace—and “the year of the Lord’s favor”—compassion should constitute the leading edge of our service to God, each other, and our broken world. With humility, we seek to avoid unauthorized judgments of others, realizing that we suffer and struggle along with the rest of humanity.
Reconciling Community
Jesus is reconciling people to God, to each other, and to the entire creation. He breaks down divisions between Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female. Therefore, Vineyard churches are committed to being communities of healing, engaged in the work of reconciliation wherever sin and evil hold sway.
We also seek to be diverse communities of hope that realize the power of the cross to reconcile what has been separated by sin. This requires that we move beyond our personal preferences and engage those whom we perceive to be unlike us. We must actively work to break down barriers of race, culture, gender, social class, and ethnicity.
We are convinced that the church—locally, nationally, and globally—is meant to be a diverse community precisely because Jesus is Lord over every nation, tribe, and tongue. We are not satisfied with the status quo when it doesn’t reflect this kingdom reality. Instead, we pray eagerly for the coming of God’s kingdom here and now and hope to see the reconciliation that is evidence that kingdom in our midst.
Experiencing God
The triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is eager to be known and experienced by all. We believe that God is searching for the lost and longs to draw us into loving, intimate relationship with him. In Vineyard churches, we welcome God’s personal presence, we seek to be attentive to his presence, and we value the passionate pursuit of his presence in order to respond in obedience to his initiatives.
We understand God’s presence as a palpable reality. As we become increasingly sensitive and responsive to the Spirit’s presence, we too can learn to “see what the Father is doing” and support his work with our lives.
We value an approach to God’s presence that is respectful both of God and others. We eschew hype and other efforts to manipulate either God’s presence or the response of others to his presence. We distinguish between the Holy Spirit and the human response to the Holy Spirit, which shares in all the beauty and brokenness of our humanity.
These, then, are the core values that draw us together as a movement. They are different aspects of the treasure buried in the field that is the Vineyard. The treasure, of course, is the kingdom of God embodied and brought forth by Jesus of Nazareth.
