Omaha Vineyard

Today we visited the Omaha Vineyard. It was great! Just like home, but with new faces! Spent some time talking to Scott Ross, the pastor. He definitely has a pastor's heart--very caring. He delivered a great message on not taking advantage of our freedom in Christ. Good stuff!

Even though they are not part of the Midwest region (which is weird!), Scott knows some of the Midwest guys (like Dan Paxton), and knew some about the previous Sioux Falls plant attempt. He said the circumstances weren't right for it. That's the feeling we've gotten from many people we've talked to about it. Scott himself actually planted the church there in Omaha. He came from California and didn't have a team, and yet there they are with a thriving church 14 years later. Very encouraging! He said the first year was HARD though. I believe it!

The big thing to me right now is I want to really develop connections with my future Vineyard neighbors in the north--both pastors and church planters. I believe those connections are going to be vital to the success of our plant. I know we will need those relationships when times get tough and we want to throw in the towel. (Not that those times will ever come. ;))

No one's been over to view our house in several weeks. Still trusting in God's timing, but it's getting harder, not easier!

Calling: The Houston Intensive

This past weekend I went to Houston for the Vineyard Southwest Region Church Planting Intensive. It was a great weekend. It definitely confirmed much of what we've sensed God is speaking to us. There was a lot of information about your calling and character as a church planter. Here are a few quick summary points from Bert Waggoner, the President of the Vineyard, about your calling:

• God takes the initiative. We operate under His mandate, not just a good idea.
• It [church planting] is a horrible career, not just something you choose.
• There are no volunteers. You listen, wait and respond.
• Not based on what we have to offer, but on God’s ability.
• It’s not about us!

I think we constantly need to be reminded that--like Bert said--we need to hear God in any career path we "choose", and that it really isn't a choice at all. We listen and obey. And that's a good thing!

As a side note: The Vineyard in the Houston area has a 90% church planting success rate. Not too shabby (AT ALL!) since the rate at one time was in the 40% range for the Vineyard overall. (I think it's much higher overall than that now.) Sounds like the keys are better qualifying calling, character, and readiness of the church planter, and, I believe, improved relationships between church planters and other Vineyard leaders.

Question to think about: Are you currently doing what you're doing because God called you to do it?

The Importance of Core Values

Of all the organi-

zations and denom-

inations I've been a part of, the Vineyard hits closest to the mark for me. It's definitely not that I think it's the only one, or the best necessarily, but I appreciate the strong emphasis on the kingdom of God. As you can see from the last post, it's a very big deal in the Vineyard.

One of the things I've been thinking a lot about is the Vineyard core values. If we are going to be part of this movement, I think it's important to understand what defines the movement and makes it unique. A new lady visited our church a couple Sundays ago. She said that one of the reasons she came is that she looked at the Vineyard USA site and was impressed by the core values. I'm embarrassed to say that I couldn't remember them and rattled off something about the great music and relevance. If you read the article in the link above, written by the President of Vineyard USA, you'll see why I needed to review them!

The Importance of Vineyard's Core Values | Vineyard USA

What are the core values of your church or denomination? Are they clearly defined? Does everyone know them?

There...up in the clouds! It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's...

...the Vineyard! I dumped in words from articles on the Vineyard USA website and this is what popped out on in a word cloud (from http://www.wordle.net/). I feel good about being part of the Vineyard movement because of the Vineyard's priorities and values. I think this is a good representation!

#1: The Kingdom of God (It doesn't get much better than that! ;))

Do you think there are any words missing from the word cloud? Is there anything the Vineyard (or the church in general) should be focusing on that could be added to the word list?

PS Click on the pic to get a closer look.