WCVINEYARD
W H O A R E W E ?
West Coast Vineyard Church forms part of the Association of Vineyard Churches of Southern Africa or AVC, which is part of the International Association of Vineyard Churches.
Dave Pederson is the present senior leader of the Association (National Director). His task is to encourage local Vineyard Churches and encourage church planting and renewal of Churches within South Africa and on the African Continent.
Every Vineyard church is completely independent and at the same time inter-dependant.
There is no denominational control or hierarchy, as there is in many other denominations. Each church is self-governed and determines its own affairs. Each Church relates to the Vineyard Association on a “relational basis” not a “legal basis”
INTER-CHURCH ASSOCIATION (Other denominations)
Vineyard churches are encouraged to develop good relationships with other denominations. Over the years we have built positive working relationships with a number of other denominational churches.
VINEYARD MISSION
MISSION
Our mission is to be transformed by the life and love of Jesus Christ, so we can transform the community around us by God’s power.
To reach the cities, towns, and villages of the nations to which God calls us with the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, joining God in His mission by the planting of Vineyard churches and the ministry of renewal among all churches.
4 Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. 5 I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates (works against) his [Christian] brother he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
JOHN 15: 4-5 (AMP)
1 JOHN 4: 20 (AMP)
“God is not done with his work when we first believe and are saved. Spiritual growth is not optional or marginal in the Christian life. Every person that truly believes in Christ is increasingly transformed into his likeness.”
- John Piper
1 Therefore let us get past the elementary stage in the teachings about the Christ, advancing on to maturity and perfection and spiritual completeness, [doing this] without laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of teaching about washings (ritual purification), the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. [These are all important matters in which you should have been proficient long ago.] 3 And we will do this [that is, proceed to maturity], if God permits.
HEBREWS 6: 1-3
(AMP)
// PHYSICAL TALENTS
A person’s natural ability for doing something.
// SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Supernatural abilities that we receive from the Holy Spirit. These are given according to His purposes. We do not own these gifts, rather we function as vessels for them to work through us.
(1 Corinthians 12)
// RESOURCES
Anything you can use to serve & expand God’s kingdom.
10 God has shown you his grace in many different ways. So be good servants and use whatever gift he has given you in a way that will best serve each other.
1 PETER 4: 10 (ERV)
36 When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion and pity for them, because they were dispirited and distressed, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is [indeed] plentiful, but the workers are few.
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
But you are his chosen people, the King’s priests. You are a holy nation, people who belong to God. He chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He brought you out of the darkness of sin into his wonderful light.
MATTHEW 9: 36-37 (AMP)
HEBREWS 13:15-16 (NIV)
1 PETER 2: 9 (ERV)
A BRIEF HISTORY OF VINEYARD
The Vineyard started in the late 70s and early 80s. Birthed out of the Jesus movement that came from the hippie culture of southern California, it started with a group of people who desperately wanted more of God. The group that would eventually become the Vineyard was led by John Wimber. The Vineyard is grounded in the theology of the Kingdom of God. The Vineyard consists of people who, much like the early members, are ordinary people who love and serve an awesome God.
For our Statement of Faith please take time to check out the Vineyard SA website. www.vineyard.org.za
THE VINEYARD GENETIC CODE
In every Vineyard Church in the world, the following nine things are considered essential values in line with the Association’s beliefs and practices:
THE MAIN AND THE PLAIN
The bible is our plumb-line. We want to focus on believing and learning to do what the scriptures say.
THE NOW AND THE NOT YET
We are unashamed and unembarrassed that the power of suffering of the kingdom of God goes hand in hand. And we will encourage a lifestyle that expects and yet does not demand that the kingdom of God is demonstrated everywhere we are.
COME HOLY SPIRIT
While we believe that God is present in our lives without this prayer, the deepest cry of our heart is that we need his tangible presence right now. This is the central pray of our liturgy.
WORSHIPERS OF GOD AND RESCUERS OF PEOPLE
We are given to the expression of worship and compassion in every part of our lives. This is our expression of loving God and loving our neighbor.
EVERYONE GETS TO PLAY
We refuse to have an elite group. Everyone gets to participate in doing the works of Jesus.
COME AS YOU ARE, DON'T STAY AS YOU ARE
We love to create environments where people can belong before they believe. God welcomes us just as we are, but he is never content to leave us as he found us.
NATURALLY SUPERNATURAL
We embrace an absence of hype or manipulation, and simply want to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. We want to get out of God’s way, to understate our involvement and humbly allow God to work in other’s lives.
EQUIPPING THE SAINTS
We will continually invest ourselves in training and equipping God’s people to do what Jesus did.
LEADERS WHO WALK WITH A LIMP
We want leaders who know their own weaknesses and failures, who never try to pretend that they are above those they lead.
