We Are Vineyard

Advent – LOVE with Geno OlisonShow Podcast InformationIn this episode of We Are Vineyard, Geno Olison, leader of our VUSA Black Pastors and Leaders Association, shares a devotion he has prepared on the theme of Love from 1 John 4:7-14, Romans 5:8, John 3:16, followed by the song “Behold,” the title track of Vineyard Worship’s newest album release, created in partnership with Heaven and Earth, Vineyard Columbus’s worship and songwriting community. We’ll see you in February 2024 with new episodes! Show Notes:  Behold Heaven and Earth Worship Vineyard Worship Vineyard USA Associations

The Law and The Gospel with David ZahlShow Podcast InformationIn this episode of We Are Vineyard, Caleb Maskell, Associate National Director of Theology and Education, talks with David Zahl about being raised in a family where faith and reliance on God was modeled and they had freedom to find their own path with God. They also talk through three topics that have marked David’s life and writing: mercy, the law and the gospel, and low anthropology.  David Zahl is the founder and director of Mockingbird Ministries, editor-in-chief of the Mockingbird website, and co-host of both The Mockingcast and The Brothers Zahl podcasts. He and his family live in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he also serves on the staff of Christ Episcopal Church. Zahl is the author of Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What To Do About It and

Preaching In The Vineyard: Preaching as a Team with Julia PickerillShow Podcast InformationThis episode of We Are Vineyard is a continuation of our miniseries on preaching hosted by Adam Russell (Lead Pastor of Vineyard Campbellsville in KY and Director of Vineyard Worship) and Ted Kim (Lead Pastor of Evanston Vineyard in IL). Today’s guest is Julia Pickerill, co-Senior Pastor of Vineyard Columbus. In this episode, Julia shares about the unique teaching team approach employed by Vineyard Columbus, and how it fulfills their desire to provide their church with a diverse set of teaching voices. Julia talks about the pros and cons of the team approach, how they ensure the church is hearing a cohesive voice, and how a church might approach developing a teaching team.    Show Notes:  Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil  Listen to Julia’s talk at the 2021 National Conference: The Way On   Vineyard History and Identity Resources:  The Way It Was by Carol Wimber  The Quest For The Radical Middle by Bill Jackson  Empowered Evangelicals by Rich Nathan and Ken Wilson “I’m a Fool For Christ”– John Wimber’s testimony

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Christina Lowery discuss last week’s episode with Mark Batterson, including what Christina loves about their ministry approach. They also talk about why leadership development and succession plans are vital for the Vineyard today, how and why they created Vineyard Leadership Essentials, and some other effective pathways for discipleship. Christina shares about some of the new stuff coming in the Fall for pastors who have just come in as successors, some of what’s happening with NextGen and how she’s working to resource what God’s doing, and what she’s encouraged by as she meets with Vineyards around the country. Christina Lowery is the Associate National Director for Church Health and Development. Early in her ministry career, Christina served as the Events Director for a large student internship at Teen Mania Ministries (Acquire the Fire) in Tyler, TX.  In 2001, she and her husband Joel joined a local Vineyard Church there, and served on the pastoral team for several years until they were called to move back to Virginia and plant Crossroads Church.     Christina and Joel have co-pastored Crossroads Church in Fredericksburg, VA since 2008. As a Lead Pastor, Christina has been a big-picture thinker and creative visionary, responsible for communicating and driving the vision and mission of the church forward. She finds great joy in preaching and teaching, leadership development, and building systems that foster church health and growth. In addition to her local leadership at Crossroads Church, she has served in other leadership roles with the Vineyard, such as an Area Leader in Northern and Central Virginia for ten years (2009-2019) and on the Vineyard Women in Leadership Team for the past three years (2018-2021).  Joel and Christina have been married for 23 years and have 3 amazing kids – Hannah, Caleb, and Zoe.  The Lowery family loves to travel and so far, their favorite destination is Maui, with its warm sun and beautiful island beaches.  Show Notes: Register Now for Vineyard USA’s 2025 National Conferences Listen to Christina’s previous episode  Listen to Mark Batterson’s episode  Vineyard Leadership Essentials Project Timothy

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Christian Dunn about the importance of the teenage years, and how commitment and time are vital to forming relationships with youth. Christian talks about annual nationwide youth camps, Project Timothy, and the ministry fruit he’s seen in young adults who attended Project Timothy as teens. Christian also shares some encouragement for parents of teens.  Christian and his wife Mandy pastor CityLight Vineyard Church in Newark DE which they planted in 2017.  He has worked in youth ministry for three decades has had the pleasure of serving as the East Region Youth Task Force Leader and the VUSA National Youth Director. He is the author of “Finding the One: How Dating Prepares You For Marriage” and “More Than Spectators: Empowering Teens for Ministry.” He is excited about imparting to young people a passion for following Jesus, discovering their gifts, and pursuing their ministry callings.   Show Notes:  Vineyard USA’s Day of Giving 2025  Hear more of Christian’s story Vineyard Youth USA Project Timothy  Alpha Youth

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Jason George talk about the gift of generosity, the responsibility of stewardship, and the discipleship opportunities available in this conversation. They also discuss some practical matters such as wills and legacy giving, the outcomes of last year’s Day of Giving, and the goals and focus of this year’s Day of Giving.    Jason George is the Chief Development Officer for Vineyard USA. Jason was born in Toledo, Ohio, but considers himself a Columbus kid because that’s where he survived & sometimes thrived during middle school & high school. Deciding to stay in Columbus, he earned a B.A. in Journalism from The Ohio State University, and also met Jesus.  That decision has shaped all of Jason’s life since. Following Christ led him to full-time vocational ministry for 14 years after graduation. That time included serving on a staff with a local Central Ohio church for two years and then 12 years between two parachurch organizations.  Along the way, he also graduated from the Vineyard Leadership Institute (VLI). During his time in ministry, he spent 5 years in Central Asia focusing on bringing the Gospel to local communities so that churches could be raised up. Jason believes living and serving overseas transformed much of his understanding of what it means to live with a Kingdom mindset. After returning from his last stint overseas in 2015 Jason went through a very difficult season of change and needed growth. That’s when he found his current church home, Delaware City Vineyard (in Delaware, Ohio), and learned how to transfer that Kingdom paradigm, along with his skills, to a career in fundraising. He started that new phase of his career as an Associate Director of Leadership Annual Giving at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center before becoming a Development Officer with Kenyon College. Jason feels that all his experience in ministry and educational fundraising has uniquely equipped him for this role to help support the vision of Vineyard USA to see more churches planted that “Embrace the Kingdom and engage the world.” Jason is married to Jill and has 4 kids – Vera, Jonah, Seva & Coen. They keep life busy, full, and mostly fun. Lately, their goal together as a family is to choose to cultivate a posture of learning, laughing, and loving… not necessarily in that order.   Show Notes:  Day of Giving 2025 Day of Giving Media Kit  Vineyard Leadership Essentials  Sign up for the VUSA Monthly  

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Kirsten Schwartz about growing up in a military family, cultivating a meaningful career in urban planning, and the family crisis that led her to join a church staff (tw: brief mention of infant loss). Kirsten shares about her research on building a culture of generosity within a congregation, how to raise money without running campaigns, and how generosity aligns with stewardship.   After years of serving as the Director of Generosity at a large church in Cincinnati, Kirsten Schwartz, our Director of Church Partnerships, is a trusted resource for empowering the church to live and give generously. Kirsten has a passion for helping churches navigate around obstacles and complications to grow a culture of generosity. Because her father was an Air Force pilot, Kirsten grew up in many places including Japan and Germany. She has two degrees: a masters in urban redevelopment from the University of Pennsylvania and in landscape architecture from Clemson University. She worked professionally in urban redevelopment with a focus in disaster recovery for cities around the country. Kirsten met her husband, Jason, at a triathlon in Florida. They live together in Cincinnati, Ohio with two children, Asher and Evelyn. Kirsten loves being active, sharing the good news of Jesus, and empowering women to lead in the Kingdom.   Show Notes:  Learn more about JOGs and Generous Giving   Here’s a video for Pastors on how Generous Giving can help them create a culture of generosity at no cost to them.  Follow Generous Giving on socials:  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GenerousGiving Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/generous.giving/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/generous-giving

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Chris Jensen about how a blue-haired punk rock kid ended up in ministry, the prayer that interrupted his life, and learning to be himself in a secular work environment. Chris talks about becoming an organizational health consultant, the role of artificial harmony in the dysfunction of the Church, and markers of health he’s looking for when working with a team. Finally, Chris shares why he decided to work with the Vineyard, and what he’d like to say to Vineyard pastors.  Chris brings over 15 years of experience to his partnership with The Table Group. Whether he's working with a CEO and their leadership team, addressing groups of leaders during a conference or workshop, or counseling a client one-on-one, Chris brings his passion, enthusiasm and contagious optimism for organizational health to every client he touches. Currently, Chris works regularly with CEOs and executive teams in quickly and effectively applying the concepts related to organizational health. His clients span a broad spectrum of various industries, including aerospace, consumer goods, health care, technology, education and local churches. Chris has extensive first hand experience building high-performing teams by implementing the models in his own teams under pressure to produce results.  Prior to partnering with The Table Group, Chris worked for InsideTrack, a San Francisco based technology and service organization, in the enterprise education segment. Before that, he worked in the ministry for nearly 10 years in California. He received his degree in Biblical Studies from Patten University. Chris lives with his wife and five children in Portland, Oregon.    Show notes:  Vineyard USA’s Day of Giving 2025  The Table Group  5 Dysfunctions of a Team  The Advantage by Patrick M. Lencioni 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month! Rubén Quintero, leader of our Hispanic Association chats with Joel and Emmy Seymour about their visit to the US/Mexico border, Miguel Aviles about pastoring a predominantly immigrant Vineyard church, and Jimmy Reyes about the cultural differences in Hispanic and American churches, navigating a multilingual church, and maturing toward unity.  Joel Seymour serves as a Super Regional Leader for Vineyard USA.  Emmie Seymour is a junior studying nursing at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. She has a deep desire to combine healthcare and missions and feels a calling to become a medical missionary. Her love for the Vineyard runs deep - she grew up at the Lancaster Vineyard in Ohio, where she’s served in many roles over the years, from leading Alpha small groups to volunteering with kids and serving as a youth ambassador. Emmie completed the leadership track for Project Timothy in 2023, which helped shape her growth as a leader. Miguel Aviles serves as the lead pastor of La Viña Burnsville in Minnesota alongside his wife Rocio Hernandez. La Viña Burnsville is a vibrant and diverse community, representing people from 17 different Latin American countries and highlighting the cultural richness of the body of Christ. Additionally, the church is home to a flourishing Brazilian ministry, led by a dedicated team, which continues to grow and impact lives with the message of the Gospel. Jimmy Reyes is the lead pastor of the Valley Vineyard in Reseda, CA. He has helped plant two Viña communities in Los Angeles, produced 2 Spanish albums with Vineyard Worship, and led worship at the first Vineyard Hispanic Gathering in the 90’s as a teenager. He also currently serves Vineyard USA as an Area Leader in Southern California.    Show Notes:  Register for Vineyard USA’s Women’s Conference: More. Day of Giving 2025  Vineyard USA’s Hispanic Association  Vineyard USA celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Dr. Charles Montgomery, Jr. talks with Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin about when she first recognized she was called to leadership and the philosophy of redemptive leadership. Dr. Massie Martin also discusses how the Lord shapes us through the struggles and sacrifices of ministry, likening us to a piece of clay on the Potter’s wheel.  Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She is the Chief Operating Officer at Christianity Today and founder and Executive Director of Soulfire International Ministries. She is an accomplished writer and author, serves on various boards and councils, and leads the Grow Ministry at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church in Maryland. She and her husband, Mark, are proud parents to two amazing daughters.   Show Notes:  Register for Vineyard USA’s Women’s Conference: More. Nailing It by Nicole Massie Martin Nicolemassiemartin.com  sfiministries.org  Get a year of Christianity Today for free! 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Dr. Charles Montgomery, Jr. talk about the preliminary work of the Associations, and how immersive experiences like Sankofa and a trip to the border wall of Mexico opened up opportunities for connection and sharing experiences. Charles also shares how the ordination process dovetails with the work of Associations to make more space at the table for historically underrepresented leaders, the opportunities created by clear systems, and how you can be praying for the Vineyard.    Charles A. Montgomery, Jr serves as the Associations Director for Vineyard USA. Charles also founded a successful multiethnic Campus (Vineyard Columbus East) and has pastored there since 2012. His passion is to develop Beloved Communities as espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, an alumnus of Charles’ alma mater, Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Charles has a B.A. in Mathematics from Morehouse, a Master of Divinity from Emory University (Ga) and a PhD in Ethical and Creative Leadership from Union Institute University (OH). He has earned several credentials in Diversity Training and is a Certified Spiritual Director through the Sustainable School of Faith. He considers his greatest accomplishment (ok, grace) being married to his childhood crush, Kimberly. Charles and Kimberly are avid Buckeye fans (Go Bucks!) and make their home in Columbus Ohio.   Show Notes:  Register for Vineyard USA’s Women’s Conference: More.  Tenx10 Undivided

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Caleb Maskell talks with Mark Labberton about the life of the mind and how it intertwines beautifully and necessarily with the practical aspects of life and ministry and the work of the Holy Spirit. Mark also shares some thoughts about the most helpful ways for pastors and leaders to prepare themselves educationally for the task before them, and some practical ways of creating frameworks for mental and theological flourishing.  Mark Labberton is the Clifford L. Penner Presidential Chair Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Preaching at Fuller Seminary. He served as Fuller’s fifth president through 2022, after being appointed to the position in 2013. As Fuller’s president, Dr. Labberton brought to his leadership a deep awareness of the urgency of the gospel of Jesus Christ and a passion for the vital role that Fuller Seminary plays in the enactment of that gospel. For Labberton, this urgency was informed by a sense of the critical and unique contribution Fuller is called to make to the global church. Mark was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and began what was to become three decades of pastoral ministry—along the way, meeting and marrying his life partner, Janet Morrison Labberton. Labberton has been a popular and well-traveled speaker for years, and continues to speak in the US and internationally. In addition to publishing articles in various periodicals such as The Atlantic, Christianity Today, and others, he has authored or edited Still Evangelical? (2017); Called: The Crisis and Promise of Following Jesus Today (2014); The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor: Seeing Others Through the Eyes of Jesus (2010); and

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Caleb Maskell about his role as AND of Theology and Education: the parts that have been more fun than he expected and those that have been difficult. They discuss the purpose and heart behind the ordination and bylaw process, the work of resourcing what we require of Vineyard pastors, and the challenge of taking into account the diverse needs of the 1200 currently ordained Vineyard pastors. Caleb also provides a look into the resourcing currently available, and a sneak peek into some of what’s coming soon.  Caleb Maskell is the Associate National Director of Theology and Education for Vineyard USA. Born in London, he immigrated with his family to New Jersey in 1986, at the age of nine. Caleb has been involved in leadership in the Vineyard movement for twenty-five years. After spending a gap year at the Toronto Airport Vineyard School of Ministry in 1995, he went to the University of Chicago to study theology, philosophy, and literature in the interdisciplinary undergraduate Fundamentals program. While there, he joined the core planting team of the Hyde Park Vineyard Church, where he served as a worship leader, a small group leader, a setter-up of chairs, and whatever else Rand Tucker asked him to do. After college, full of questions that had emerged from the beautiful collision of serious academic study and the practical realities of church planting, Caleb enrolled in the M.Div. program at Yale Divinity School. For four years, he immersed himself in the study of theology, church history, and scripture, while also leading worship and working with middle school and high school youth groups.  After graduating in 2004, he worked for three years as the Associate Director of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University. In 2007, along with his wife Kathy and their friends Matt and Hannah Croasmun, Caleb planted Elm City Vineyard Church in New Haven, Connecticut. That year, he also began a Ph.D. program at Princeton University, focusing on the history of American religion, with an additional emphasis in African-American Studies. After moving to Manhattan for four years while Kathy went to seminary, the Maskells ended up in suburban Philadelphia, where Caleb completed his Ph.D, while teaching regularly at Princeton Theological Seminary, and serving as the Worship Pastor at Blue Route Vineyard Church. Since 2010, Caleb has led the Society of Vineyard Scholars, which exists to foster and sustain a community of theological discourse in and for the Vineyard movement. Caleb is passionate about developing leaders and institutions that will help to produce a healthy, courageous, and hospitable future for the church in the twenty-first century. Caleb and Kathy now live with their two kids, Josiah and Emmanuelle, in the heart of Denver, where Kathy pastors East Denver Vineyard Church.   Show notes:  Ordination Website  Be/Know/Do document  Andy Crouch: Order and Abundance illustration Glenn Packiam's books

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Joel Seymour interviews Ken Sande about his path to peacemaking, how he uses it as an evangelism tool in secular business environments, and how emotional intelligence applies to every one of our relationships. Ken also shares why the Matthew 18 approach is a last resort in managing relationships, and the generational investment that can be made through learning about emotional intelligence.  Ken Sande is the founder of Peacemaker Ministries and RW360. Trained as an engineer, lawyer and mediator, Ken has conciliated hundreds of family, business, church and legal conflicts. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including The Peacemaker, which has sold over 500,000 copies in twenty languages. He teaches internationally on biblical peacemaking, Christian conciliation and relational wisdom, which is an enhanced form of emotional intelligence that helps people “get upstream of conflict” by improving their ability to read and manage emotions in themselves and others. These resources are being used to strengthen relationships, promote teamwork and reduce and resolve conflict in churches, families, businesses, schools and military bases around the world. Ken is a Certified Emotional Intelligence Instructor with TalentSmartEQ and a Certified Relational Wisdom Conciliator, Coach and Instructor. He has served as a church elder, an Editorial Advisor for Christianity Today, a Certified Professional Engineer and as a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the Montana Bar Association.   Show Notes:  Register for Vineyard USA’s Women’s Conference: More.  Relational Wisdom 360 The Relationally Wise Leader course  PACE Program

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Joel Seymour about peacemaking, what it has to do with his role as a Super Regional Leader for Vineyard USA, and how he sees it shaping the future of the Vineyard Movement.  Joel Seymour is a Super Regional Leader for Vineyard USA. His passion for the Vineyard began as a teenager when he watched John Wimber’s testimony video (yay VHS!). He knew he had found his home when, as a college sophomore, he took the Fuller Seminary class MC550 “Healing and World Evangelism” led by Wimber and C. Peter Wagner.   In 1998, Joel and his wife Kristi planted their second church – the Lancaster Vineyard in Lancaster, OH, and Joel has served there as the Lead Pastor. He has been deeply engaged in his city, bringing together the social, private, and public sectors through the Art of Neighboring Fairfield County initiative. Joel also started the Small Town initiative within Multiply Vineyard. He has served as both an Area Leader and a Regional Leader within Vineyard USA and regularly draws on these experiences to encourage, equip, and empower local pastors.  He desires to give back to the Vineyard because of all it has given him: ongoing rich experiences of the Father’s heart, a naturally supernatural walk with the Spirit, and Kingdom Theology to undergird it all.   Joel enjoys playing guitar, leading worship, laughing, and most of all, taking long daily walks with his wife. Joel and Kristi have raised 3 great kids – Jesse, Luke, and Emmie.  Show Notes:  Vineyard USA’s Women’s Association Conference: More.  Hear more of Joel’s story  The Peacemaker by Ken Sande 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and return guest Andy Crouch discuss the use of 2x2 grids as a framework for finding balance between synergistic values that often seem in competition with one another, and how Andy uses it as a tool in leadership development. They also discuss the effects of technology on our formation as humans. Andy Crouch is partner for theology and culture at Praxis, a venture-building ecosystem advancing redemptive entrepreneurship. His writing explores faith, culture, and the image of God in the domains of technology, power, leadership, and the arts. He is the author of five books (plus another with his daughter, Amy Crouch): The Life We're Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World, The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place, Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk and True Flourishing, Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power, and Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling. Andy serves on the governing board of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. For more than ten years he was an editor and producer at Christianity Today, including serving as executive editor from 2012 to 2016. He served the John Templeton Foundation in 2017 as senior strategist for communication. His work and writing have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and several editions of Best Christian Writing and Best Spiritual Writing—and, most importantly, received a shout-out in Lecrae's 2014 single "Non-Fiction." From 1998 to 2003, Andy was the editor-in-chief of re:generation quarterly, a magazine for an emerging generation of culturally creative Christians. For ten years he was a campus minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Harvard University. He studied classics at Cornell University and received an M.Div. summa cum laude from Boston University School of Theology. A classically trained musician who draws on pop, folk, rock, jazz, and gospel, he has led musical worship for congregations of 5 to 20,000. He and his wife, Catherine, raised two children and live in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.   Show Notes:...

Becky Olmstead is a passionate advocate, writer, and national voice for the next generation. With nearly 40 years of pastoral experience—serving alongside her husband at Vineyard Church of the Rockies and as a longtime Kids Pastor—Becky brings deep wisdom and heart to every conversation. She’s a former global leader with the 4/14 Movement and currently serves as the National Kids Director for Vineyard USA, where she’s helping shape a Spirit-led, Jesus-centered movement for children across the nation. Becky’s heart beats for seeing kids empowered by the Holy Spirit and being recognized in the Church as vital voices. Karen George is a creative leader and next-gen advocate with over 20 years of experience as a Kids Pastor and Creative Pastor. She serves as the Vineyard Kids USA Coordinator and helps develop Vineyard Kids Worship Music, creating meaningful moments where kids connect with God. Karen has been part of the global 4/14 Movement and is passionate about seeing a generation change the world with the love and power of God. She also runs a creative agency that helps businesses, churches, and ministries bring bold ideas to life through branding, events, and experiences, and when she’s not dreaming up something new, she’s hanging with her husband and two rad kids.