We Are Vineyard

This episode of We Are Vineyard is the launch of a mini-series around pastoral succession. In this episode, Jay talks with Matt Massey about giving up his moralistic life to live how he wanted to in college and the ways his dad stayed engaged with him throughout his season of searching. Matt shares about his natural entrance to ministry in college, leaving a lucrative career to pursue pastoring, planting a church and then leaving it to take over a church in crisis, and refocusing the church on Kingdom ministry. Finally, Matt shares some advice both to people who are considering stepping into a lead pastor role at an existing church, and current lead pastors who are starting to plan for succession. 

Matt is the lead pastor at Vineyard Cincinnati. He started his career at Procter & Gamble while at the same time volunteering with a youth ministry at Lakota High School. Following his graduation from Trinity Evangelical, he transitioned into full-time ministry.

A few things that Matt enjoys include golf, learning people’s stories, mentoring young people, fantasy football, craft beer, and laughing a ton. He and his wife Kim live in Loveland, OH and have three adult daughters.  

Show notes: 

Old Paths, New Power by Daniel Henderson  

Day of Giving: Seed & Soil 

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, 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 Low Anthropology: The Unlikely Key to a Gracious View of Others (and Yourself). His next book, The Big Relief: The Urgency of Grace for a Worn-Out World comes out in April 2025 from Brazos Press. His writing has been featured in The Washington Post, Christianity Today, and The Guardian, among other venues. 

Show Notes: 

Day of Giving: Seed & Soil 

Mockingbird website 

Mockingbird podcast

Low Anthropology by David Zahl 

Seculosity by David Zahl 

Law and the Gospel by William McDavid, Ethan Richardson, and David Zahl 

Social Media: 

Instagram: @mockingbirdnyc

X/Twitter: @mockingbirdmin

Facebook: @mockingbirdmin

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, Caleb Maskell, Associate National Director of Theology and Education, talks with Douglas Sweeney about experiencing the church over the course of his academic journey, breaking down the word “doctrine”, and discovering it through our daily walk with Christ. Doug shares why he started his project on the history of doctrine with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the right and best way to draw on the riches of scripture, and how to navigate a world where so many teachers are offering different ways of thinking about scripture. Finally, Doug shares some resource suggestions for pastors who want to continue growing in their understanding of scripture.

Douglas Sweeney became the second dean of Beeson Divinity School in 2019. In this role, he shepherds the institution by providing strategic leadership and facilitating its work to prepare men and women for gospel ministry. Before coming to Beeson, Sweeney taught Aquinas College, Yale Divinity School, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, the University of Heidelberg, and several other schools in the United States and abroad. He is the author or editor of more than 20 books on the history of Christian doctrine, early modern Protestant history, American church history, Christology and global evangelicalism. His latest book is called The Substance of Our Faith: Foundations for the History of Christian Doctrine (Baker Academic). It is the first of two volumes on the global history of doctrine, or the history of the teaching of the Christian faith in churches all around the world since the time of the apostles. Sweeney is an evangelical Lutheran affiliated with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. He is married to Wilma, and they have one adult son, David, and daughter-in-law, Stephanie.

Show Notes:

Day of Giving: Seed & Soil 

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, Associate National Director of Theology and Education Caleb Maskell talks with Leah Payne about worship music. They discuss the difference between contemporary Christian music (CCM) and contemporary worship and the impact of Vineyard Worship on church music at large. They also talk about how worship music has been used outside of the church, and Leah shares a pastoral word for pastors and worship leaders.

Leah Payne is Associate Professor of American Religious History at Portland Seminary and a 2023–2024 Public Fellow at the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). She holds a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University and her research explores the intersection of religion, politics, and popular culture. Payne is author of God Gave Rock & Roll to You: a History of Contemporary Christian Music (Oxford University Press, 2024), and co-host of Rock That Doesn’t Roll, a Public Radio Exchange (PRX) podcast about Christian rock and its listeners and Weird Religion, a religion and pop culture podcast. Her writing and research has appeared in The Washington Post, NBC News, Religion News Service, and Christianity Today.

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

Day of Giving: Seed & Soil 

Vineyard Worship

Leah’s website

God Gave Rock and Roll To You by Leah Payne 

Worshipping With The Anaheim Vineyard by Andy Park, Lester Ruth, and Cindy Rethmeier

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, Super Regional Leader John Elmer talks with Chris Schlotterbeck about hearing from the Lord before he had a relationship with God, being delivered from addiction, and being asked to preach on a missions trip before he had ever read the Bible. Chris talks about finding the Vineyard through Vineyard Worship and his journey from youth ministry to planting a church. Finally, John and Chris talk about prioritizing outreach in the community, and how the Hub City Vineyard became known as the “Hippie Church.” 

Chris grew up in Hagerstown, Maryland, and had a radical encounter with Jesus in 1995 that totally changed the direction of his life. After graduating from Shepherd College with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary education, Chris was hired at a local church as their youth & children’s pastor where he served for 3 years. Chris came into the Vineyard under the guidance of John Elmer in Syracuse, NY. While at the Syracuse Vineyard, he learned everything about “church”, from cleaning toilets to pastoring kids, teens, & young adults. After earning his degree from VLI & serving several years in Syracuse, Chris planted the Hub City Vineyard in Hagerstown, Maryland in 2006. After 18 years the small living room gatherings have grown into a vibrant tie-dyed community of faith. Chris is the lead pastor and enjoys Baltimore Ravens football, baseball, and the Maryland Terrapins. He has a passion for the Vineyard and seeing all people in the Tri-State Area accepted and shown the unconditional love of Jesus. Chris loves to spend time with his wife Jessica, and their six children: Isaac, Trinity, Zoe, Lily, Nolan & Phoenix. 

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil

Power Evangelism by John Wimber  

Steve Sjogren’s books 

Chris’ email: [email protected]

Social Account Links for Church 

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/HCV.church

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/hubcityvineyard/

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@HCVHubCityVineyard

TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@hcvhubcityvineyard

Messages – https://linktr.ee/hcvpodcast 

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

This 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 Melanie Forsythe-Lee, Lead Pastor of LIFE Vineyard Church in Columbus, OH and leader of Vineyard USA’s Women’s Association. In this episode, Melanie shares about finding her voice as a young female pastor and how that was influenced by becoming a mother, the differing approach to female pastors in Australia vs. the US, and some of the practical barriers to women preaching. Melanie talks about the changes she’s seen in Vineyard USA over the past 30 years regarding female pastors, and she shares some advice both to women who feel called to preach and men who are in a position to mentor and platform female preachers. 

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

Vineyard USA’s Women’s Association 

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

This 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

This 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 Rich Nathan, founding pastor of Vineyard Columbus and Director of their Pastors Residency Program. In this episode, Rich shares some of his preaching journey and some ways in which his preaching has changed over the last 45 years. Rich also talks about the role of empathetic imagination in preaching to a diverse audience, why whole-person communication is the heart of preaching, and how the Good News informs the shape of his sermons. 

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

Preaching by Tim Keller 

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

This 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 none other than…Jay Pathak! That’s right, Jay is on the other end of the questions today, and he has some great things to say about what makes a good sermon and some key questions to ask yourself while you prepare. Jay also shares his opinion on what specifically makes a good Vineyard semon, why being a skilled speaker is not the ultimate goal, and the difference between regular Sunday sermons and the “big moment” sermons for things like holidays or community events.

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

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

For the next several weeks of the We Are Vineyard podcast, we are launching a 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). In this introductory episode, Adam and Ted each share their early journey as a pastor, how they realized they were called to preach, and the insecurities they faced while finding their unique voice. They talk about how to learn from influential pastors without mimicking them, how they approach sermon prep each week, and each of their superpowers and kryptonite as pastors. 

Show Notes: 

Register for the 2024 Vineyard USA National Conference: Seed & Soil 

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