I have notebooks filled with pages of notes and personal reflections that I took during my time of study with VBI, or Vineyard Bible Institute. I was stirred during this struggle to go back and pull one of my favorites. DOING CHURCH by John Wimber. The subtitle to the opening chapter reads: "Building from the bottom up--The Vineyard Philosophy of Ministry".
It lays the foundation for every Vineyard Church. You see, the model or style wasn't what was important to John Wimber. It was the core values and belief's that defined what a Vineyard was. It was the priorities shared by those who attended that was what made a Vineyard...a Vineyard. Bill Jackson, in his THE RADICAL MIDDLE...made a statement that has stuck with me ever since I became a part of the Vineyard back in June of 1994. Bill wrote..."You don't join a Vineyard church.......you just discover that is who you have been all along."
The other thing I love about the Vineyard is that each church takes on the personality of the pastor. They don't exist as a cookie-cutter type fellowship. Each Vineyard will have a unique flavor that reveals the heart of the pastor. In our case at Gadsden Vineyard, Jim Bentley (the senior pastor) is an artist. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Art. So he is a very visual person, and the church reveals such. He has created a place that points to God as being a creative God. It isn't done in a religious, preachy kind of way, but rather one that creates a setting where the Word of God is taught, ministry is a time to receive from God, and the worship draws you into His presence.
If you come on Saturday night to the ReCovery Church, you'll find a whole other dog taking place. Our worship is more Take-back secular songs, mixed in with what I call "Classic" Vineyard worship songs. The messages are formed around moving forward in a daily relationship with God who has taken us from the pit of addiction. We did not set out to look or sound like we do, no more than Jim set out create what God has directed him to. Both are a by-product of who we are as individuals.
Wimber set the tone and function of the Vineyard. Be culturally current---Let everything be done low-key, free from hype or religiosity---Don't be afraid to get it wrong or fail---but do admit your mistake and get up to move forward." My personal interaction with John Wimber was through a tape closet at the church. When Jim was stirred to start a church, after many months he drove to Nashville because John was speaking at a church there. Long story short, Jim was so taken by the John and what God was creating through him, that when he met John he told him..."You may not want me, but I'm adopting you." John took Jim in and he became a part of an incredible journey.
By the time I was ordained as a pastor, and had moved into a place at the Gadsden Vineyard, I began to frequent the tape closet where there were 100's and 100's of tapes of John speaking and teaching. For eight years, this became my seminary of sorts. I would spend hours listening, taking notes, going back to check against scripture to make sure I was hearing correctly. John's voice became a part of my daily routine. Even to this day, whenever I read a quote by Wimber, I can hear his voice speaking it.
So where do we go from here? We continue to move under the last thing God told us to do. In our case (ReCovery Church) we are feeding who every shows up at our Saturday morning breakfast-give-away. Feed their physical needs....feed their spiritual needs....and love them like they never been loved before. The last breakfast give away we hosted, I was talking with a man who'd come off the street to get a meal and he paid us the highest compliment I think we could receive. He said, "You know, when I came in to get a meal, I didn't feel like anyone was judging me. I felt like this was a safe place." If we can provide an atmosphere like this man shared with me, then whoever comes in just might like their guard down long enough for us to drop some "Jesus" seeds into their life. By that I mean they will be receptive to what they hear us share about this Jesus who has changed our lives.
Well, enough of my rambling this morning. Not sure what the purpose of this mornings post is. Maybe just to get some things out of my heart and onto the blog. Lastly let me say......."Thank you, John Wimber, for showing a way that drew us into relationship with Christ and with each other."
God on you...
mbb
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