the vineyard

Capital City Vineyard is part of a larger association of churches known as “The Vineyard”, a growing group of contemporary churches begun in the late 1970’s during the Jesus Movement. Due to its active & ongoing commitment to church planting, the Vineyard movement now includes more than 600 churches in the United States and over 600 churches in other nations as well. The Vineyard now has an active presence in over 60 different nations worldwide.

What purpose does our participation in the Vineyard serve? Our network with other Vineyard churches provides us with the excitement, the unity, the accountability, and the partnership that comes from being part of something God is doing that is much bigger than our own local church. As an association of independent churches, Vineyard churches are self-governing, and are primarily connected to one another relationally. In this sense, we are truly a non-denominational denomination! This allows for a greater degree of freedom and autonomy in our local churches. As independent churches, every Vineyard congregation has its own local governance and owns its own assets.

As a whole, the Vineyard is committed to bridging the gap between “Spirit filled” Pentecostal churches and “Bible based” Evangelical churches, by aiming to reflect the best of both: the fullness of the Holy Spirit and Biblical truth. Thus, we often speak of our identity in the Vineyard in terms of being “Empowered Evangelicals”. In this sense, we recognize that as we make disciples of Jesus Christ we are specifically called to the task of “teaching them to obey everything” Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:20a), which is recorded in the Word of God. Yet we’re also convinced that the key to our obedience as followers of Jesus is submitting to the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, which is the indwelling presence of Jesus that he promised would always be with his disciples (Matthew 28:20b, John 16:7-15, Acts 1:8). In addition to this sense of identity, all Vineyard Churches also share in common a set of Biblical and theological convictions, as well as five “Vineyard Values”, which express the heart of our particular style of ministry.

All East Michigan area Vineyard Churches, including Capital City Vineyard, are under the pastoral oversight of our Area Pastoral Care Leader (APCL), who is Pastor Don Milton, from New Life Vineyard in Midland, Michigan. The leadership of each local congregation consists of a Board of Advisors (or Elders), who are appointed by and serve under the direction of the Senior Pastor according to their adopted bylaws.  The Association of Vineyard Churches in the United States is currently under the leadership of National Director Berten Waggoner, who works with a National Board of Directors made up entirely of active Vineyard pastors who each serve as Regional Overseers.

For more information about “The Vineyard Community of Churches” please visit our Vineyard USA national web site.