It’s a VSOW takeover! In this episode of The Ferment, Mike O’Brien (Director of Vineyard School of Worship) and Melisa Keller (Director of Events & Project Management) reflect on the 2 years that have passed since the pandemic changed everything, including the losses and the changes that they’re excited about.  They also talk about Vineyard worship leader retreats, why they exist and who they’re for (spoiler: YOU!), and how they’ve incorporated rest and retreat into their regular rhythms. As life is ramping back up into its pre-pandemic busyness, this episode is a grounding reminder of the need for balance and rest in our lives.     Show Notes:  Vineyard School of Worship- Summer Session Use code “Ferment15” for 15% off! http://vsow.org   The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill  https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill/   Contact Mike or Melisa! https://www.vineyardworship.com/team

In this episode of The Ferment, Adam and Tiadra Mickels finish out the “Leading Better Worship” series with a conversation about co-leading.  Tiadra shares about her passion for seeing people find healing and wholeness through worship and the growth she has seen in herself since she began leading worship. They also talk through some common points of tension in co-leading and her approach to working through some of those issues while building trust and placing an emphasis on bringing the worship team to a relational level.    Tiadra Mickels is currently on staff at Vineyard Church North Phoenix. Originally from Michigan, Tiadra moved to Arizona in 2007 and has been serving in worship at Vineyard North Phoenix since 2014.   Tiadra was a featured voice on Vineyard Soul: We Are Ready, LoFi Vineyard 2 and 3, and will also appear as a vocalist on an album releasing this Fall through Vineyard Worship.   Tiadra’s prayer and passion is that, in leading worship, she can encourage others into richer, deeper, and more honest worship for God, and that this would carry on into their daily life.   Show Notes: Vineyard School of Worship- Summer Session Use code “Ferment15” for 15% off! http://vsow.org   Joe’s Tacos https://www.joestacosaz.com Instagram: @Joestacosaz   Socials: Instagram @thefermentpodcast Twitter @fermentcast TikTok @vineyardworship

In this episode of The Ferment, Adam and James Moscardini continue the “Leading Better Worship” series with a conversation about raising up leaders. James shares about the importance of knowing the people in the room you’re leading and the songs they need to be singing each week, how to lead people who are more skilled or talented in certain areas than you, and the role of healthy competition in a worship community. James Moscardini is an Associate Pastor at Vineyard Church of North Phoenix. James was born in Reading, UK, and moved to Phoenix in 2010 to work as a part-time assistant at VCNP after an internship there in 2009. He is a worship leader, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. James is the producer for LoFi Vineyard and has appeared on many Vineyard Worship albums (Cultivation Generation: My Foundation, This is Your Kingdom Come Now, I Love Your Presence, etc.). He has a passion for helping people reach their full potential in the calling that God has placed on their lives. He currently holds the VCNP record for the number of pizza slices eaten in one sitting at Peter Piper Pizza. More than anything, he loves his wife, Samantha, their two kids, and Chelsea F.C..   Show Notes:  Vineyard School of Worship- Summer Session Use code “Ferment15” for 15% off! http://vsow.org   James’ email jmoscardini@vcfnp.com   Vineyard LoFi https://www.vineyardworship.com/lofi

In this episode of The Ferment, Adam and Matt Farrand talk about the transition from being a utility player and worship leader to the person in charge of worship administration. That’s right…scheduling, auditioning, and even a spreadsheet or two. After fleshing out how the function of a trellis relates to both grapes and worship ministry, they walk us through some tangible steps in creating and maintaining a catalogue of songs for your church, the process of onboarding new team members and how to co-create a set list. Administration may be your favorite thing, but we’re guessing it’s not. So Matt is here to talk you through it! Matt Farrand is a veteran worship pastor and church communications strategist with 20 years of ministry experience. As a pastor’s son in a rural church, Matt grew up running sound, fixing gear, making the bulletin, helping lead worship… whatever was needed to make Sundays happen. He was called to ministry at an early age, and has been leading weekly services for more than 20 years. Matt studied worship arts and youth ministry at North Central University in Minneapolis, MN., served Vineyard Church in Maryville, TN for 11 years and is currently the worship pastor at Vineyard Church of the Rockies. He and his wife Teri live in Colorado with their daughter Tatum and son Mac.   Socials:  Instagram @thefermentpodcast Twitter @fermentcast TikTok @vineyardworship

In the first episode of our Leading Better Worship series, Anabeth Morgan shares about her practice of seeking the Lord for His invitation in day-to-day life, how to balance between leading songs and facilitating ministry moments, and tailoring a set list to meet the needs of the room you’re in. Anabeth and Adam also talk about the importance of leaders sharing their humanity, and how to incorporate and work in tandem with our personality, temperament and insecurities in leadership. Anabeth Morgan is a worship leader, songwriter and one of the staff pastors at the Mile High Vineyard neighborhood churches since 2011.  She has been an integral part of Vineyard Worship as a leader, artist and writer, serving at Vineyard churches in Houston, Columbus, and Kansas City. Anabeth is deeply passionate about God’s presence and loves to lean into the Spirit of God in worship and prayer. Her ability to listen to the Holy Spirit, whether leading worship or groups of people, has given God the opportunity to do wonderful things in people’s lives. She loves sharing her intimate faith in God with others, enjoys being hospitable, and is always sensitive to the people and environment around her.  Anabeth has appeared on many Vineyard albums such as Cultivation Generation: Servant Wide Awake and My Foundation; Vineyard National Conference: I Love Your Presence and Wonderful. In December 2017 she finished writing and recording her first studio album A Place Your Glory Dwells. Recently, she has had songs You Meet Me Here and Heaven’s Work released through Vineyard Worship and has published other worship songs in collaboration with other songwriters. She was married to Kyle in 2003 and they have two amazing children, Jovie and Miles.   Socials:  Instagram @thefermentpodcast Twitter @fermentcast TikTok @vineyardworship

In the fourth episode of the Pastoring Worship series, Adam talks with worship pastor and spiritual director Justin Law. Justin shares about surrendering music and worship before being called back into it, how his interest in spiritual direction developed, and some practical tools he employs in caring for his worship team and intentionally developing them both relationally and musically. Justin and Adam trade some personal stories relating to spiritual direction growth, and Justin lays out what one might expect when engaging in spiritual direction.    Justin Law has a B.A. in Psychology from Hamline University and a Masters of Ministry from St. Stephen’s University. He became worship pastor at River Heights Vineyard in Minnesota in 2001 and currently leads in the areas of worship arts, prayer, and spiritual formation/discipleship. He received his certification as a Spiritual Director in 2015.  In addition to writing and recording worship music, he leads a music collective called The Law Collective and performs as a solo singer/songwriter and as a member of indie rock band The River High. Justin gets excited when people connect with the love and presence of God, when Minnesota sports teams win, and when there’s great coffee. He’s grateful to his parents for investing in his life, planting the first Vineyard in Minnesota, and allowing him to get that KISS album at the age of four.     Show Notes:  The Ferment 12/16/18 Justin Law - Singer-Songwriter, Pastor, Spiritual Director https://bit.ly/36zh7F4   Socials:  Instagram @thefermentpodcast Twitter @fermentcast TikTok @vineyardworship

In the third episode of our “Pastoring Worship” series, Adam talks with Ted Kim about building a worship community that is fraternal rather than functional. They discuss logistics of creating culture and practicing mutual submission, and how to make the act of worship more humane by respecting people’s humanity as we’re calling them to serve. Ted also talks about laughter as a sign of health in a church community. This is an incredibly down-to-earth conversation that is full of profoundly practical ideas.    Ted Kim is the senior pastor of the Evanston Vineyard, having taken over the leadership from Steve Nicholson in early 2020, six days after the church shut down its in-person services due to Covid. He is passionate about the beauty of Jesus, spiritual formation, and building a church for Generation Z. It is also his life mission to bend the heart of the city of Chicago to God through the multiplication and releasing of young leaders.   Prior to arriving in Chicago, Ted was a worship pastor and songwriter. He spent the last decade at the Vineyard in Syracuse, NY. For some reason, God’s intention is for Ted to be cold. Ted is the son of Korean immigrants. His mother is the daughter of a South Korean dignitary. His father escaped from North Korea during the war and would later go on to be an industrial engineer. They found each other on the other side of the world in bucolic Kentucky. Ted first attended and interned at the Evanston Vineyard in the 90s, while he was a student at the University of Chicago. Despite the  occasional polar vortex, he is delighted (and humbled) to return to Chicago and serve the church that formed him more than any other community in his life. Ted is married to Brittany, an Old Testament scholar. Together they have three children.     Show Notes:  The Ferment February 17, 2019  “Ted Kim – Worship Leader, Songwriter and Pastor – We All Need To Be Seen” https://bit.ly/3qbt8aq The Ferment March 31, 2019  “5 Books Every Worship Leader Should Read in 2019 with Ted Kim” https://bit.ly/3tr4WTL   The Ferment October 25, 2020  “Transcendence, Surprise and Creative Process – John Mark Mcmillan and Pastor Ted Kim” https://bit.ly/3waPjkY     Socials: Instagram @thefermentpodcast Twitter @fermentcast TikTok @vineyardworship

In the second episode of our “Pastoring Worship” series, Adam talks with Tina Colón Williams about bi-vocational ministry. Tina shares what the Lord has been teaching her about integration, and how the pause provided by COVID allowed her to step back and reevaluate her priorities. Adam and Tina also talk about how church leadership can better include bi-vocational staff. This is an encouraging and practical episode for anyone who feels like they are pulled in multiple directions and are trying to do all of it well. Tina Colón Williams is an accomplished vocalist, immigration attorney, and worship pastor. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Tina moved to New Haven, Connecticut in 2005 to attend Yale University, and she and her husband Josh lead the Elm City Vineyard church in New Haven. Tina's powerful vocals are featured on a number of Vineyard Worship releases, including Vineyard Soul: The Chicago Sessions, Roll Like A River, Heaven’s Work and You Are God.  Her favorite things include: singing, worship music, meeting new people, eating all kinds of food, and the pursuit of justice in the world.  Tina and Josh have two young kids, ages 4 and 2. Show Notes:  The Ferment with Tina Colón Williams, December 9, 2018 https://bit.ly/3MJGBzN   Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer https://amzn.to/3CDjTot   Elm City Vineyard  http://elmcityvineyard.org    

The Life of the Mind with Caleb Maskell is the first in our PASTORING WORSHIP series. In this episode of The Ferment, Caleb and Adam talk about the discovery process that the new national team is moving through and how it is shaping the future of Vineyard USA. Caleb also talks about the beauty of embracing reality as Bible people, how the life of the mind has been woven into the Vineyard since the beginning, and how it relates to rich encounters with the Holy Spirit. Caleb and Adam discuss expanding our understanding of what a theologian might look like and lastly, Caleb leaves us with a word for worship leaders.    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: The Other Half of Church by Jim Wilder https://amzn.to/3sHmFpC   John Wimber in Christianity Today, 1997, “God’s Wonder Worker” https://bit.ly/3ChsCfK

We could not be more pleased to introduce you to "We Are Vineyard", a brand new podcast by Vineyard USA with conversations to help us grow in life with Jesus and each other, hosted by National Director Jay Pathak! Check out the first episode right here with special guest Phil Strout, the former National Director for Vineyard USA. You can catch new episodes every Wednesday and hear from leaders inside the Vineyard as well as authors and leaders outside the Vineyard! In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Phil discuss “Equipping the Saints”…where this principle comes from biblically, what it means, and how you do it. They also talk about the vital role of mentors in a leader’s life, share personal stories of pursuing the mentors who have shaped them and cared for their souls, and subsequently how they have learned to recognize leadership on those coming up behind them. For several years, Phil served in the Vineyard on the board of directors for Vineyard USA, as a Regional Leader, and as the Senior Pastor of Pathway Vineyard Church, a multisite church based in Lewiston, Maine. He has also done extensive work in church planting around the world, especially in Latin America, and along with his wife, Jan, is bilingual (English/Spanish). Phil is the author of God’s Relentless Pursuit: Discovering His Heart for Humanity and Thrive: How to Successfully Navigate the S-Turns of Leadership. He brings a non-hyped, down-to-earth, passionately authentic spirit and vision to leading the Vineyard Movement in its divine assignment.  Phil and Jan have been married since they were teenagers and have two kids, 6 grandkids and 2 great-grandkids.   Show Notes: We Are Vineyard Podcast with Jay Pathak https://vineyardusa.org/podcast/ Faithwalking https://faithwalking.us/ Reason for God by Tim Keller https://amzn.to/3GWztMQ Walter Ciszek http://www.ciszek.org/About_Ciszek.html