We Are Vineyard

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 talks with John Kim about the ways in which generative AI are impacting our world, and the potential for impacting our future. John shares about a perspective shift in viewing AI in terms of Genesis instead of Revelation, how to get started using AI constructively, and some ideas about how you can use it to multiply your ministry efforts. John and Jay also chat about some of the limitations of AI, and the two questions it forces us to ask.  John Kim is the founder of Karamaan Group, an investing firm that oversees his family interests through passive and active interests in public and private companies, mostly in the software, technology and blockchain industries. Prior to this, John was a partner at the DFO- the family investment of Michael Dell and his family. He received his PhD in economics from MIT in 1998 and his AB from Harvard in 1995. John and his family reside at Coram Deo: A House of Worship and Entrepreneurship located in midtown Manhattan. He serves on the board of Vineyard USA. He is a long-suffering NY Knicks fan as the Knicks last won a title when John was in his mother’s womb.  He believes that will change this year. Show notes:  Hear more of John’s story  ChatGPT

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Nicole Dill about how she came to the role of Communications Director for Vineyard USA, and the ways in which the role is different than she expected. Nicole shares some of the complexities of resourcing such a diverse movement, the ways that advancements in technology and AI have changed the landscape of comms and social connection, and also how AI might be used by pastors to eliminate some busy work and open up time for personal connection and flourishing. They also discuss the ways in which our online conduct impacts our relationships and our witness to unbelievers, and the direction the Lord is leading our movement, which drives Nicole’s work. Finally, Nicole gives an overview of this year’s National Conferences, an explanation of the theme, and her hopes for our time together.  Nicole Dill is the Communications Director for Vineyard USA. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where she came to faith as a teenager, and quickly found a church family at Vineyard Columbus in Joshua House, the young adult ministry. In 2002, she moved to Colorado to help plant the Arvada Vineyard (which became a part of the Mile High Vineyard). While helping lead at this growing church plant, Nicole finished her degree in Photography at the Art Institute of Colorado. In 2008, Nicole planted and pastored the first multisite church for the Mile High Vineyard in downtown Denver with a team from the Arvada Vineyard. After several years of pastoring there, she handed the site off to another pastor and helped several other Vineyard church plants and established churches in the Denver area. Nicole has also worked extensively outside the church, leading creative teams at Anthropologie as a store designer, as Chief Operations Officer for TEDxMileHigh, the largest TEDx in North America, and for the White House as an Advance Associate for the President. She consults many growing organizations around their creative, operations, and HR needs in the nonprofit and entrepreneurial sectors. Nicole is thrilled to be on the National Team, pairing together her passion for creativity, the church, and spreading the message of Jesus to the world around us. She lives in Arvada, CO with her husband Jason, and two daughters, Vera and Rosalie, and attends the Arvada Vineyard. Show notes:  Hear more of Nicole’s story The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt  The Life We’re Looking For by Andy Crouch  Notebook LM Perplexity.ai  Aiforchurchleaders.com Subscribe to the Vineyard USA Monthly  5-Step Prayer Model Training  Vineyard USA’s Reporting System 

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Super Regional Leader John Elmer chats with Lindsay Mizell about growing up in Young Life camps, connecting with a Vineyard church after college, and finding language for her experiences with the Holy Spirit. Lindsay shares about being invited to pastor a multisite church, wrestling through her identity as a female pastor, and how “on-the-job training” has been a hallmark of her life. Lindsay talks about her experience as an Area Leader for Vineyard USA and shares an incredible story of the healing she experienced this year.  Lindsay Mizell is the pastor of Vineyard Springbrook in Alcoa, TN. She grew up in a ministry family, running around Young Life camps and believing she could be part of things God was up to in the world. She is married to Daniel and they have 3 sons. Lindsay serves on the Women’s Association national team and is an Area Leader in the southeast.  Show Notes:  Register for Vineyard USA’s National Conference: Melody and Harmony  Register for Vineyard Women’s Conference: More.  www.vineyardspringbriok.org  Instagram: @vineyardspringbrook

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Danielle Pathak continue their conversation with Steve Macchia with a discussion about sitting with people in discernment instead of offering answers and opinions, and Steve shares a very personal example of the discernment process he undertook before starting his company. They talk about the rewards and difficulties of navigating such an enormous transition, and Steve provides a helpful definition of, and approach to, discernment.     The Rev. Dr. Stephen A. Macchia is founder and president of Leadership Transformations, Inc. (LTI), a ministry serving the spiritual formation, discernment, and renewal of leaders and learners since 2003. For more than 20 years he has been the Director of the Pierce Center for Disciple-Building at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Doctor of Ministry Program. From 1989-2003 he was the president of Vision New England, the largest regional church renewal association in the country. Earlier in his ministry life, Steve was a member of the pastoral staff of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts for 11 years. He is the author or co-author of 17 books, including The Discerning Life (Zondervan Reflective), and Crafting a Rule of Life, Becoming A Healthy Church (LTI), and Broken and Whole (IVP).  He and his wife Ruth live in the Boston (MA) area and are the proud parents of two married children and grandparents to three adorable grandchildren. Steve’s personal website is www.SteveMacchia.com.   Show notes:  Learn more about Steve  Leadership Transformations    The Discerning Life by Stephen Macchia  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 Danielle Pathak talk with Steve Macchia about growing up in a Christian household but not really having a personal relationship with Jesus, changing from a teaching degree to seminary in college, and finding his passions in ministry. Steve shares the advice he’d give his younger self in seminary, and they discuss how creativity and play can open us up to hear from God. They also discuss why he believes the sabbath is the turnkey to the deeper life. This is part one of a two-part series, so come back next week to hear the rest of the conversation!  The Rev. Dr. Stephen A. Macchia is founder and president of Leadership Transformations, Inc. (LTI), a ministry serving the spiritual formation, discernment, and renewal of leaders and learners since 2003. For more than 20 years he has been the Director of the Pierce Center for Disciple-Building at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Doctor of Ministry Program. From 1989-2003 he was the president of Vision New England, the largest regional church renewal association in the country. Earlier in his ministry life, Steve was a member of the pastoral staff of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts for 11 years. He is the author or co-author of 17 books, including The Discerning Life (Zondervan Reflective), and Crafting a Rule of Life, Becoming A Healthy Church (LTI), and Broken and Whole (IVP).  He and his wife Ruth live in the Boston (MA) area and are the proud parents of two married children and grandparents to three adorable grandchildren.    Show notes:  Learn more about Steve  Leadership Transformations The Discerning Life by Stephen Macchia