We Are Vineyard

Welcome to the We Are Vineyard podcast. In celebration of the Advent season, you will hear a short devotion each week specially crafted for you by a member of one of Vineyard USA’s Associations. Today’s theme is Joy, and Sarah Anderson represents the Women’s Association with a devotion on finding joy in the chaos of real life. Then we’ll hear What Joy Is Found from Vineyard Worship featuring Torri Baker. Sarah is the pastor of Vineyard Finneytown in Cincinnati, Ohio.  She and her husband, Grant, have three boys, a rabbit, and a puppy in their lively household. Sarah is passionate about helping people to encounter the presence of God, equipping people to minister in the power of the Spirit, and seeing children fall in love with Jesus at summer camp. Sarah currently serves as the Vice-Chair on the National Team for the Vineyard Women’s Association. She loves a good hike in the woods, chips & queso, office supplies, putting things in rainbow order, and time with family.

Welcome to the We Are Vineyard podcast. In celebration of the Advent season, you will hear a short devotion each week specially crafted for you by a member of one of Vineyard USA’s Associations. Today’s theme is Peace, and Joshua Miller represents the Black Pastors and Leaders Association with a devotion about the variations in our experiences of peace, and the Peace that comes only from being with God. Then we’ll hear Christ the King from Heaven and Earth, featuring Joshua Miller & Tyler Jarvis. Joshua Miller is a pastor, songwriter, vocalist, musician, and worship leader, currently serving as Associate Pastor and on the Senior Leadership Team at Vineyard Columbus. With a heart for worship and a gift for leadership, Joshua brings both creativity and strategic insight into his role.  He is the founder of Heaven and Earth, a worship collective composed of worship leaders, vocalists, musicians, and writers from within the Vineyard Columbus community. The collective exists to cultivate authentic worship and foster collaboration among artists and leaders.  Joshua has been featured in partnership with Vineyard Worship and Integrity Music, contributing to several widely recognized worship projects. His work includes songs such as “Eternal Light,” “This Joy,” “Cherry Blossoms,” “You’re Carrying Me,” “Behold,” and “Roll Like a River.” These songs reflect his heart for the Church and his passion for creating worship that is both spiritually grounded and artistically rich.  Joshua is married to Alicia, a licensed clinical counselor, and together they are raising three energetic, strong, and beautiful daughters—along with their dogs, Leo and Bettie.   Show Notes:  Black Pastors and Leaders Association  Christ the King by Heaven and Earth, featuring Joshua Miller and Tyler Jarvis

Welcome to the We Are Vineyard podcast. In celebration of the Advent season, you will hear a short devotion each week specially crafted for you by a member of one of Vineyard USA’s Associations, followed by a song curated by the Vineyard Worship team. Today’s theme is Hope, and Donna Ackermann represents the Hispanic Association with a beautiful reflection on holding fast to the hope of Jesus through the twists and turns of life, after which we’ll hear Padre Nuestro from Vineyard Worship featuring Carlabigail Hernandez. Since 2020, Donna has co-pastored the Vineyard Longmont with her husband Alex in northern Colorado. They are currently in the process of buying their first church building and having another church merge with them. They planted their first Vineyard in the 80s with 5 small children, and Donna has pioneered worship in two other church plants/campuses. She serves as the Communications & Events Director for the Vineyard Hispanic Association. She has been in various church ministry roles for over 38 years and worked with a nationwide Christian radio talk show. Donna is ordained, a certified bilingual Spiritual Director and a trained Vineyard coach. She has been married for over 40 years to her best friend, has 5 adult children, a daughter-in-law & 2 beautiful grandchildren. Her 89-year-old Panamanian mother lives with them. She is a foodie, loves international food, and has a growing backyard orchard of 5 fruit trees, many berry bushes, and grapevines. She dreams of someday planting a La Viña.

Mark Matlock, Executive Director of Urbana 2025 and expert in youth and student ministry, shares his insights on the future of discipleship. He discusses the importance of slow formation and emotional health, arguing for a shift in the church's approach to empowering Gen Z. Mark explores the cultural curiosity of today's youth, the impact of narrative media like The Chosen, and the implications of recent research on Gen Z. He emphasizes the need for older leaders to connect authentically, address doubts, and provide meaningful mission opportunities for young people.

In this engaging discussion, Christian Dunn, a seasoned youth pastor and co-pastor of CityLight Vineyard Church, emphasizes the pivotal role of the teenage years in shaping identity and beliefs. He shares insights from his long-term commitment to youth ministry and the impactful Project Timothy, which trains teen leaders. Christian highlights the importance of authenticity in connecting with today's teens amid social media noise. He also provides practical advice for parents, encouraging them to be present and engaged without lecturing.

Jason George, Chief Development Officer for Vineyard USA, discusses transformative giving initiatives with a focus on the Day of Giving. He reveals strategies like the FreeWill partnership, which simplifies estate planning for congregations. Jason shares impressive metrics from last year, highlighting $294,000 raised, and future goals aimed at youth resources. He emphasizes the importance of expanding pastoral views on generosity, encouraging deeper conversations about wealth and stewardship within the church community.

Kirsten Schwartz, Director of Church Partnerships at Generous Giving, shares insights drawn from her journey in urban planning and faith. She discusses how personal tragedy shaped her path toward church leadership, highlighting the importance of a culture of generosity. Kirsten reveals a groundbreaking approach to fundraising that emphasizes joy and personal growth over traditional campaigns. She also shares her strategies for empowering churches and the transformative impact of the Journey of Generosity retreats on congregational giving and stewardship.

In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay chats with Chris Jensen about how a blue-haired punk rock kid ended up in ministry, the prayer that interrupted his life, and learning to be himself in a secular work environment. Chris talks about becoming an organizational health consultant, the role of artificial harmony in the dysfunction of the Church, and markers of health he’s looking for when working with a team. Finally, Chris shares why he decided to work with the Vineyard, and what he’d like to say to Vineyard pastors.  Chris brings over 15 years of experience to his partnership with The Table Group. Whether he's working with a CEO and their leadership team, addressing groups of leaders during a conference or workshop, or counseling a client one-on-one, Chris brings his passion, enthusiasm and contagious optimism for organizational health to every client he touches. Currently, Chris works regularly with CEOs and executive teams in quickly and effectively applying the concepts related to organizational health. His clients span a broad spectrum of various industries, including aerospace, consumer goods, health care, technology, education and local churches. Chris has extensive first hand experience building high-performing teams by implementing the models in his own teams under pressure to produce results.  Prior to partnering with The Table Group, Chris worked for InsideTrack, a San Francisco based technology and service organization, in the enterprise education segment. Before that, he worked in the ministry for nearly 10 years in California. He received his degree in Biblical Studies from Patten University. Chris lives with his wife and five children in Portland, Oregon.    Show notes:  Vineyard USA’s Day of Giving 2025  The Table Group  5 Dysfunctions of a Team  The Advantage by Patrick M. Lencioni