We Are Vineyard

Jordan Seng: Faith Is Spelled T-R-YShow Podcast InformationIn this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jordan Seng shares the tumultuous story of his younger years and growing up as a “wild Christian”, his first experiences in the church and how always feeling different may have been a hidden blessing. He and Jay then talk about Jordan’s experience of doing ministry in a rough neighborhood, his perspective on living out faith, and some of what the Holy Spirit is doing in his church today. Dr. Jordan Seng and his wife Sonya are lead pastors of Bluewater Mission, a creative, justice-oriented church in Honolulu, Hawaii. Jordan is author of Miracle Work: A Down-to-Earth-Guide to Supernatural Ministries, and the upcoming Life of Try. He has ministered broadly through church-planting, teaching, healing and prophecy, and has led training conferences for every major Christian denomination and numerous para-church and missions organizations in North America, Europe, Latin America, East Asia, South Asia and the Caribbean. Jordan holds a degree in political theory from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He was a National Security Fellow at the School of Government at Harvard. He’s an avid sailor and owns two U.S patents for marine technologies. He has two teenage children. Show Notes: Miracle Work by Jordan Seng Vineyard USA’s recommended reading for May https://bit.ly/382EPdN Jordan’s Church www.bluewatermission.org Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa

Julia Pickerill: Anything Real Requires Hard WorkShow Podcast InformationIn this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Julia Pickerill reminisce about their younger years together in youth and young adult ministry. They talk about the importance of embodied connection over simply teaching information and how Julia was changed by being exposed to a theology of the local church. Julia also passes on a crucial word about longevity in pastoring. In January of 2021, Julia Pickerill became one of the Senior Pastors of the Columbus Vineyard alongside her husband Eric, succeeding Rich Nathan, who founded the church in 1987. Julia and Eric have been a part of the Vineyard movement for twenty-five years, during which time they’ve held multiple roles in the Columbus Vineyard and served as church planters and Lead Pastors of Vineyard Amsterdam (Netherlands). They returned to the US in 2015 and transitioned into senior leadership of Vineyard Columbus in January 2021. Julia is a nine on the enneagram, is a really bad cook, dislikes writing speaker bios, has three fabulous kids, and relaxes by reading novels about existential threats. Show Notes: Miracle Work by Jordan Seng Vineyard USA’s recommended reading for May https://bit.ly/382EPdN The Singer Trilogy by Calvin Miller https://amzn.to/3FRxXwk The Tower of Geburah by John White https://amzn.to/3sFhztk

Dennis Liu: Breaking The Cycle Of The Silent ExodusShow Podcast InformationIn this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay sits down with Dennis Liu to talk about his recent transition to lead pastor of Vineyard of Hope church, and some of the conversations and considerations unique to a leadership transition in an immigrant church. Dennis shares about the “silent exodus” of young people from immigrant churches, some of the cultural blessings and challenges, and some of his dreams for the Asian American church, particularly relating to worship. Dennis Liu is the leader of the Asian American Association for Vineyard USA and the lead pastor of Vineyard of Hope church in Walnut, CA (formerly known as Vineyard of Harvest). Having grown up in a Christian family in NJ, he feels extremely blessed with a rich Christian heritage. It was during his high school years that he began to sense that the Lord was calling him into full-time ministry. At the time, he ignored the call out of selfishness simply because he wanted to make a lot of money and become successful in the world’s eyes. Subsequently, he enrolled at Cornell University in the fall of 1996 with the intention of going on to medical school upon graduation. The Lord continued to work on his heart through his college years, and the calling of full-time ministry didn’t decrease but grew stronger. After college, the door opened up for him to come out to CA to minister after he graduated from college and to begin attending Fuller Theological Seminary. In May 2000, he headed out to CA and began to intern at Vineyard of Hope Church while pursuing a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies at Fuller. Over time, the ministry grew, and he joined the staff of the church on a full-time basis as the minister to the English congregation. In June 2005, he graduated from Fuller, and in 2007, he was ordained as a pastor. In 2011, he married Evangeline, who graduated with a Master of Divinity from Talbot Seminary. They have two sons named Silas and Levi and a daughter named Jubilee. Dennis and Evangeline are excited about the future of this congregation and envision a church that plants many churches! Show Notes: Miracle Work by Jordan Seng Vineyard USA’s recommended reading for May https://bit.ly/382EPdN Vineyard of Hope Church https://www.vineyardofhope.org

David Ruis: We Need A Faith That WorksShow Podcast InformationIn this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with worship leader and songwriter, author and National Director of Vineyard Canada, David Ruis. David shares some things he’s been learning about the story of God through his own story of adoption, the work of music in his life, and some stories of his early encounters with the Holy Spirit and his process of reconciling them with his Baptist upbringing. David also shares his heart in seeking the Lord to hear what He wants to do during any gathering or time of worship and his practice of coming with expectation that the Lord is with us. David and Anita Ruis have lead, encourage, and empowered the Vineyard in Canada as the National Directors since 2014. David is a well-respected worship leader and songwriter (You’re Worthy Of My Praise, Every Move I Make, and much more). His most recent album, When Justice Shines, was released through ION Records. David has also authored two books: The Worship God Is Seeking and The Justice God Is Seeking. As a team David and Anita are also known to be effective church planters and seasoned pastors having established churches in Canada and the US. David has also been instrumental in seeing Vineyard communities established in Nepal and India. Much of the Ruises’ focus has been in indigenous settings, working with people experiencing poverty and subsequent marginalization. They also have significant experience facilitating leadership development and on the creative side David is known for fostering originality in song-writing and the arts in various cultural settings. A burning passion for the Ruises is both practical and theological integration of creative worship in church community, and deep life engagement with issues of poverty and social injustice. The Ruises currently reside in Kelowna, BC. In their down time they love to be creative and hang with their grandkids. Show Notes: David’s church- Kelowna Vineyard https://www.kelownavineyard.com/ The Worship God is Seeking by David Ruis https://amzn.to/3w1PDAT The Justice God is Seeking by David Ruis https://amzn.to/3y8uZSd Miracle Work by Jordan Seng Vineyard USA’s recommended reading for May https://bit.ly/382EPdN Socials: Vineyardusa.org @vineyardusa

Tish Harrison Warren: Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work, or Watch, or WeepShow Podcast InformationThis episode of We Are Vineyard is the second in a 2-part conversation between Jay and Tish Harrison Warren. Tish shares some of her best practices and tangible steps for writing, along with wisdom about how to know what conversations will benefit from contributing your voice. Tish and Jay then discuss the impacts of social media on our thinking, and the damage done to the witness of Jesus by how Christians treat each other online. Finally, Tish shares how her book Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work, or Watch, or Weep came to be, how she discovered she was using theology to avoid real faith questions, and her thoughts on suffering and joy. Tish Harrison Warren is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America. She is the author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life (Christianity Today’s 2018 Book of the Year) and Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work, or Watch, or Weep (Christianity Today’s 2022 Book of the Year). Currently, Tish writes a weekly newsletter for The New York Times, and she is a columnist for Christianity Today. Her articles and essays have appeared in Religion News Service, Christianity Today, Comment Magazine, The Point Magazine, The New York Times, and elsewhere. For over a decade, Tish has worked in ministry settings as a campus minister with InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministries, as an associate rector, and with addicts and those in poverty through various churches and non-profit organizations. Now, Tish serves as Writer in Residence at Resurrection South Austin. She is a founding member of The Pelican Project and a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum. She lives with her husband and three children in the Austin, Texas area.

Tish Harrison Warren: Life As A MosaicShow Podcast InformationThis episode of We Are Vineyard is the first in a 2-part conversation between Jay and Tish Harrison Warren. Tish shares about her youthful realization that she was called to ministry and how she walked that path as a young woman in the Baptist church. They then move into discussing how to navigate marriage and parenting roles when each spouse has a similar calling, and celebrating each other’s wholeness in vocation while balancing the practical needs of the family, travel and work schedules. This is a beautiful and honest conversation about gender roles, faith and family. Come back next week for part 2! Tish Harrison Warren is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America. She is the author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life (Christianity Today’s 2018 Book of the Year) and Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work, or Watch, or Weep (Christianity Today’s 2022 Book of the Year). Currently, Tish writes a weekly newsletter for The New York Times, and she is a columnist for Christianity Today. Her articles and essays have appeared in Religion News Service, Christianity Today, Comment Magazine, The Point Magazine, The New York Times, and elsewhere. For over a decade, Tish has worked in ministry settings as a campus minister with InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministries, as an associate rector, and with addicts and those in poverty through various churches and non-profit organizations. Now, Tish serves as Writer in Residence at Resurrection South Austin. She is a founding member of The Pelican Project and a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum. She lives with her husband and three children in the Austin, Texas area.

John Elmer: Moving Forward TogetherShow Podcast InformationIn this episode of We Are Vineyard we meet John Elmer, one of the Super Regional Leaders for Vineyard USA. Together Jay and John comb through John’s story to explore themes of leadership, caring for the poor and marginalized, the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, working through rejection and loss of dreams, and how John’s early experiences have shaped the way he now guides other leaders. John grew up in Syracuse, New York. Right before his senior year in high school, he had a supernatural encounter with Jesus and was radically saved. He began a Bible study within a couple of months and never stopped. John went to college at Messiah College, where he majored in Biblical Studies and it was there that he met his wife, Gwen. Gwen and John planted the Syracuse Vineyard 30 years ago and have grown it into a multi-site church that has planted 13 other churches. John has also participated in translocal leadership, serving the Vineyard as an Area Leader, National Church Planting team member, Mission Partnership Leader, and as a Regional Leader for the last 10 years. John and Gwen have been married 38 years and have lived together in NYC, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, the squatter slums in Bangkok, as well as Syracuse. They have three children and five grandchildren that they love to be with. John is a big Syracuse University sports fan, as well as a lifelong Yankees fan.

Danielle Pathak: Casting A Vision For Pastoral Health In The VineyardShow Podcast InformationIn this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Danielle Pathak share about their early days as young adults in ministry, what they would each say to their 25-year-old self as they were about to move away from home to plant a church, and the value of seeking advice from those who have lived longer and experienced more. They also talk about the origin story of their passion for developing emotional health and caring for the personal lives of themselves and their leadership teams. Finally, Danielle shares about the work they are doing through the Lilly Grant to explore the experiences of pastors, specifically those in underrepresented and vulnerable demographics, and some dreams they have about ways to cultivate the financial, emotional and relational lives of Vineyard pastors. Danielle Pathak is the Interim Associate National Director for Pastoral Health and Development. Danielle grew up in Columbus, Ohio and started attending the Columbus Vineyard as a young teenager. Danielle attended Ohio State University and graduated with a BA in Human Development and Family Studies. She attended Vineyard Leadership Institute in Columbus, Ohio for theological training before church planting in Denver with her husband Jay and a small team in 2001. After several years of building and developing the Arvada Vineyard and also having her daughters, she became the Staff and Spiritual Formation Pastor for the Mile High Vineyard, a family of neighborhood churches in the Denver area which includes the original Arvada Vineyard. She completed a certificate in Spiritual Direction in 2013 from Sustainable Faith, took on additional training in Family Systems work, and most recently added a certificate in Spiritual Formation and Leadership in 2020 from the Transforming Center in Chicago, IL. Her true joy in this life outside of her faith is her family, her husband of 23 years, Jay, and her daughters Jasmine (age 17) and Sofia (age 14). Show Notes: The Ferment Podcast: Jay and Danielle Pathak https://bit.ly/3uUiXc4 The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon https://amzn.to/3JirIl3 Lilly Grants for Pastors https://bit.ly/3uZ1pv7

Equipping The Saints: 1st Quarter Wrap-up with Jay and CalebShow Podcast InformationAs we wrap on the first quarter of We Are Vineyard, Jay and Caleb Maskell meet up to share some behind the scenes of different episodes, their thoughts and reflections on some of their favorite conversations, and of course they laugh… a lot! From Andy Crouch’s episode on doing the internal work that allows us to be effective leaders to Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado’s episode about learning from people of different cultural backgrounds, join us as we take a brief walk through just some of the richness of these first 12 episodes! Caleb Maskell is the Associate National Director of Theology and Education for Vineyard USA. Caleb has been involved in leadership in the Vineyard movement for twenty-five years. He holds a Masters in Divinity from Yale Divinity School where 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. 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 and, 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 Ferment, March 7, 2022 The Life of the Mind with Caleb Maskell – Pastoring Worship Series https://bit.ly/3JOStiq Canoeing the Mountains by Tod Bolsinger https://amzn.to/3Lex16y Tempered Resilience by Tod Bolsinger https://amzn.to/37TKXV9 Society of Vineyard Scholars https://vineyardscholars.org/about-us/

Steve Cuss: Managing Leadership Anxiety – Yours and TheirsShow Podcast InformationIn this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with author and pastor Steve Cuss about what it was like growing up in an irreligious family that eventually came to really embrace his calling, the valuable experience he gained in chaplain residency and the practice of vulnerability and self-awareness that has shaped his heart and his life’s work. Steve also reveals his secret talent as a chicken hypnotist (see show notes for a visual!) **Please note: This episode contains some discussion of grief and pregnancy loss as Steve shares stories from his years as a chaplain. Steve is the author of Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs and the founder of www.capablelife.me, an online community helping you to function as a calm, aware, present human in the work place and home place. Steve has served in a variety of pastoral roles for 26 years, the majority of those years as a lead pastor. He is also proud to be a strategic partner with Compassion International, Leadership Network, and Missio Alliance. Steve was privileged to grow up in Perth, Western Australia, in an adventurous family of origin. After moving to the United States for theological study, he married Lisa and they have two sons and a daughter, in whom they take great delight. When Steve is not working, you can find him laughing with his family, knee-deep in a trout stream, or trying a guitar he cannot afford at a local music store. Show Notes: Steve’s website https://www.stevecusswords.com Managing Leadership Anxiety by Steve Cuss Vineyard USA’s suggested reading for March https://amzn.to/3u9pS0x All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot https://amzn.to/3L22Kbd Chicken hypnotism (not Steve) https://bit.ly/36ynMPt Steve’s Socials: Instagram and Twitter: @stevecusswords