We Are Vineyard

Bishop Todd Hunter: From Calvary To Vineyard To Anglican BishopShow Podcast InformationIn this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Bishop Todd Hunter about growing up in Orange County, CA, meeting the Lord at a Calvary Chapel service, and feeling like he was radically changed overnight. Todd recounts his experience of the early days of the Vineyard, the tumultuous circumstances that coincided with starting his role as National Director of the Vineyard, and how he came to be an Anglican Bishop. Jay and Todd talk about the discussions that led to him accepting a role on Vineyard USA’s Board of Trustees and then Todd shares what he’s currently seeing from this vantage point. Bishop Todd Hunter’s lifelong passion is to help others heed the call of Jesus to “come follow me” and thus live their life in the kingdom of God as Jesus embodied, taught, and demonstrated it. Bishop Hunter’s vision for such a life entails being the cooperative friend of Jesus, seeking to live a life of constant creative goodness, for the sake of others, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Bishop Hunter has expressed his kingdom-Spirit-formation-church-culture focus in various settings. He is the founding bishop of The Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others, a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. He writes a weekly newsletter: “The Gospel of the Kingdom.” Bishop Hunter is past President of Alpha USA, former National Director for the Association of Vineyard Churches, and retired founding pastor of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Costa Mesa, California. He is the author of Christianity Beyond Belief: Following Jesus for the Sake of Others, Giving Church Another Chance, The Outsider Interviews, The Accidental Anglican, Our Favorite Sins and Our Character at Work. His forthcoming book What Jesus Intended: Finding Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion is now available for preorder. Bishop Hunter is also the founder of the Center for Formation, Justice and Peace. The Center’s interdenominational community seeks to develop the Christlike character necessary to activate justice, leading to a life of deep peace for all people. Alongside trauma-informed spiritual director Vanessa Sadler, Bishop Todd hosts Peace Talks, a podcast that spotlights women and men who are working to undo oppression, leading to lives of deeper peace for all. Bishop Hunter holds a Doctor of Ministry degree and has served as an adjunct professor of evangelism, leadership in contemporary culture and spiritual formation at George Fox University, Fuller Seminary, Western Seminary, Vanguard University, Azusa Pacific University, Northern Seminary, and Wheaton College. He has been a Distinguished Lecturer at several institutions of higher learning. Bishop Hunter has written articles for study Bibles, dictionaries and encyclopedias. Bishop Hunter and his wife Debbie live in Franklin, Tennessee. They have two adult children. Show Notes: 2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New” https://conference.vineyardusa.org/ Jesus Revolution https://jesusrevolution.movie/ Center For Formation, Justice and Peace @centerfjp, www.centerfjp.org What Jesus Intended: Finding True Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion by Todd Hunter What Jesus Intended

Tom Campion: Ministry Is A Very Personal OccupationShow Podcast InformationIn this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Tom Campion about growing up in small-town Illinois and being raised by a psychologist in a Christian family before psychology was really accepted in the church. Tom and Jay discuss whether advances in the field are in line with scripture, some pitfalls of pastors trying to act as therapists for their congregation, and the value of outsourcing this type of care. Tom shares some thoughts on proactive pastoral self-care, the tricky parts of navigating personal relationships with those in your church, and the need for ministry partners who share the load. Finally, Tom identifies some common signs of burnout and life rhythms that safeguard pastors for the long haul.  Dr. Thomas Campion, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist.  He has completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Organization Psychology. He has been working with ministries and government agencies for over 20 years providing psychological evaluations and consulting/ clinical services nationally and internationally. He and his team currently work with over 50 different ministries, seminaries and missionary organizations as well as 165 different government agencies across the globe. His specialty focuses on providing comprehensive, foundational evaluations to assess compatibility and readiness for high-stress and leadership positions. The goal is to help guide organizations to equip individuals for success and longevity in the positions they are seeking. He has specifically assisted the Vineyard nationally and internationally in providing evaluations for church planters, pastoral development, succession planning, team building, and counseling services for multiple decades. He has been a part of the Urbana, IL Vineyard Church since the late 80s and he has continued attending with his family and children. He has enjoyed the opportunity to bring the science of psychological evaluations to faith-based organizations to provide a proactive approach to equip and support individuals in fulfilling God’s call on their lives. Show Notes:  2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”: https://conference.vineyardusa.org/ Books by Ruth Haley Barton  Campion Barrow & Associates   

Hannah Nation: Lessons From The Chinese House ChurchShow Podcast InformationIn the final episode of our ordination series, Jay and Caleb Maskell (Associate National Director of Theology and Education) talk with Hannah Nation about being raised in a home where questions were encouraged, and the moment when she decided to relinquish control of her life to the Lord. Hannah also shares about visiting China as a college student and evading the call she was feeling to move there as a young adult. She provides an education about Chinese house churches and the movement of the gospel across the country, the historical background of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, what we have to learn from Christians in China, and what she observed about the difference between the approach to the COVID pandemic in the Chinese church vs. American churches.  Hannah serves as the Managing Director for the Center for House Church Theology and as Content Director for China Partnership. She is also a co-host of the new House Church in China Podcast. She received her Master of Arts in Church History from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Her books include Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church (Kirkdale, 2022) and Wang Yi’s Faithful Disobedience: Writings on Church and State from a Chinese House Church Movement (IVP Academic, 2022). As a student of global Christianity, she is inspired by this historical moment and the opportunity to witness church history unfolding across China. Show Notes:  The Center For House Church Theology Faithful Disobedience by Wang Yi and Others Faith In The Wilderness edited by Hannah Nation and Simon Liu China Partnership  House Church China Podcast 2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”  https://conference.vineyardusa.org/

Mark Noll: No One Ever Reads The Bible AloneShow Podcast InformationThis episode of We Are Vineyard is a continuation of our series on ordination! Jay and Caleb Maskell (Associate National Director of Theology and Education) talk to Mark Noll about cultivating the life of the mind in a way that is honoring to the Lord. Mark gives some of the historical background of American evangelicalism and describes the widening gap between the evangelical church and critical thinking about the world and theology. Mark shares about why we need to read the Bible in community and with insight from people throughout history and across a variety of cultures and gives his thoughts on the impulses of evangelicalism that are worth preserving. Mark Noll is a historian who is retired after teaching at Wheaton College and the University of Notre Dame. His research has focused on earlier American history with books that include America’s God from Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln, A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada, and most recently America’s Book: The Rise and Decline of a Bible Civilization, 1794-1911. He has also tried to assess the recent transformations in Christianity around the world in books like The New Shape of World Christianity: How American Experience Reflects Global Faith and (as co-author with Carolyn Nystrom) Clouds of Witnesses: Christian Voices from Africa and Asia. Show Notes:  Read Mark’s Books: bit.ly/3CT2LMx The Democratization of American Christianity by Nathan O. Hatch: bit.ly/46ttKMm Religion and the American Revolution by Katherine Carté: amzn.to/46qQLPF Broken Churches, Broken Nation by C.C. Goen: bit.ly/3Pxb7Rk Mark’s article in Comment- “Spiritual Renewal and Social Transformation”: https://comment.org/spiritual-renewal-and-social-transformation/ Reading While Black by Esau McCaulley: bit.ly/3X6PuJi 2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”:  https://conference.vineyardusa.org/

Nijay Gupta: Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early ChurchShow Podcast InformationThis episode of We Are Vineyard is a continuation of our series on ordination! Jay and Caleb Maskell (Associate National Director of Theology and Education) talk to Nijay Gupta about his origin story of faith and how his love for Piper and Grudem evolved into a critical study of egalitarianism. Nijay talks about learning to read the Bible in 3D, why we’ve historically overlooked female leaders in the Bible, and how we can best engage in the dialogue about the “trouble passages” relating to female pastors. Nijay also shares the historical context of Paul’s teaching about women.   Nijay K. Gupta is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He has written several books including A Beginner’s Guide to New Testament Studies, Paul and the Language of Faith, 15 New Testament Words of Life, and Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church. He is a senior translator of the New Living Translation and co-hosts the Slow Theology Podcast with Dr. A.J. Swoboda. Show Notes:  Tell Her Story by Nijay Gupta Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert E. Coleman Remember the Poor by Bruce W. Longenecker 2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”

Carmen Imes: Bearing God’s NameShow Podcast InformationThis episode of We Are Vineyard is a continuation of our series on ordination! Jay and Caleb Maskell (Associate National Director of Theology and Education) talk to Dr. Carmen Imes about understanding how our story directly connects to the story of the Old Testament. Carmen shares about her rich experience in various expressions of Christian faith, both domestically and internationally, the aspects of the Old Testament that capture her attention, and how she gets her students to care. She illustrates how the principles in the Old Testament apply to our current context and the gift of allowing ourselves to be trained by praying through the Psalms. Dr. Carmen Imes serves as associate professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. Carmen is passionate about helping students and other laypeople engage the Old Testament and discover its relevance for Christian identity and mission. She is best known for her books Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters (IVP 2019) and Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters (IVP 2023). Imes has appeared on over 100 podcasts and radio shows and releases weekly “Torah Tuesday” videos on her own YouTube channel. She writes for Christianity Today, the Politics of Scripture blog, and The Well (InterVarsity). Imes is also a frequent speaker at churches, conferences, and retreats. Before arriving at Biola in 2021, she served as professor of Old Testament at Prairie College in Alberta, Canada. Her academic journey began when Carmen and her husband served as missionaries in the Philippines with SIM International, reaching out to ethnic minorities. Imes loves introducing students to the rich insights of the global church. Show Notes:  Read Carmen’s Books Reading While Black by Esau McCaulley Lectio 365 app Socials:  Carmen’s Youtube Channel Carmen’s Facebook Carmen’s Twitter Carmen’s Blog  

Bruce Hindmarsh: Can A Movement Be More Than The Work Of One Generation?Show Podcast InformationThis episode of We Are Vineyard is the first in a series on ordination! Jay and Caleb Maskell (Associate National Director of Theology and Education) talk to Bruce Hindmarsh about what evangelical spirituality is, its context in the historic and global church, and how it’s relevant to our current world. As Vineyard USA is in a moment of grappling with questions of identity and history, Bruce helps us to understand the traditional roots of evangelicalism and offers some wisdom on remaining faithful to the founding charism of a movement.  Bruce Hindmarsh took his D.Phil. degree in theology at Oxford University in 1993. From 1995 to 1997 he was also a research fellow at Christ Church, Oxford. He has since published and spoken widely to international audiences on the history of early British evangelicalism. His articles have appeared in respected academic journals such as Church History, the Journal of Ecclesiastical History, and the Huntington Library Quarterly. The recipient of numerous teaching awards and research grants, he has also been a research fellow at the Huntington Library and recipient of the Henry Luce III Theological Fellowship. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a past-president of the American Society of Church History. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by Crandall University in 2022. He teaches the history of Christianity and spiritual theology, and speaks often to lay audiences as well as preaching in his own church and elsewhere. A former staff worker for Youth for Christ and founding director of Camp Cedarwood, he is an active lay member of an Anglican Church. He is married to Carolyn, and they have three children: Bethany, Matthew and Sam. Show Notes:  John Wesley’s Christian Library: https://scriptoriumdaily.com/so-many-good-books-wesleys-christian-library/ John Wimber’s Pastoral Letters by Derek Morphew & John Wimber: https://www.amazon.com/Wimbers-Pastoral-Letters-Derek-Morphew/dp/B085RTT7G7 Amazing Grace: The Life of John Newton and the Surprising Story Behind His Song by Bruce Hindmarsh and Craig Borlase: https://tinyurl.com/bdfhms6r Bruce’s website: https://www.brucehindmarsh.com/ Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church by Hannah Nation: https://tinyurl.com/mr2cwzu6 Fundamentalism and American Culture by George M. Marsden: https://tinyurl.com/bdemeene Christ and Culture by H. Richard Niebuhr: https://tinyurl.com/4z67pep5

Ranjo Clements: Our Faith Is Not Meant To Be HomogenousShow Podcast Information  In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Ranjo Clements about traveling from Bombay, India to the US with his parents at age 5, the disconnect he felt moving back as a young teenager, and his experience of re-learning how to be Indian. They discuss some cultural values and norms that are strengths, and others that require navigation in a mixed-culture environment. Ranjo shares about the life events that led him to taking diversity issues seriously, some of the challenges and benefits he has found in being a part of the Vineyard, and what he finds valuable about Vineyard USA Associations.  Ranjo joined the Vineyard in 2013. Although originally from India, he is a card-carrying “third culture kid,” having spent multiple stints in India and the US. He is passionate about equipping worship leaders, building multiethnic communities, and creating “safe spaces” where people encounter God and operate in their gifting. Ranjo served as a worship pastor in India before returning to the US in 2008 to pursue an M.Div. in worship studies at Asbury Theological Seminary (ATS). He has since served as Associate Pastor at GCF Vineyard in Wilmore, KY, and is on the core team for Vineyard USA’s AAPI association. He is also pursuing a Ph.D. in Asian American studies at ATS. His research interests include Asian American identity and theology, worship, ethnodoxology, and missiology. Ranjo and his wife, Aletha, have five beautiful daughters. They love hosting people, singing, sharing stories, laughing, and eating all kinds of ethnic food, especially spicy food.   Show Notes:  2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New” Learning Our Names by Sabrina S. Chan, Linson Daniel, E. David de Leon, and La Thao Asbury University

John Kim: Hedge Funds and the Holy SpiritShow Podcast InformationIn this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with John Kim about growing up in an industrious immigrant family on Long Island, encountering the Lord through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and getting connected with the Vineyard. John shares about living a life of continuity between work and church by intentionally bringing his spiritual self to the workplace and his business mind to the church, and explains how this is an asset to both. John Kim pastors the166, a Vineyard church plant in the Hell’s Kitchen section of midtown Manhattan, along with his wife Kara. He is a principal of Karamaan Group, an investing firm that takes passive and active interests in both public and private companies. On the active side, he is a founder of Bored Room Ventures, a web3 agency and investment fund, and a strategic advisor to Wise Rock Software, a provider of intelligence amplification software. Prior to this, he was a partner at MSD Capital. He received his PhD from MIT in 1998, and his AB from Harvard in 1995. He resides in Manhattan with his wife Kara and son Samuel. He is one of the founding families of Coram Deo: A House of Worship, Prayer and Entrepreneurship located in midtown Manhattan, and serves on the board of Vineyard USA. Show Notes:  VUSA Empowered series:  https://vineyardusa.org/pentecost2023/ Use #vusaempowered when you share on social media so we can see it! 2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”:  https://conference.vineyardusa.org/ Order of the Common Life: https://www.orderofthecommonlife.org/

Becky Olmstead: The Vineyard’s Love For KidsShow Podcast InformationIn this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Becky Olmstead about growing up in the church, her resistance towards living a life of formal ministry, and finding that God had specifically prepared her to lead a Children’s Ministry. Becky shares some advice she would give to her younger self, her unique priorities in leading a Children’s Ministry, and her approach to raising kids who would grow up to love God, the church, and each other. Becky Olmstead and her husband, Rick, started Vineyard Church of the Rockies in 1982. She has been passionately involved in ministry to kids since the beginning of their church. Having come into relationship with Jesus as a child, Becky has been a voice for kids, not just in their local church, but in the Vineyard USA and internationally. God has given Becky a passion for equipping and encouraging kids’ ministry leaders. In 1998, she started networking Vineyard kids’ ministry leaders through Kid*Net conferences. This led to the development of the Vineyard Kids Task Force. Becky and Rick have twin boys who are each happily married. They have travelled to 6 out of 7 continents. She loves bicycling, roasting her own coffee beans, eating chocolate, and reading mystery novels. She is the 4/14 Movement Global Leader and the National Kids Task Force Leader for Vineyard USA.   Show Notes:  VUSA Empowered series:  https://vineyardusa.org/pentecost2023/ Use #vusaempowered when you share on social media so we can see it! 2023 VUSA National Conference “Making All Things New”:  https://conference.vineyardusa.org/ Becky’s website: https://www.beckyolmstead.net/ Vineyard Kids: Vineyardkidsusa.com