Our Story
OUR HISTORY: HOW IT STARTED
As a church planting movement, The Association of Vineyard Churches started in southern California in the mid-70s on the heels of the Jesus People movement. At first, it was a small collection of churches let by Kenn Gulliksen. John Wimber joined Vineyard in 1982 and was the catalyst to Vineyard launching hundreds of churches across the country and around the world. There are now roughly 500 Vineyard churches in the US and nearly 2000 Vineyard churches around the world.
As a part of this exponential growth, VCC was planted on April 1, 1988 and was the first Vineyard Church in the Kansas City area. It started in the basement of one of the founding couples and eventually moved to Barstow School on State Line Road. Then, our first permanent home was at 97th and Antioch. In 2009 we moved to our current campus here at 83rd and Lamar after it was purchased from Heartland Community Church.
As a part of this exponential growth, VCC was planted on April 1, 1988 and was the first Vineyard Church in the Kansas City area. It started in the basement of one of the founding couples and eventually moved to Barstow School on State Line Road. Then, our first permanent home was at 97th and Antioch. In 2009 we moved to our current campus here at 83rd and Lamar after it was purchased from Heartland Community Church.
OUR HISTORY:
HOW IT STARTED
As a church planting movement, The Association of Vineyard Churches started in southern California in the mid-70s on the heels of the Jesus People movement. At first, it was a small collection of churches let by Kenn Gulliksen. John Wimber joined Vineyard in 1982 and was the catalyst to Vineyard launching hundreds of churches across the country and around the world. There are now roughly 500 Vineyard churches in the US and nearly 2000 Vineyard churches around the world.
As a part of this exponential growth, VCC was planted on April 1, 1988 and was the first Vineyard Church in the Kansas City area. It started in the basement of one of the founding couples and eventually moved to Barstow School on State Line Road. Then, our first permanent home was at 97th and Antioch. In 2009 we moved to our current campus here at 83rd and Lamar after it was purchased from Heartland Community Church.
OUR WHY: vision
Our vision is to become a people who:
encounter, experience, embody, and express the transforming love of God in Christ Jesus.
OUR WHY: vision
Our vision is to become a people who:
encounter, experience, embody, and express
the transforming love of God in Christ Jesus.
the transforming love of God in Christ Jesus.
Encounter
Encounter – this is about you personally encountering the love of God in Christ Jesus through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. This is why we curate environments of encounter. As a community, when we come together, there is the potential for the atmosphere to shift because of God’s tangible presence among us. We use the word curate because God is the author and creator of life-changing worship environments. We can’t manufacture them. Yet, we can host and steward His presence, attuning our hearts to His.
Encounter
Encounter – this is about you personally encountering the love of God in Christ Jesus through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. This is why we curate environments of encounter. As a community, when we come together, there is the potential for the atmosphere to shift because of God’s tangible presence among us. We use the word curate because God is the author and creator of life-changing worship environments. We can’t manufacture them. Yet, we can host and steward His presence, attuning our hearts to His.
Experience
Experience – this is about you experiencing the love of God tangibly through other people in Christian community. This is why we build authentic relationships and community connection. As we see with Jesus, most discipleship happens at the relationship level. When we are in authentic, transparent, vulnerable relationships with others, there is the possibility for real transformation.
Experience
Experience – this is about you experiencing the love of God tangibly through other people in Christian community. This is why we build authentic relationships and community connection. As we see with Jesus, most discipleship happens at the relationship level. When we are in authentic, transparent, vulnerable relationships with others, there is the possibility for real transformation.
Embody
Embody – this is about you embodying the love of God because of inner transformation through spiritual formation. This is why we equip people through teachings, trainings, formation practices, and spiritual direction. Ephesians 4 tells as that one of the primary roles of leadership in the church is to equip the people of the church for works of ministry that we might mature into the fullness of Christ.
Embody
Embody – this is about you embodying the love of God because of inner transformation through spiritual formation. This is why we equip people through teachings, trainings, formation practices, and spiritual direction. Ephesians 4 tells as that one of the primary roles of leadership in the church is to equip the people of the church for works of ministry that we might mature into the fullness of Christ.
Express
Express – this is about you expressing the love of God by living out compassion for the wider world outside of the walls of the church building. This is why we develop outreach, service, and missions opportunities. We want to be about the Great Commandment, loving God and loving our neighbor, as well as the Great Commission, turning our attention outward to serve the wider world and invite people into a saving relationship with Jesus.
Express
Express – this is about you expressing the love of God by living out compassion for the wider world outside of the walls of the church building. This is why we develop outreach, service, and missions opportunities. We want to be about the Great Commandment, loving God and loving our neighbor, as well as the Great Commission, turning our attention outward to serve the wider world and invite people into a saving relationship with Jesus.
OUR HOW: MISSION
We accomplish this vision by being grounded in the truth of God’s word, and rooted in the love of the Father so that we can become conduits of the power of the Holy Spirit, offering the hope of Christ to a hurting world. This is our mission.
Truth, Love, Power, Hope: these four words represent the four streams that flow together to make up Vineyard. These are the four pillars that we are built upon. And the greatest of these is Love.
Truth, Love, Power, Hope: these four words represent the four streams that flow together to make up Vineyard. These are the four pillars that we are built upon. And the greatest of these is Love.
OUR HOW: MISSION
We accomplish this vision by being grounded in the truth of God’s word, and rooted in the love of the Father so that we can become conduits of the power of the Holy Spirit, offering the hope of Christ to a hurting world. This is our mission.
Truth, Love, Power, Hope: these four words represent the four streams that flow together to make up Vineyard. These are the four pillars that we are built upon. And the greatest of these is Love.
Truth, Love, Power, Hope: these four words represent the four streams that flow together to make up Vineyard. These are the four pillars that we are built upon. And the greatest of these is Love.