Vineyard Distinctives

10 Vineyard Distinctives that John Mumford set out at the National Leaders' Conference:

• Vineyard Distinctives 01: The Main and the Plain
  We believe the Bible is our ultimate authority for faith and practice. We teach the main and the plain Bible themes and abstain from weird doctrines or "strange" new revelations.
• Vineyard Distinctives 02: Come, Holy Spirit!
  The presence and the power of God is absolutely essential to our lives. We expect it to be there and we depend on it. We are Spirit-led and minister to people through spiritual gifts, such as healing or prophecy
• Vineyard Distinctives 03: The Now and the Not Yet
  This is the theological framework of the Vineyard: We believe in the presence of the future, that we do not have to wait until we die to experience the future kingdom of God, but that the kingdom breaks through, intervenes and interacts with us in this present age. The kingdom of God is here and we are to expect supernatural things to happen when we step out in faith, but the kingdom is not fully here until Jesus returns. This means that the kingdom does not break through every time we pray and we are not exempt from suffering and persecution in this present age.
• Vineyard Distinctives 04: Worshippers of God, Rescuers of Men
  The greatest command was that we love God and love people. We are committed to a lifestyle of loving God that results in God becoming Lord over every part of our lives, and we are committed to live in community with people whom we can learn to love as ourselves. Our mission is to love God and love People. Love is our goal!
• Vineyard Distinctives 05: Everyone gets to play
  We believe in the priesthood of all believers. That means that there are no "superstars" in the kingdom of God. Everyone can minister in the power of the Holy Spirit and excercise spiritual gifts as the Spirit leads. We are all called to be a part of the ministry of Jesus and we are all called to work and serve in God's kingdom.
• Vineyard Distinctives 06: Come as you are, but don't stay as you are
  As a church, we want to be a place where people can belong before they believe. It is about creating an environment where people have the freedom to come into and experience God. On the other hand, we also want to allow God to transform us, to begin to change us from the inside out. Encountering the true living God means that we will be changed forever!
• Vineyard Distinctives 07: Equipping the Saints
  We have been called to make disciples and for this reason we place an emphasis on training and equipping people in order to become effective ministers, priests in the kingdom of God. Jesus sent out all his disciples to go and do the works that he did, so must we be trained up and sent out to go and make a difference in the world.
• Vineyard Distinctives 08: Naturally Supernatural
  Having the power and presence of God with you is an awesome experience, but we do not always experience the presence of God manifestly. This can lead to pressure on people to manipulate others in various ways to create an emotive mood for experiencing God. We are not into hype and we believe that we do need to do a "hard sell" on God. God is enough and the gospel is sufficient, so that we do not need to revert to hype and manipulation. Also, we want to be naturally supernatural, so that we remain normal people in whom the supernatural gifts of God operate. We need to guard against becoming weird to the extent that people can no longer relate to us. Being supernatural should be natural to us we should expect supernatural things to occur when we minister, but we do not let it go to our heads.
• Vineyard Distinctives 09: Planting Churches that will Plant Churches
  Healthy organisms grow and reproduce. If the church is healthy it will grow and reproduce. If our aim is to make disciples, we should expect that some of them will be sent out to plant new churches. It is the natural process of raising people up, equipping them for the task ahead, then sending them out to go and "do the stuff".
• Vineyard Distinctives 10: A short leash
  We value leadership that is accountable to the extent that God will not let us get away with anything. We want to be kept on a short leash, so that we never stray far from the will of God before He pulls us back. We have a saying: "Never trust a leader without a limp" It means that we are open, vulnerable and teachable. Most of us will have failed in some area, so we need the constant grace and mercy of God. Leaders are people who know the correction of God as well as His mercy.