It has been percolating in many of us and now we would like to say it out: New Life Vineyard is all about Saving lives and making disciples; Growing and seeing fruit.

Yaaay – A New Wine Skin!
By now you should have figured out that your pastors have been called out to doin’ the stuff in a new skin wine.

We believe that we have been called to start afresh. To get things done right (God’s way) from the start. Plant a fellowship that will subject itself to the Word and to the Spirit.

Avoid mistakes we have seen
Like a church having no sense of purpose. One that has no idea why it exists except to carry out programs. Or has traditions as its highest value. Other mistakes are highly rigid structures, inability to accept any risk or failure, fear of men not God, and weak pastoral leadership…

How we will do church
Purposefully – Asking all the time if what we are doing will result in Saving lives and making disciples; Growing and seeing fruit?

Modeling it – Teach by example. Behavior is best “caught” not taught. Discipleship is a highly relational thing and you can only reproduce who you are.

Value guided – Some of the values that are already working for us are servant leadership, faithfulness, holding paradoxical truths in tension (Word/Spirit; too little/too much structure; holiness, justice/grace and mercy, free will/consequences, your part/his part) and we value being Spirit dependent, culture relevant, the best we can be.

Everyone gets to play – Everyone can do something significant. Ministry is not church bound, not something that is just done in church. It is shaped by who you are and where you happen to be (and what the Holy Spirit is showing you there and then!). Significance is not dictated by numbers and the best result could be to minister to people “one by one”.

As a community – We encourage you to take “ownership”. Belong and help build a loving and supportive environment. Extra hands and warm bodies makes the work light. “A cord of three strands is not easily broken”.

Observing priorities (what we must really be doing) – Worship, Word, Fellowship and sharing of lives in small groups, Service (ministry, healing and mercy), Equipping, Sending (missions and church planting).

Unifying theology – The Kingdom of God – learn it – believe it – do what Jesus did!

Building infrastructure in tandem with growth – Sunday Services; worship team, ministry team, prayer team, Care group leaders and more cg groups, leadership team.

Church Plant Challenges
Fear of lack (small numbers and low resources) – Remedied by prayer, faith, and God who gives the increase and the one who multiplies.

Attracting brokenness, people with different agenda, former church paradigms – Love them, heal them then deploy/disciple – Bless them on their way out if they are fully convinced that their expectations or needs can be better met elsewhere.

Murmurings – Kill it, communicate purpose and vision (will come next). Keep telling our story and His story. Encourage everyone to be a part of the solution; share praise reports (create virtuous cycles).

Discouragement – Don’t be put down. It is all about faithfulness. Success is doing many unimportant things day in day out in one direction. God will honor faithfulness. God’s business is in growth and saving lives. We are just helping him to bring in his harvest. You will find something to be thankful for if you look for it. Really!

WIIFM (What’s in it for me?)

Those who believe are children of Abraham. So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. “The righteous will live by faith.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Galatians 3:7-14

We sense that God is saying this to our fellowship:

The blessings of Abraham: Exaltation (Promotion, esteem), Health, Reproductiveness (Increase and multiplication), Prosperity, Victory, and the Lord’s favor are due to you who will live by faith and believe. The blessings are for my people who will obey all my commands. I am pleased with this new wine skin and my blessings will flow out to you since in this community you have resolved to do everything according to my commands. And this community will be light and salt to the people around you