A Decade In Ethiopia: Better Together
In February 2018, the Ethiopian Partnership celebrated its 10th anniversary. Among us were six churches from four nations and three AVCs (Association of Vineyard Churches), not to mention the now 31 Ethiopian Vineyard churches along with their emerging national-level leadership team. International partners were present from all but one of the churches in the partnership. […]
A Missions Photography Field Guide
If you’re not a photographer, you may have had the disappointing experience of discovering that the photos you snapped on a trip abroad turned out any number of ways: dark and grainy, overexposed, oddly angled, or they simply failed to capture the spirit of a particular moment. The truth is that even professional photographers have […]
An Unlikely Brother
I spent the second half of the trip on the north shore of of this island, where I’m excited to say, we now have our first official La Viña in this nation! Although Vineyard is not a recognized denomination there, the congregation has started to call themselves, La Viña Casa de Amor. On one of […]
At Home Or Abroad, Posture Is Everything
In Mozambique, most places we visit lack running water, restrooms, etc. But Mozambicans understand the need for hygiene, so the custom is to offer a pitcher of water and a basin to wash your hands. The water is usually warmed over an open fire. Before any meal, when you enter a home, or even sometimes […]
4 Ministry Truths To Keep You Going
We have all heard how hard ministry is on every area of life. People say that there is constant stress, that it is hard on families and marriages, and that you can’t reach financial stability. Sure, there are a million difficult things about ministry, but the truth is it’s an adventure! We get to speak […]
First-Time Cross-Cultural Church Planting As Grandparents: The Chilcott Story
Let’s Rewind The Story To The Beginning, The Real Miracle. We had never been to Puerto Rico before, but as we flew the first time into San Juan for a short-term missions trip, as I looked out of the airplane window, suddenly I saw this picture or vision of planting churches in Puerto Rico, setting […]
Preventing Your Leadership Crash
Planting a new church is exciting and for the most part spiritually and emotionally rewarding. It also comes with a massive cost and a lot of potential breaking points. Understanding not only the call on your life but also your strengths and weaknesses is so beneficial as a church planter, if not life-saving down the […]
How to Have A Fruitful Fight
One call. One text. One sentence. One word. It doesn’t take much for a great day to turn into something completely different. Simply put, as we pursue the kingdom and serve faithfully in the local church, conflict happens. It occurs at home, in the board room, with volunteers, staff, church members, and people in the […]
Ten Lessons From 45 Years Training Leaders
In this article, long-term Vineyard leader Steve Nicholson of the Evanston Vineyard in Illinois talks about the real-world lessons he’s learned training diverse leaders for over 45 years. See Steve’s video on the topic here. 1. It’s a war. Not everyone survives. You have to deal with your stuff and stay in close relationship. Isolation is […]
From Short-Term Missionary To Church-Planter In Puerto Rico
My mentor, pastor, and friend Ray Maldonado and I go way back to the 1990’s when I was the youth pastor and church administrator at the then Humboldt Park Vineyard (now known as Urban Vineyard). It All Started With A Missions Trip By 2004, I was living in Tampa, Florida, and then speaking to Ray […]
