In September of 2020, the Executive Team voted to appoint full-time Super-Regional Leaders (SRLs) as a part of the National Team, to oversee and resource Regional Leaders in their roles, as well as to ensure that each region remained fully connected to national leadership initiatives.
Since September, with that decision made around team structure, we have been working through a variety of models for how to map each region and super-region. We have designed models that have considered between seven and nine regions, and between two and four super-regions.
While we have developed at least two models that were satisfactory to the Executive Team, the truth of the matter is that something has felt a little bit off about our proposed solutions. For all of the work we have put into this, each of the models we have developed have felt somewhat premature in their outcomes. Consultation with several RLs at different stages of our work has confirmed our sense of this. As such, given the critical importance of our regional structures, as well as our commitment to showing up as learners and transparently embracing reality throughout the course of our ReOrg process, we have decided to slow down the process of finalizing regional structures and maps.
Next Steps Regarding Regional Structures and Maps
By Autumn of 2021, we anticipate having hired at least two SRLs for the incoming Vineyard USA National Team, beginning their work no later than 2022. The first assignments given to these SRLs will be to conduct their own assessment of the state of our regions, and develop a regional map that they think will best serve local Vineyard pastors nationwide, as we move forward together into 2022 and beyond. At the same time, these SRLs will take responsibility for overseeing our current regional leadership structure. We believe by hiring these Super Regional leaders first, we will be guided in the best direction to build out the next iteration of regional maps and structures.
Concretely, this means that the current regional structure will remain in place through December 2022 and that each region should plan to host a Regional Conference in the summer of 2022. (If some regions want to work together to host joint regional conferences, that would be fine.)
Along with maintaining the current regional structure through December 2022, we have asked every current RL to remain in their role through December 2022 — the duration of the current five-year commitment that they each made when initially appointed by Phil Strout. We hope that each RL will be willing and able to do this. However, if there are those who cannot, we will work with other leaders in the region to create a temporary solution through December 2022.
Naturally, the relational and leadership equity of each current RL is of great importance to the success of our current process. We are asking each RL to serve Vineyard USA by continuing to do exactly what they are currently doing through December 2022, so that we can allow the incoming SRLs the time that they need to best situate our reorganized regions for the future flourishing of Vineyard USA.
