A collection of assimilation resources that asks how to help people move from attending on Sunday to belonging, growing, and leading, including a complete four-step discipleship pathway and a Vineyard 101 class model built around The Vineyard DNA. Free to use and adapt, from Pathway Vineyard Church in Maine and Vineyard Boise in Idaho.
Plenty of people attend a church for months without ever finding a real place to belong. This collection brings together the materials two Vineyard churches use to help newcomers take that step, from their first class through membership, deeper formation, and leadership. If you’re building a newcomers’ class or a leadership pipeline, or reworking the one you have, you can pick up these materials and put them to work quickly.
The centerpiece is Pathway Vineyard Church’s Discipleship Journey, a four-step pathway laid out in a short overview booklet. The 101 membership class introduces the gospel, the church’s story and vision, the Vineyard, and four member commitments: discipleship, mission, giving, and serving. It comes in both a leader’s version with answers and a participant version. The 201 Vineyard Foundations workbook is an eleven-week course covering core Christian beliefs, Vineyard values, John Wimber, kingdom theology, the Holy Spirit and gifts, prayer, sacraments and practices, and spiritual formation.
The pathway continues with 301 Learning to Lead, a ten-week workbook for people ready to lead. It covers vision, the role and character of a leader, spiritual gifts and personality, caring for people, conflict resolution, and leading a life group. It also teaches the Vineyard’s five-step prayer model and closes with practical ministry and commissioning. Everything rests on the Vineyard conviction that “everyone gets to play,” so ministry belongs to the whole church, not only the staff. The overview booklet also outlines a 401 step for mentoring developing leaders.
Vineyard Boise contributes a different approach: an eight-week V101 class built around The Vineyard DNA from Vineyard Resources. Participants read a chapter each week and then gather around tables to discuss it with the pastor or leader who oversees that area of ministry. The class includes stories, videos, and even a tour of the church’s compassion ministries. The write-up includes a sample calendar and practical ideas for making the class relational rather than a lecture. Note that The Vineyard DNA book isn’t included, so churches using this model will need to get copies. Many of the Pathway materials include church-specific details, so plan to adapt them to your own context. Vineyard USA is sharing these resources from Pathway Vineyard Church and Vineyard Boise with the wider Vineyard family, so use as much as helps and make them your own.