Vineyard Movement
Introduction
A charismatic movement also known as the Third Wave and the Signs and Wonders.
The Vineyard Movement is a young movement that is ecumenical and international. It is an Armenian denomination gathering. The Vineyard Movement is an extremely active, charismatic organization which began in 1982. It is also known as the Third Wave, Signs and Wonders Movement, or Power Theology. The mother church is the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Anaheim, California which is affiliated with John Wimber. The Vineyard Movement is part of the Association of Vineyard Churches also known as the AVC. (Official Website).
The Vineyard Movement belief is based on experience rather than Scripture. Vineyard Movement adherents and followers of John Wimber believe if it works, it must be from God. They use experience first, then create theology around the experience. They practice the philosophy of psychological and occult methodologies. They share a mystical view of spiritual warfare that believes Christians can be possessed by demons. They also emphasize signs and wonders which consist of healings, casting out demons, speaking in tongues. (Hayford. 2006).
There are some critics of the Vineyard Movement that claim that this movement teaches Montanism, which is a Christian religious movement that began in the 2nd century in Asia Minor and was based on the teachings of the Charismatic prophet Montanus. This movement was condemned by the Church as being heresy. These critics see similarities in beliefs and in theological foundation that are shared between the followers of Montanus and the followers of John Wimber. (Andrews. 2015).
It has also been observed the similarities between the basic theological foundation between the Vineyard Movement and the beliefs of the founder of the Society of Friends or the Quakers, by George Fox who was born in 1624 and died in 1691. It was George Fox who exclaimed he found the Inner Light of the Living Christ. He claimed this Inner Light involved the voice of God speaking to the soul. Fox claimed to have a vision which taught him that people could have direct communication and revelation from God. Fox also believed that women could serve as regular ministers of the Gospel. George Fox also practiced the quaking or trembling during worship service. It has been said that the Vineyard Movement shares portions of the old fashioned Quakerism. ( ).
History
The Vineyard Movement began in 1974 by the effort of:
Kenn Gulliksen is the founder of seven of the California churches that are known as The Vineyard Christian Fellowships. He was an associate pastor at a Calvary church in 1974 and with his wife Joanie led a congregation in Los Angeles with the goals of worship, healing, and training. Kenn Gulliksen and some of the other Calvary Chapel pastors changed the name of his congregation in 1982. Gulliksen emphasized the gifts of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing. The worship became known as the Vineyard. He is the North American co-coordinator for the Vineyard Association. (Official Website).
John Wimber became the leadership of the group of churches in Gulliksen’s absence in 1982. John Wimber was the head of the Vineyard Ministries International. John Wimber was born in Kirksville, Missouri February 25, 1934 the son of an alcoholic father who had abandoned his young family. Wimber was raised in a non-religious family. He married Carol, who was a Roman Catholic in 1955 only to separate for a short period of time. Their marriage was restored when John Wimber converted to Christianity in May 1963. John Wimber played keyboard in the band The Righteous Brothers under the name of Johnny Wimber. (Official Website).
John Wimber attended Azusa Pacific University in Yorba Linda, California which is a conservative Quaker school to study sociology and religion. He was a co-pastor of Yorba Linda Friends’ Church in Yorba Linda, California in 1970. Because of his charismatic teachings he was eventually asked to leave the Quaker Church. (Official Website).
John Wimber gave his resignation to the Quaker Church and began teaching at Fuller Theological Seminary. He became the Founding director of the Department of Church Growth at the Charles E. Fuller Institute of Evangelism and Church Growth that was founded by the fuller Theological Seminary in 1974. May 8, 1977 John Wimber became the pastor of Calvary Chapel which was a small group church that was associated with Chuck Smith. Later this church became known as the Anaheim Vineyard Christian Fellowship from 1977 to 1994. The Calvary Chapel leadership practiced spiritual gifts so the Wimber’s left the Calvary Chapel and joined the Vineyard Christian Fellowships that was started by Kenn Gulliksen and moved to Anaheim, California. The Chuck Smith Calvary Chapel had disassociated with the group of The Vineyard Christian Fellowship. (Official Website).
John Wimber became a well-known speaker at International charismatic conferences using the focus on the Power Evangelism and healing through the power of the Holy Spirit. John Wilber and Charles Peter Wagner co taught a course at Fuller Theological Seminary called the Miraculous and Church Growth. They gave hands on training in signs and wonders and healings. Charles Peter Wagner gathered Christian leaders together to bind demons of homelessness, sickness. The Fuller Theological Seminary cancelled this course in 1985. (Official Website).
John Wimber died November 17, 1997 of a brain hemorrhage after a fall and recovering from a coronary bypass. (Official Website).
Paul Cain was a speaker for the Kansas City Prophets and is a former Christian minister in the Charismatic movement. He was born in 1929 in Garland, Texas. His mother suffered from tuberculosis and cancer before Paul was born, yet she survived giving birth and was miraculously was healed. Crain attributes this to an angelic visitation his mother had at the time of his birth and the prayers of his family. It was at this angelic visitation when Paul got his name and his mother received his calling to become a preacher. (Jurgensmeie. 2012).
Paul Cain began to minister publicly at the age of 18 and claimed he was visited by angels at the age of eight and at that time is when he started his healing ministry. He also claims to have seen Jesus appear in his car saying He was jealous of the fiancée of Paul and Jesus commanded him to stay celibate for the rest of his life. (Jurgensmeie. 2012).
Paul Cain was associated with the Kansas City Prophets in 1987. His meetings were interrupted when Cain would call out people from the audience and he would give them detailed information about their lives. His words were considered to be prophetic and were marked by supernatural healings from God. (Jurgensmeie. 2012).
Paul Cain ministered to many national and international leaders. He was sent to Iraq to meet with Saddam Hussein during the Clinton administration. Paul Cain ministry came to an end in October 2004 when a ministry associate Rick Joyner accused Cain of being an alcoholic and being involved in homosexual activities. January 31, 2005, Paul Cain issued a public apology to the body of Christ and admitted to both accusations. He is undergoing treatment for alcoholism and has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. (Jurgensmeie. 2012).
Jack Deere is a charismatic pastor and theologian and an associate professor of Old Testament at Dallas seminary. He was the pastor of a Vineyard Church as well as a Presbyterian church from 1994 to 1996. (Jurgensmeie. 2012).
Jack Deere is one of the most noted theologians in the Vineyard Movement. During an interview with Graham Banister he was asked what the Gospel was, and his reply was “I am not sure”. Jack Deere believes Christians need to hear the voice of God in Scripture and the freshly spoken Word from Heaven. He teaches satan has launched various attacks against Christians that hear the voice of God. (Jurgensmeie. 2012).
Jack Deere believed in 1986 that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit had passed away. He had been the associate professor at Dallas Seminary for ten years and has been a pastor of a Bible Church for seven years. Two weeks after hearing a British psychiatrist, John White spoke about miraculous healing. Derry became a believer. He changed his mind and believed that the Scriptures taught that healing and miracles were for today. Next he believed God spoke today outside the Bible then he believed all the gifts of the Spirit were for today. Two weeks later Jack Deere met John Wimber and the Vineyard Movement. He was dismissed from the Dallas seminary. He ministered worldwide with Paul Cain. Deere would later excommunicate Paul Cain from fellowship because of homosexuality behavior. (Jurgensmeie. 2012).
Charles Peter Wagner is considered a Christian theologian. Around 1980, he began the movement known as the Neo-charismatic movement. The expression Third Wave was created by Charles Peter Wagner at the same time. The Third Wave involves those Christians who have received a Pentecostal type experiences. The Third Wave adherents do not claim association with either the Charismatic or Pentecostal movement. (Maseko. 2008).
He believes that the First wave occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century with the Pentecostal movement. This movement began with the Azusa Street Revival. Those associated with the First Wave preach the “Baptism with the Holy Spirit” and claim it is a separate experience to conversion. They believe conversion must be accompanied with the speaking of tongues. (Hayford. 2006).
The Second wave occurred during the 1960’s as the Charismatic movement. It spread to the mainline Protestant Denominations and the Catholic Church. The Word of Faith movement is part of this Second Wave Movement. (Maseko. 2008).
The Third Wave happened in the middle of 1980 and was associated with the ministry of Wagner and the Vineyard Movement under the leadership of John Wimbler. Expressions of this movement are the Toronto Blessing and Eternal Grace. Those associated will the Third Wave identify “Baptism with the Spirit” with conversion, but does not refer to a second experience of receiving the Spirit. They stress an ongoing experience of the Spirit. They do not emphasize speaking in tongues. The leaders of the Third Wave would not speak in tongues. (Maseko. 2008).
Charles Peter Wagner has introduced the concept that God has established the plan for the earth and that the apostles shall execute that plan. Wagner is moving the same direction of as the Latter Rain. Wagner insists the Rapture of the church is the spiritual return of the Spirit, which comes first without a physical return of Christ. They believe the government of the church becomes the government of God’s on earth. They claim the people are controlled as judges, rulers, and warriors and are exercising their kingdom by the authority of supernatural powers greater than the original apostles. They claim this is to bring in a global kingdom rule. It is only after this is done by the Global Harvest Mission, conveying the philosophy of the Latter Rain Movement that Jesus will come back. They teach it is the new apostles and prophets that are going to lead the church into this new age. (Wagner. 2000).
Charles Peter Wagner is the founder and President of Global Harvest Ministries and the co-founder of the World Prayer Center. He is the Chancellor of the Wagner Leadership Institute. He was a professor of Church Growth at Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Mission. He is credited with the term Third Wave. (Wagner. 2000).
The Wagner Leadership Institute was founded in 1998 and equips people for leadership positions in churches. It tries to meet the needs of leaders who have become a part of the New Apostolic Reformation. Charles Peter Wagner and his wife Doris served as missionaries in Bolivia under the South American Mission. (Wagner. 2000).
Charles Peter Wagner sees the New Apostolic Reformation as an extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit. He teaches the New Apostolic Reformation is not only changing but also shaping Christianity globally. He believes it is the Lord who is establishing the foundations of the church for the new millennium. Wagner began hearing the Holy Spirit speaking about restoring apostles and prophets as the foundation of the church in 1990. He believes he has the gift of apostle and holds the office of apostle. (Wagner. 2000).
Charles Peter Wagner is associated with many different global movements of the Holy Spirit. John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, also went to Fuller Seminary. Together Wagner and Wimber co-instructed the course “Signs, Wonders and Church Growth”. Wagner was an advocate of praying for the sick, spiritual mapping, ministry and roles of apostles and prophets in the church today, identification repentance and demonic deliverance. Charles Peter Wagner is considered a pioneer of spiritual warfare. (Wagner. 2000).
Charles Peter Wagner believes he is the first Restored Apostle and the leader of the New Apostolic Reformation Movement. This is a movement in Protestant Christianity that has grown out of the Charismatic Movement and the Pentecostal Movement. They believe God is restoring the church government to the offices of prophet and apostle. (Wagner. 2000).
An apostle is defined by him as being a Christian leader who is gifted, taught, commissioned, and then finally sent by God with His authority to institute the foundational government of the church. These apostles do have an area of specialty so they can hear what the Spirit is saying to the church and set things in the order according to where any given church is in their growth and in their maturity. Unlike the traditional Christian church that uses church councils or general assemblies to dictate the growth and the mission of the church, the New Apostolic Christianity uses the spiritual authority that is delegated by the Holy Spirit to individuals. (Wagner. 2000).
Wagner stresses the Five Fold Offices of the church are first apostles, then prophets, then teachers, then evangelists and lastly, pastors. The Government of the New Apostolic Reform has two divisions, the vertical and the horizontal apostles and there are subdivisions within these divisions. Wagner stresses there are different functions of the apostles. (Wagner. 2000).
Belief
The Vineyard Movement teaches signs and wonders are an essential part for any successful evangelism church. They teach the only way to get people to believe the Gospel is to convince them to believe in healing, prophecy, and the casting out of demons. This is called power evangelism. (Gilley. 1995).
They teach and believe in the present victory of the church. They believe in a post-millennialism. They believe in the Third Wave teachings. (Hayford. 2006).
The Vineyard Movement teach the person and the work of Jesus Christ is fully divine, except when Jesus Christ put aside his divinity while He was on earth. They teach the miraculous Ministry of Jesus was done as a human, but through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Vineyard Movement teaches that mortal man can also perform signs and wonders just like Jesus did, through the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
They teach Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. They believe Jesus is fully God and fully man in one person. They believe and teach Jesus is humanity as God intended us to be. They teach the relationship Jesus had with the Father is the same relationship mortal man can have with the Father.
The Vineyard Movement teaches it is through the preaching of the Good News of Jesus and the Kingdom of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, that God regenerates, justifies, adopts and sanctifies through Jesus by the Spirit all who repents of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They teach simple preaching of the gospel will never result in the world being won to the Lord, unless it is associated with signs and wonders. They teach a saved person must witness miracles and supernatural signs or they will have a lack of a spiritual life. The Vineyard Movement teaches any church or church organization which adds anything to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation has caused deep error. They believe and teach a saved person should speak in tongues, be slain in the Spirit, should heal, have words of knowledge and demonstrate holy laughter. (Gilley. 1995).
The Vineyard Movement teaches Vineyard leaders are able to communicate by the Spirit to others through the laying on of hands and prayers. The Vineyard Movement teaches healings, the words of knowledge, slaying in the Spirit and speaking in tongue has priority in the worship. (Gilley. 1995).
The Vineyard Movement teaches and believes believers should be aware of dreams, visions and any other method which will connect them to the spirit world. They teach an emphasis on the inner light that is in all people. They teach the Scriptures will not help them to achieve signs and wonders. (Gilley. 1995).
The Vineyard Movement teaches the Old and New Testaments is the final and absolute authority. They claim it is the only infallible rule of faith and practice. They believe and teach the New Testament has demonstrated contact between humans and supernatural beings such as angelic visitations, dreams, visions, and prophecies they believe this routine should be practiced today. (Gilley. 1995).
The Vineyard Movement teaches God is giving prophets to the churches; these prophets are believed to build altars for the apostles to work from. They believe and teach God is going to restore the apostolic office to the church. They believe these men who have seen the Lord Jesus Christ will do signs and wonders of an apostle. (Jurgensmeie. 2012).
References:
Andrews, Edward D. (2015).YOUR GUIDE FOR DEFENDING THE BIBLE: Self-Education of the Bible Made Easy. Christian Publishing House.
Gilley, Gary. (1995). “Now Think On These Things” newsletter (Pt. 1 & Pt. 2). Street, Springfield, IL: October and November 1995 issues of Southern View Chapel.
Hayford, Jack W., Moore S. David. (2006). The Charismatic Century: The Enduring Impact of the Azusa Street Revival. New York; Warner Faith Hachette Book Group.
Jurgensmeie, Kurt. (2012). Knowing Our God Exegetical Theology Book 9 Revelation of God series. Training Timothy.
Maseko, Achim. (2008). Church Schism & Corruption. South Africa; Church Schism.
Official Website: http://www.vineyardusa.org/site/
Olson, Roger E. (2004). The Westminster Handbook to Evangelical Theology. Louisville, Kentucky; Westminster John Knox Press.
Wagner, C. Peter. (2000). Apostles and Prophets: The Foundation of the Church. Bloomington, Minnesota; Chosen Books.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Vineyard Movement:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Apr 2015.<https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2799,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015, April) “Vineyard Movement:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2799,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015) “Vineyard Movement:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (April), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2799, (accessed).
