The Vineyard Church of Brenham

who we are

The Vineyard Church of Brenham is a community of regular people who love Jesus and are deeply committed to sharing His love by serving the people of Brenham, Washington County and surrounding areas.

We strive to be people who love, value and accept others because we know we are loved, valued and accepted by God.

We want people to know they can be transformed by the love of Jesus because we are experiencing this transformation ourselves.

We want to be people who are equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit for living in the Kingdom of God right now - until Jesus returns.

We're excited to see where God will lead us and we're eager to partner with Him in the work He is doing here, in Brenham and beyond!

To KNOW God and His love for us.

To SHOW His love by loving each other.

To SHARE His love with the world.

Unity: Sharing in the unified life of the Trinity and demonstrating God’s love by living together in unity. Faith is not a private matter, but rather everything is to be done with and for each other. God’s love unites us across all barriers and enables us to live out life together intentionally, seeking the other’s well-being in every way, including the physical, spiritual, material and emotional aspects of every person.

Authenticity: Receiving and giving encouragement to each other in and through and despite our weaknesses in order to live up to the calling God has for each of our lives. Transparency before God and each other allows us to be receptive to encouragement instead of wearing a mask of holiness which isolates and leads to loneliness.

Transformation: We come to God as we are, accepting his offer of love and grace. From a place of honesty and truth, we then participate in the transformation God intends to work out in us, becoming more like Jesus. It is our “sanctification”, becoming holy, being purified. We are changed as we draw near to God and to each other. The process does not occur in isolation but within the context of relationship with the people of God.

Cultural Relevance: Faithfully proclaiming the Good News of God’s Kingdom in a way that is meaningful and compelling to the people in our time and culture. Using the Bible as our guide for faith and practice, we take a creative, entrepreneurial and innovative approach to everyday life and ministry that is faithful to Jesus and His Word.

Spirit-Led: Jesus is the head of the church and the Holy Spirit is its administrator. We seek to be actively responsive to the Holy Spirit’s daily leading in our personal lives and within the ministries of the local church. At the same time, we seek to be “naturally supernatural”, experiencing Holy Spirit power without hype or eccentricity.

Equipping & Releasing: John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard, said “everyone gets to play!” What this means to us is that the role of the pastor is not to personally do all of the ministry. Rather, it is, along with church leadership, to equip the members of the church to do the work of the ministry. Everyone gets the opportunity to learn how to serve and to minister.

Hospitality: A warm, gracious environment enables people to feel at home and be comfortable. Everything we do should be understandable and inclusive for guests and seekers without watering down the faith. Seekers can experience and evaluate authentic Christianity and be provided an opportunity to develop relationships with people they can meaningfully connect with.

Passion for Excellence: In order to honor God through faithful stewardship of the resources He has entrusted us with, we choose to do a few things well.

Reproduction: Jesus call us to pass on what we have learned. The role of the local church is to develop disciples of Jesus who reproduce Jesus’ character and His ministry. As these disciples grow in their faith, they will in turn share with others and disciple them.

Worship: God-centered, corporate and individual, a means of focusing on God, a way of life. As we come together to worship God in the freedom of His Spirit, we encounter His presence and become more like Him. Worship includes, but is not limited to singing and music. It can also be expressed through any of the creative arts. Worship as a lifestyle can also be expressed through the work that we do on a daily basis. As we learn to worship Jesus, we take on His character and join Him in hearing and doing the Word of God.

Bible Teaching: The scriptures are God’s teaching and instruction to us to guide our faith and our actions. The Bible reveals the character and nature of God through the person and work of Jesus. The Holy Spirit uses the Bible to check our motivations, shape our characters, and draw us into relationship with God. We provide clear, accurate biblical teaching in order to produce active life application. We build our life upon God’s Word.

Discipleship: Jesus led and taught His disciples through close personal relationships. We will also focus on raising up mature Christian disciples through mentoring, training, and coaching relationships. Spiritual disciplines also provide avenues to “hang out” with Jesus and open ourselves to the Holy Spirit for healing and growth. Ministry training enables us to grow in the power of the Holy Spirit as we practice serving each other. These result in healthy, mature people who reproduce both Jesus’ character and His ministry.

Ministry and Service: Jesus commissioned His disciples to perform the same ministry that He did. As we submit to Jesus’ authority, He also commissions us to ministry and to serve others through the power of the Holy Spirit with the gifts of the Spirit in operation (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4). Ministry includes praying for healing for the sick and hurting, expecting God to provide signs and wonders just as He did in New Testament times. Service includes serving each other and our community emphasizing the poor, widows, orphans, and those who are broken and hurting.

Prayer and Intercession: Prayer is simply communication with God. It is bi-directional. It is not just a way to get God to do what we want. It is God’s way of engaging us in what He is doing. Intercessory prayer is seeking God on behalf of others. Right now, Jesus is interceding on behalf of us all, asking God to grant His will in response to our prayers. Because of our relationship to God through Jesus, we can come to God in prayer and ask for his will to be done in our lives and in the lives of others.

Community and Fellowship: The same relationship bonds that connect a person to Jesus also connect Him with other believers in a church community. The Bible describes community as an active, joint participation with others in a common spirit of sharing. This shared participation culminates in the Lord’s Supper, the sacrament of the unity of the church, symbolizing many are one in Christ. Numerous activities throughout the year facilitate building relationships and living out the authentic Christian life together. Community Groups are the primary way that we develop close relationships. Community Groups provide a safe setting to ask questions, grow spiritually and practice using the spiritual gifts. Unity in Christ also extends to the whole Body of Christ, including relationships with other local churches.

Evangelism and Outreach: We as the people of God, participate in the mission of God to bring God’s love to the world by testifying to His rule and reign in our lives. The Kingdom of God is the future rule and reign of God that has broken into the present beginning with the life and ministry of Jesus. The Kingdom of God brings healing (physical, emotional, and social), effects justice, and delivers those held captive by evil. Our objective is to share with others the benefits of living in the Kingdom of God, under His rule and reign, which we have received from God by sharing the Gospel--the Good News of Jesus--with our community.