The Practicing Church

“… lose the next generation of church planters who are looking for authentic expressions of church, rooted in place and engaged in their neighborhoods. ”

Team Members/Contributors

Rose Madrid-Swetman Vineyard Community Church Contact Me

About this pastoral study project

“The Practicing Church” will make the argument that the Vineyard movement is positioned to engage the critical issues of exploring new forms of church such as “the new parish.” Churches that will provide spiritual formation for those within the church and are culturally relevant to the broader culture’s hunger for authentic spirituality. The Vineyard as a church-planting movement that is guided by core values that include “Culturally relevant mission,” I propose, can be a guide to experimenting and leading the way in new forms of church for the North American context. In this framework I will provide a way forward for faith communities that are formational, missional and communal in praxis. I will explore what Richard Foster describes as the six great traditions of the faith expressed in a faith community that will provide a holistic approach to minsitry. I will engage with writings from practioners leading the way in new forms of church as well as Vineyard scholars who are wresting with a theology of place and its affect on ecclesiology.