Membership

Outer Circle Survey

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We are in the process of evaluating the Outer Circle process. We do this each year, often adapting based on suggestions we’ve received or in response to other concerns we foresee. This year we’ve developed a short survey (less than 3 minutes to complete) that we hope will help us plan for the future.

We want to keep the main goal of the Outer Circle clearly in focus:

To foster a culture of intentional balanced growth and encouragement that spills out beyond the Outer Circle to influence everyone in WCV and our lives.

In other words – we want everyone who is part of WCV to become more like Jesus in the ways God is inviting them to! The Outer Circle is like a trellis which provides support for plants to grow. It’s a structure that is designed to support growth in us. Sometimes structures need to be renewed, re-worked or dismantled altogether if they are to achieve the goal of growth.

Your voice and input is important in this evaluation effort and we deeply appreciate you taking the time to complete the survey (3 minutes).

>>If you don’t know what the Outer Circle is, or need a refresher, go here.

Being involved in the Outer Circle and, more specifically, being in a Triad is one of the primary ways membership in WCV is determined.

>>For more on Membership in the Vineyard, go here.

 

>>Complete Short Survey Here.

 

 

Outer Circle – obeying our way to becoming more like Jesus

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We’re quickly coming up to the last Outer Circle gathering of 2017 on October 28. If you’re in the OC this year, we trust your Triads have been meeting, sharing, supporting and praying for each other. This is, after all, the whole point of the Outer Circle process – relationship and growth.

None of us can study our way to become more like Jesus – rather we obey our way to become more like Jesus.

If there is one lesson I’ve learned the past few years, it’s that I can’t make myself more like Jesus. There’s nothing I can do to make growth happen inside me. I can set up the conditions, I can learn, I can posture myself for growth, but in the end it is a work of the Holy Spirit. None of us can study our way to become more like Jesus – rather we obey our way to become more like Jesus. In other words, the habits and practices we form in response to the teaching and leading of Jesus will create favourable conditions for becoming more like him. This is the whole point of Triads and the Outer Circle process. It’s simply a track – a way of opening yourself up to God’s leading in the midst of small pockets of community that will encourage, promote and stimulate growth. That work doesn’t happen in meetings (usually). Rather it happens in the coffee shops, pubs, living rooms and wherever else you meet up with your Triad to share areas of strength and growth and the actions (habits) you’ve formed in order to encourage growth and share strength.

If you’re not part of the Outer Circle this year, you’re still welcome to join. Each year begins a new cycle. Being an active participant in the Outer Circle process (not just the meetings but engaging in the process with your Triad) is also one concrete way Membership is expressed in WCV. We always eat together, share with each other and end by celebrating the Lord’s Supper together.

>>Please RSVP to the office regarding your attendance on Oct 28 and if you need childcare.

>>Here’s more info on the Outer Circle process.

>>Here’s more info on WCV Membership.

  • Childcare provided – but you have to sign up with the office.

  • October 28, 5:30pm – 8pm (supper provided)

WCV Membership

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On March 18, we affirmed a clarified definition of membership for WCV.  The Pastoral and Lay elders have been diligently working on this issue for a number of years.

We recognized that the working definition of membership was confusing, so we set about to bring some clarity and simplification to the definition of formal membership in WCV.  Over the years we’ve had a few working definitions.  What is currently reflected in our bylaws is quite different from what we’re actually doing.  So, our task was to revise the definition while maintaining a spirit of invitation and welcome to all (anyone can belong!), and at the same time have it actually mean something.

Bear in mind that anyone can be part of the Vineyard, whether or not they’re an official member.

>>What is a member of the Vineyard?

Members of the Vineyard are those who Belong, Serve and Give as defined below.

 

Belong:

Members are part of a small group of other people in WCV that is focused on growth along the lines of WCV’s Core Practices.  Triads in the Outer Circle process and House Groups are the best organized examples of this.  However, there are other small groups that can accomplish similar goals.  The main point is that members are:

  • Intentionally and regularly gathering with a small group of people,
  • Knowing and being known by those people, and,
  • Actively engaging in spiritual growth as described in our Core Practices.

Core Practices that deal with Belonging: Relationship & Rhythm.

Serve:

Members are actively engaged in God’s mission.  Each contributes in some personal and practical way in WCV and/or in the Kingdom of God at large.  We view service as a privilege and an opportunity to cultivate humility – especially those tasks nobody else wants to do.

There are times when we, like the Musk-ox, need to take some time in the centre and we’re just not able to serve for a season.  We also recognize that some people will be serving diligently and faithfully in areas not directly connected with WCV and may not have time or energy to contribute in this way to WCV.  We want to cultivate a generous and expansive scope in this regard and encourage all contributions to the Kingdom of God!  However, many hands are needed to accomplish the activities WCV has been called to do.
Core Practices that deal with Serving: Circles of Sharing & Gospel.

Give:

Members support WCV financially with generosity and joy (2 Cor. 9).  There are three reasons we give:

  • Giving money away is an act of resistance and a demonstration of trust.  We resist the pull of self-sufficiency and materialism that our culture swims in and we demonstrate that any money we have is the Lord’s and that we are his stewards of it.  It is a practical act of worship that indicates where our hearts are at.  In short, financial generosity is a discipline that forms us spiritually in a good way.
  • WCV has practical operational needs.  These are taken care of through gifts from members and others.
  • When we pool resources through giving, we are able to share a portion of what comes to WCV with those in need.

Core Practices that deal with Giving: Generosity, Devotion and Circles of Sharing.

Annual Renewal

Membership is renewed at the beginning of each year.  One Sunday in January all new members are welcomed and all previous members re-affirm their membership to WCV – that they belong, are serving and giving.

Members will be contacted at the beginning of the year during the renewal process.  The purpose of this is to determine who will be allowing their names to stand for another year.

The annual renewal is meant to encourage healthy self-reflection.  We’ve learned this from our Himalayan region family.  Each year they pause in January and ask the questions: “Am I still in this?” and “What’s God’s invitation to me this year?”  It’s a moment in time they say, “yes!” again.

For us, membership is much more than just getting your name on a list.  It means actively engaging in the vision and mission of WCV.  In seasons of strength, this means being involved and offering that strength to others.  In seasons of weakness, this means being taken care of and receiving support, healing, etc.

 

>>Current Member Note:

If you are unsure if your name is on the current membership list for 2017 and you want to be, please check with Vanessa.  Currently, if you are in the Outer Circle or are doing something similar (intentionally and regularly meeting with a small group of people to pursue spiritual growth), then you can be a member.  Just let her know – it’s really as easy as that!

 

Community Meeting (AGM)

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At the Outer Circle gathering on March 18, we’ll be doing some significant business as a church community.  On Sunday March 12, we will have the specific proposals and other information available in a printed booklet.  If you are on our newsletter email list, you will receive a digital copy on Thursday, March 9.  Please review these booklets before the church meeting on March 18.  We certainly welcome any comments or questions about anything in the booklet.

Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect:

  • Supper – just like a normal Outer Circle Gathering.  Starts at 5:30pm.  Everyone’s welcome!
  • Financial updates including a 2016 report and the budget for 2017.
  • A few key Shifts in Leadership.
  • Updating our Bylaws (which requires ratification by the members) including proposals for a new definition of Membership, Pastoral Executive, inclusion of gender neutral language and a few other tweaks.
  • Two New BOD Members (Marlese Hazeu & Cornelius Martens).
  • “Views from Here” which are updates from a number areas in WCV – including a few significant changes.
  • We will try to wrap up by 8pm.

All these proposals, changes and updates are outlined in the booklet.  Please pick one up and review it before the March 18 meeting.  Some of these proposals require ratification by a vote of the membership.

Everyone is welcome to come – please do!

>>A Note about Membership:

  • If you are unsure if your name is on the current membership list, please check with Vanessa Lewis (WCV Administrator) who will be set up at a table at the meeting.  If you are in the Outer Circle, your name is automatically included.  If you have indicated to the office that you’re doing something similar to meeting in a Triad, like what’s described here, then your name will be on the list.  If your name isn’t on the list, just let Vanessa know and you’ll be added.
  • Only current members will be able to participate in voting.
  • We realize there is some confusion about formal membership in WCV.  We’ve heard you and apologize for any hurt this confusion has caused.  For this reason we’re proposing a new definition, which is described in the booklet.

>>If you require childcare, please sign-up up with the office.  This is especially important if you do not normally come to the Outer Circle gatherings.

 

Saturday, March 18, 5:30pm – 8pm

Do you want to Grow this Year?

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screen-shot-2016-12-29-at-1-39-45-pmAdmittedly, this is a bit of a redundant question.  Of course the right answer to the question is, “yes, I want to grow this year!”  Yet conditions for growth require more than a willingness on our part – even if that willingness is full of passion.  Perhaps this is why growth is often difficult to see, even though most of us readily admit we want it.

God is creative.  Ever since he spoke the world into being and ever since he bent down and formed the first humans out of the dirt and breathed into them, he has been creating.  Astronomers understand that the universe is continuously expanding outward – as if the life-giving power of God’s words “Let there be…” haven’t stopped forming.  Creation is ongoing, generating new expanses of space, but also newness in us, should we choose to allow it.  For followers of Jesus, this creative energy is moulding us into being more like him – restoring our image of God-ness.  This is a deep and beautiful task and it is the setting, the backdrop, and the reason we engage in the Outer Circle process each year.

Imagine, getting together regularly with 2 or 3 other people and sharing three areas of growth God has invited you into for the year.  Imagine being honest about your strengths and allowing God to fill you with screen-shot-2016-12-29-at-1-44-20-pmhis laughter and delight.  Picture yourself being prayed for as you posture yourself in deliberate and intentional ways to be formed into Jesus’ likeness.  What growth might be visible in a year from now if you stuck with it?  What might you see formed in those 2 or 3 friends?  What if you tracked your friend’s journeys in specific ways?  What might the Holy Spirit do in you and in them if given the chance?

Do you really want to grow this year?  You might want to consider forming a Triad and being part of the Outer Circle process for 2017.  Our first gathering is on Saturday, January 14, 5:30pm – 8pm.

By then you should have identified your 3 areas of strength (Grace received) and 3 areas of growth for the coming year (Grace needed) and have made a plan.  If this doesn’t make sense to you, read more here.

Contact the office to sign up.  The Outer Circle is one way to be a member in the Vineyard.  For more on membership go here.

For more detailed explanation of the Outer Circle process go here.

 

Outer Circle 2017 – Posturing for Growth

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Our goal is growth.  We want to grow into a rich fertile field that produces a lot of Kingdom fruit.  Ok, ok – so that’s a little vague and is a little heavy with “Christian-ese”!  Let me spell it out like this:

Jesus, in his 3 years on earth, was involved in a number of groups, each with unique strengths and purposes.

screen-shot-2016-12-01-at-4-24-00-pmHe had a group of 12 close disciples who lived with him, observed what he did, and ultimately participated in the establishment of the church.  From among those 12 he had 3 who were especially close and were privy to a number of personal and intimate moments with Jesus.  He could share things with them, he couldn’t with the group.  It’s also clear that he had many more than just 12 people who followed him.  There were a number of women (which was quite counter cultural for the time), and others who were impacted and attracted by who he was and what he did.  Finally (for our purposes here at least), Jesus had a mission field – a target group he was aiming to impact.

We can think of WCV in a similar way.  We have some structures set up to help encourage everyone to be involved in at least one of these levels.

The Triads in the Outer Circle process are designed to be an incubator for growth for 2 to 4 people – kind of like Peter, James and John with Jesus.  They provide a venue to be involved in specific and real areas of other member’s lives.  Triads are reminded to keep track of each other, pray for each other, and support each other in the particular areas God is celebrating in each person for the year, as well as the ways he’s inviting growth for the coming year for each member of the Triad.

HouseGroupsCouch copyHouse Groups are also quite intimate, but meet different needs than the Triads in the Outer Circle process.  They are more like Jesus’ 12 disciples – great opportunities to develop community, to share needs and joys, to learn and worship together, and to provide safe places to practice many of the skills and gifts we want to see developed in our church (praying for each other, worshipping authentically, practically supporting each other, and leadership development, to name just a few).

Both the Triads in the Outer Circle Process and House Groups provide opportunities for people in WCV go beyond just meeting together on a Sunday morning (which are essential but can only accomplish so much).  They are invitations to friendship where we can regularly and honestly connect with each other.  For both the goal is to provide a place for spiritual growth in the context of community.  Of course there are other ways this can happen outside of WCV’s structure – and we encourage that too!

Jesus also had crowds of followers (until he ended up on the cross, but that’s another story and is also where this metaphor breaks down a bit… ).  These crowds provided many opportunities for the Kingdom to advance and for Jesus to pursue his mission.  Our Sunday gatherings and our weekly Drop-ins are great spots for this kind of activity.  They have advantages of feeling part of something bigger, preaching the gospel and instruction, public celebration, worship, etc.

And finally, we have our mission field.  Our goal is to create a opportunities for growth at every sphere of interaction.  We want to cultivate a rich environment for each person who calls WCV home to grow in their relationship with God and with each other – and we want to grow to see more people come to know Jesus in real and life-changing ways.

Because of their emphasis on personal growth and discipleship, we’ve identified the first two areas, Triads in the Outer Circle, and House Groups as a requirement for membership in WCV (Outer Circle or a Similar Group – like a House Group).

For those who are looking to be part of a Triad in the Outer Circle process for 2017, now is the time to be preparing for it.  Go here, or grab a booklet from the info table for more.

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WCV Membership – Tag, you’re it!

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If you’ve been following along on our communication about the Outer Circle Process, you’ll have picked up that those who are part of the Outer Circle are also formal members of WCV.  However, there is another way to be a formal member.  If you are not part of the Outer Circle this year, yet still doing something similar, you can put your name forward to be a formal member of WCV.  This is an annual process, so even if you put your name forward last year, you’ll need to do it again this year.  So the ball is in your court, so to speak… tag, you’re it!

OC Logo 2016We’ve explained what we mean by “an equivalent” of the Outer Circle here.  Formal members of every charity in Canada have the opportunity to vote.  This is true for us, but we also use it as a way to see with who is tracking with our call as a church.

Membership is not the same as belonging.  Everyone is loved and valued.  Everyone and anyone can belong here at the Vineyard and can take it at their own pace.  However, only formal members can vote.  We will be voting on new elders at our Outer Circle gathering in June.

>> More info on WCV Membership here.

>> Contact the Office to sign-up.

 

First 2016 Outer Circle Gathering is Today!

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The 2016 Outer Circle process kicks off tonight (Saturday, Jan 16) at 5:30pm.  We will eat together, be encouraged and celebrate communion.  We will also be updating our list of OC participants for 2016 – including Triads. If you haven’t yet signed up with the office, no problem for this time – just come!  Also, we will have an Open Table for anyone who has not yet found a Triad, or for those who simply don’t know who to ask to be in a Triad.  You are Welcome!

5:30pm – 8pm.

>>More info about the Outer Circle process.

 

Outer Circle & Membership

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We’re postured for another great year with the Outer Circle process.   63 people were involved in 2014.  If you were one of these, please let the office know if you will be in again for 2015.  If you are just joining the Outer Circle for the first time, please let us know.  We’ll need to know if you’re going to be at the first gathering on Jan 17 and who is in your Triad for the year as well.  We need to keep accurate records for a two reasons:

Keeping Track & Planning

We want to know who is participating in the OC so we can plan the gatherings.  But even if you don’t come to the OC gatherings and you are still meeting regularly in a Triad and doing the process, it is still helpful for us to know what’s going on with everyone who calls the Vineyard home.  We are about discipleship and the OC is one of the primary tools we’re using.

By the way, it’s fine if you are part of the OC and don’t come to the OC gatherings for whatever reason (it’s about the relational process and not primarily about the gatherings!).  Just make sure your Triad is meeting together regularly.

WCV’s Formal Membership

The second reason is that the OC (or an equivalent) is WCV’s legal membership.  Every charity in Canada is required to have a membership roster and we’ve chosen to make the Outer Circle ours.  This means that every year, all the “members” need to let us know if they are in for another year or not.  This allows us to keep fresh and updated records of who is tracking with the vision of WCV.  This applies to everyone in the OC.

We have also specified “an equivalent” to WCV’s membership to give room for flexibility to those who are intentionally gathering, getting into each other’s lives and engaging actively in spiritual growth but who aren’t committed to the OC process.  Let us know if this is your case.  You can still be a formal member.

Membership vs Belonging

A quick note about membership – formal membership is a governmental distinction and if you’re not a formal member (participation for this year in the Outer Circle process or an equivalent), then you are still part of WCV.  We hope that’s clear, but we just want to make it very obvious!  Everyone can belong!  (only formal members can vote).

You can contact us with the form below, or just email the office.  If you want a refresher on the Outer Circle Process, go here.

Thanks!

 

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