The Next Chapter of Vineyard Westside Church

It was in 2004 that Tim Urmston felt the call of God on his life to bring a beautiful variety of church called The Vineyard  to a place unknown. It didn’t matter where it was to him, only that God would reveal to his heart where it was truly needed. Surely there were some locations more “convenient” than others from a human perspective, but God was in control and it was ultimately up to Him. 

After much prayer, seeking God’s will, and driving around every neighborhood in Cincinnati - The Holy Spirit highlighted the destination where His latest expression of Church would need to be planted. After much kicking and screaming, Tim allowed God to win the argument much in the way you do with anyone you truly love. It was a done deal, the next Vineyard Church would be called Vineyard Westside. 

In 2012 Tim Urmston felt the call to move on, and passed the keys to our amazing pastor, Ryan Detzel. In September of 2015 we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our little thread being added to the massive tapestry known as “The Church”. Over the last decade we have experienced every emotion possible. We have celebrated victories and we have lamented defeats. We have conquered as well as surrendered. We have danced in the Radical Middle.

Our journey has led us from a living room to a coffee house - onto a high-school cafeteria followed by a movie theater. In 2010, we found ourselves the brand new owners of an abandoned church building at 3420 Glenmore Avenue. She was ugly, but she had a wonderful personality. 

It’s been nearly 40 years now since John Wimber founded a new movement of Jesus-followers he would call The Vineyard. It wasn’t based on anything crazy - just the truths plainly seen in the scriptures. This new flavor of church wasn’t created to compete with other denominations or theological systems - It was simply a group of people who believed the Bible for what it said. No special interpretations were necessary. 

This simplified and unreligious way of approaching the Christian faith spread like wildfire. Four decades later, Vineyard Westside finds itself belonging to a family of nearly 2,500 Vineyard churches in 60+ nations. As with any siblings, we may not look exactly alike, however, we share the same vital DNA. Our heritage is something to be proud of as the Kingdom of God has become known to millions of people through its efforts.

Were all churches like this? Something beautiful was taking place in this movement that you just can't  find anywhere else. It is exciting, but it true. It is powerful, but it feels so natural. Something about our church was different.Vineyards were distinct.

These distinctions sparked controversy in the church world. The Vineyard Movement was birthed out of a desire to blend the biblical focus of the Evangelical church and the spiritual power of the Charismatic church communities together. Our founders recognized that it didn’t need to be an either/or scenario when it came to the gifts of the Holy Spirit being alive or dead. It could be both/and...it could be a tension that the church needed to balance.