In starting this church, Dan and Gabrielle have been the planting-leaders. They gathered a team and through these leaders, released all kinds of ministry in all kinds of direction. The result has been that Central Vineyard has become a diverse place to belong and minster, but as leaders they can only hold so much, and Central Vineyard has out-grown their ability to hold all of it by themselves.
During this year we have felt that we were no longer a “church-plant” but to become a “church-in-formation”, realising that we are now to grow up together into a healthy and flourishing community. To do this we want to honour diversity. No one leader can lead Central Vineyard fully into its future, it has taken a team so far, and will take a team to go on.
As the planting-leaders, Dan and Gabrielle have been the ones responsible for stewarding our journey together, and while they have always done this with a team of leaders around them, we feel a more intentional move needed to be made. It was time to make room for more and share the responsibility. To bring further safety and structure, we have restructured Central Vineyard leadership to itself reflect unified-diversity and will now be co-led by two couples - the Sheeds and the Wisemans - each couple gifted with their own unique gifts but united in responsibility to care for the journey of our whole whānau.
As we walk into the future, we do it together, and we think that’s a pretty beautiful way to do this.
Dan, Gabrielle, Rob and Alisha
