Ann Arbor Vineyard

Ann Arbor Vineyard Church
The Ann Arbor Church was a delight to work in. I had the privilege of supporting the ministry by starting out as their Administrative Pastor in June of 2000. My primary task was to serve as the lead staff position in the purchase, renovation, and move into a new facility that would house a new congregation of over 700. When I agreed to the challenge, the Senior Pastor, Ken Wilson, started on a three month sabbatical. During that time, I was one of three staff pastors who shared in the leadership of the church. I worked with professionals who led in providing a financial package for the project, helped to contract the workforce that would provide the renovations, along with working with city officials to make sure all codes were met. In six months, we were able to finalize the purchase, finish over $600,000 in renovations (using paid and volunteer help), and move into the new facility. Many of the business professionals in our congregation were surprised that we could pull this off in such a short time. After fulfilling my role as a administrative pastor, my responsibilities shifted to being the care ministries pastor. I was in charge of training, developing, and overseeing multiple ministries that empowered the church community to care for each other in times of crisis. I was able to created group processes that supported these care givers and further empower and train them to be effective in caring for the larger church community. After a year in this role, the senior pastor asked if I would be up for the challenge to develop a new children"s ministry program. I felt that the challenge would be good for my growth and development as a leader, and I stepped in the role as children's pastor. My strategy was to identify strong leaders that could develop and advance a vibrant children's ministry. Within a few months we developed and launched a vibrant and exciting program for kids that highlighted the ministry of the Ann Arbor Church to the community.