About Vineyard Church
Location: Windsor, Sydney | Context: Outer Suburban | Denomination: Independent | Leadership: Two co-leaders plus ministry team |
Vineyard Church, Windsor
Located in the north western suburbs of Sydney near Windsor, is the Vineyard church, led by Pastors Daniel and Ramona Cannone.
Initially employed as the youth minister for fourteen years Pastor Dan describes the journey of leading a large church with the goal of still being intimate and personal. On their website and in their ethos an emphasis of Vineyard church is clear- the church is about relationships. Being a large church but also intimate is a core goal, in helping people to belong and form real relationships.
Coming into senior leadership, it was clear the church had a growing momentum to it. In practical terms a growing church meant building extensions and the previous leadership team oversaw the construction of a larger auditorium in 2017, with Dan and Ramona beginning as senior pastors the first Sunday after the building was finished.
Established as a strong and vital church over time, the leadership are still conscious of passing on leadership and legacy to a new generation. Dan acknowledges the strength and vitality of the church being attributed to past leadership and their legacy, as well as holding a vision for future leadership and leaving a legacy of his own.
One of the limits to church growth now Dan notes, is not so much facility limitation, but leadership limitation, because they have a facility where they can host multiple thousands of people now. So leadership development is a key strategy to realise more of the church’s potential for growing people in their faith, discipleship and involvement.
Leadership culture as a hive formation is one key approach to leadership development and personal formation that Dan describes at Vineyard church. Having a core group of people who can cross pollinate across many areas of the church’s ministry is part of the hive analogy. The lessons shared by the leaders were about intentional leadership development, mentoring and personal formation.
Discipleship and pastoral care through small groups, as well as the overarching vision are two areas Dan hopes to be developing in the immediate future. As well, international church planting is a core goal or ‘heart’ for ministry.
Community connections and strategic partnerships are also amongst the approaches used by this church to strengthen their relationships with people in the local area. Whilst having activities that reach out to the wider community, Dan focuses on a broader goal of all churchgoers taking the gospel with them wherever they go. As such he sees his ministry as an equipper, actually equipping saints for ministry.