“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father”

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught.”

As a church, we desire to be a dynamic community that fosters spiritual growth as we fulfill our mission together. People ask us all the time, “what is the Vineyard anyway?” What we often respond with is " a spiritual family desiring to live out the words and works of Jesus”. This, in a nutshell, is our vision. For this to become a reality means that many individuals choose to enter into a dynamic process of spiritual growth and then live that out together in community.

As leaders within the Vineyard church, we recognize that we have a responsibility to participate with God in this maturing process. Ephesians 4:12 describes this purpose of leaders in the church:

“Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.”

That is what this discipleship track is about: outlining 3 distinct stages of spiritual growth and highlighting various training courses and experiences so each person can identify where they are now and where they need to go next.

Using our analogy of a tree, we can see that there are three essential stages for ongoing growth:

1. Being Planted
2. Becoming Fruitful
3. Multiplying

Although we acknowledge that there is a mystery as to the timing and depth of someone's spiritual growth, we will attempt to outline a definition of each stage and list some of our offered courses at this time. These courses may be offered both through kinships or as separate seminars alongside of existing small groups. They will be facilitated by a number of different leaders within our church body. The nature and number of these courses will grow in direct proportion to the development and growth of our church.

Stage 1:
Being Planted

Being planted means 2 things: planted in Christ and planted in the life and ministry of the local church. These two things give us the strength, vision and support for being credible witnesses in the world.

Some of the things that should happen during this stage are:

1. A spiritual awakening to the need for God.
2. An awareness of the basic facts of the gospel.
3. An appreciation for spiritual community and a sense of belonging.
4. A turning from sin and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
5. Public profession of faith through water baptism.
6. Experiencing both the power of the Holy Spirit and the reality of the Scriptures.
7. Involvement in the fellowship and ministry of a small group.

Some of the courses which are designed for this stage are:

Stage 2:
Becoming Fruitful

Once a believer has been planted in Christ and in the local church, these spiritual roots will begin to bear spiritual fruit. Good roots produce good fruit! Becoming fruitful means that we are growing in the character of Jesus Christ, and learning to love and serve people.

Some of the things that should happen during this stage are:

1. A growth in our understanding and experience of the Father’s love.
2. Increasing freedom from bondages and unhealthy thinking processes.
3. A lifestyle of sharing Christ and ministering to others.
4. A lifestyle of worship, Scripture reading and prayer.
5. Becoming active in ministry in the church and community.
6. Being faithful and generous with financial giving and sharing of resource.
7. Growing in our core relationships with family and friends.

Some of the courses which are designed for this stage are:

Stage 3:
Multiplying

This third stage of spiritual development is often overlooked in Christian literature but was the essence of the way Jesus ministered. For the Kingdom of God to grow and expand, we need to be inviting and mentoring others in the ways of Jesus. This would include such things as raising our children to love Jesus, leading others to Christ, nurturing a new believer, training a new leader, recruiting and serving with a new children’s ministry worker, coming alongside a new married couple or parent, teaching someone a musical instrument. This would also include the training and releasing of church planting teams and the development of new missional communities.

Some of the things that should happen during this stage are:

1. A deeper understanding of and commitment to the ministry of Jesus in the world.
2. New vision for the people God has placed around you.
3. A commitment of time and energy to encouraging and developing the people God has placed around you.

Some of the learning opportunities which are designed for this stage are: