國度小筆

葡萄園運動的浪潮

By Darren Varieur   譯: Diana Lu

「葡萄園教會聯會」(The Association of Vineyard Churches)是全球最迅速發展的教會拓殖運動之一，只要提到「葡萄園運動」的故事，就讓人想到一群非常平凡的人們，敬拜並服事一位非凡獨特的神。在這幅由耶穌基督教會的全球史交織成的富麗織錦上，「葡萄園運動」雖只不過是一絲線，卻是神編織的一線。(譯註1)

最早葡萄園運動的牧者和領袖們總是一面小心翼翼地維持著基督教義的信仰，一面熱烈追求神的靈現今的工作，但在急速增長和復興之間維持兩者的平衡並不是件易事。

溫約翰（John Wimber）是葡萄園的創辦領袖，從最早開創時期，一直到1997年11月他離世，這位領袖的影響力深深地使葡萄園教會在於神學和實務方面成形。1998年2月9日的《今日基督教》雜誌 (Christianity Today)上的報導，形容上帝呼召他時：「他是一位啤酒成癮、濫用藥物的流行音樂人，在二十九歲那年，因著貴格會帶領的研經班，上帝扭轉了這位煙不離手的音樂人。」

溫約翰成為基督徒後的頭十年，他領了數以百計的人歸主。1970 年前，他曾帶領十一個查經班，人數超過500 人。因著神的恩典，約翰成為一位很有果效的福音派牧師，日後也受邀帶領富勒（Charles E. Fuller，譯註2）的「福音佈道會」和「教會增長」事工。之後他也成為了富勒神學院的講師，他的課堂創下空前出席紀錄(譯註3)。1977 年, 約翰重返牧養崗位，拓殖了位於Yorba的「加略山教會」 (Calvary Chapel of Yorba)。

在這時期，溫約翰備受尊崇，因教會服事的領受而成為福音派典範。喬治‧賴德 (George Eldon Ladd，著有《認識上帝的國》The Gospel of the Kingdom ）則在神學著作上讓溫約翰堅信應該在教會裡活潑地運用各樣聖經記載的恩賜。認識富勒佈道團隊的Donald McGavaran 和彼得魏格納(C. Peter Wagner) 後，那些經驗豐富的宣教士和國際學生們給了他這份確信：要整合傳福音與醫治、啟示性服事；他更確信神渴望聖經上記載的所有聖靈恩賜都能在世界各地運行，所以溫約翰開始教育和訓練他的教會，效法耶穌的權能國度性服事。他開始照著聖經教導的「起而行」(do the stuff，譯注2)，而不再像以前只是「讀」那些經文。

每當約翰和他的會眾在親密的敬拜中尋求神，他們就經歷到聖靈的權能澆灌，恩賜及轉換都持續增長，帶來極大的恢復更新。也很明確地，讓教會更重視經歷聖靈的重要，這些都是「加略山運動」所未曾分享過的。1982 年，約翰帶領的教會離開了「加略山教會」，投入一個葡萄園教會的小組。葡萄園是名字由Kenn Gulliksen取的，他和加略山教會關係很密切，也是一位非常富創造力的教會拓殖者。1974 年溫約翰拓殖了加州洛杉磯的教會。極少數葡萄園教會的牧者和領袖們開始注意約翰的方向，於是「葡萄園運動」誕生了！

二十五年後，全世界已有超過1,500 個葡萄園教會、一個國際性的教會拓植運動、一家出版社以及音樂製作公司。葡萄園敬拜歌曲幫助了數以千計的教會經歷與神的親密關係。很多教會都裝備並持續耶穌宣告國度來臨的服事：醫病、趕鬼釋放服事和門徒訓練。

葡萄園的旅程並非一帆風順，它通過了許多試煉並得勝。如果您想多瞭解「葡萄園」，我們推薦您比爾 ・傑克遜(Bill Jackson)的書 "The Quest for the Radical Middle."。此書生動地記載了最初二十年葡萄園運動史中摸索的點點滴滴。

譯注1：「葡萄園運動」又稱「神蹟奇事運動」，也被人稱為「權能佈道運動」。主要是認為廿世紀末期，傳統教會深受唯物主義(Materialism)、理性主義、和世俗主義的毒害，完全忽略靈界的真實爭戰；因此醫病、說預言和說方言等恩賜的彰顯不僅是為了個人，也是教會能有效增長的不二法門。

譯注2：富勒（Charles B．Fuller，1887－1968)美國浸信會的廣播佈道家，同時是富勒神學院（Fuller Theological Seminary, 1947）的創辦人之一。這所神學院被譽為福音派承擔社會和文化事務的一個典範和象徵。

譯注3：由溫約翰以及彼得‧魏格納在加州富勒神學院所開的「神蹟奇事與教會增長」課程，當時吸引了全美各地的牧者及傳道人蜂擁前來修課。

譯注4：do the stuff，溫約翰的名言。

葡萄園教會的大使命

身為教會肢體之一，我們蒙召是具神的性情和神的使命，神給我們使命感才帶出使命性的團隊。當我們有份其中，我們謹記神是建造者，神才是工作者，唯有祂在祂所造的裡面做事，直到新的創造完成。所以我們不可成為宗教徒，但卻要在服事上清楚傳達屬地調性的色彩。並且我們深信三位一體的神，心意總是向著祂所造的一切，包括我們每一個人，因此我們的服事要在地如在天，不僅是我們、包括全地受造的都切望等候祂的國度到來，祂的旨意行在地上如行在天上。

(原文如下)

The History of the Vineyard Movement

By Darren Varieur

The Association of Vineyard Churches is one of the fastest growing church-planting movements in the world. The Vineyard story is about ordinary people who worship and serve an extraordinary God. The Vineyard is simply one thread in the rich tapestry of the historic and global Church of Jesus Christ. But it is a thread of God’s weaving.

From the beginning, Vineyard pastors and leaders have sought to hold in tension the biblical doctrines of the Christian faith with an ardent pursuit of the present day work of the Spirit of God. Maintaining that balance is never easy in the midst of rapid growth and renewal.

John Wimber was a founding leader of the Vineyard. His influence profoundly shaped the theology and practice of Vineyard churches from their earliest days until his death in November 1997. When John was conscripted by God he was, in the words of Christianity Today, a "beer-guzzling, drug-abusing pop musician, who was converted at the age of 29 while chain-smoking his way through a Quaker-led Bible study"

 In John's first decade as a Christian he led hundreds of people to Christ. By 1970 he was leading 11 Bible studies that involved more than 500 people. Under God’s grace, John became so fruitful as an evangelical pastor he was asked to lead the Charles E. Fuller Institute of Evangelism and Church Growth. He also later became an adjunct instructor at Fuller Theological Seminary where his classes set attendance records. In 1977, John reentered pastoral ministry to plant Calvary Chapel of Yorba.

Throughout this time, John’s conservative evangelical paradigm for understanding the ministry of the church began to grow. George Eldon Ladd’s theological writings on the kingdom of God convinced John intellectually that the all the biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit should be active in the church. Encounters with Fuller missiologists Donald McGavaran and C. Peter Wagner and seasoned missionaries and international students gave him credible evidence for combining evangelism with healing and prophecy. As he became more convinced of God's desire to be active in the world through all the biblical gifts of the Spirit, John began to teach and train his church to imitate Jesus’ full-orbed kingdom ministry. He began to ‘do the stuff’ of the Bible that he had formerly only read about.

As John and his congregation sought God in intimate worship they experienced empowerment by the Holy Spirit, significant renewal in the gifts and conversion growth. It became clear that the church’s emphasis on the experience of the Holy Spirit was not shared by some leaders in the Calvary Chapel movement. In 1982, John's church left Calvary Chapel and joined a small group of Vineyard churches. Vineyard was a name chosen by Kenn Gulliksen, a prolific church planter affiliated with Calvary Chapel, for a church he planted in Los Angeles in 1974. Pastors and leaders from the handful of Vineyard churches began looking to John for direction. And the Vineyard movement was born.

Twenty-five years later, there are more than 1,500 Vineyard churches worldwide, an international church planting movement, a publishing house and a music production company. Vineyard worship songs have helped thousands of churches experience intimacy with God. Many churches have been equipped to continue Jesus' ministry of proclaiming the kingdom, healing the sick, casting out demons and training disciples.

The Vineyard's journey has not been a straight path. It winds through many trials and triumphs. If interested in more, we recommend Bill Jackson's book, "The Quest for the Radical Middle." This readable history explores the events, issues and people who shaped the Vineyard in its first two decades.

The Mission of Vineyard Churches

As a community of churches, we are called to participate in the character and mission of God. Missional God generates a missional community. As we participate, we remember that this God is Creator God, who is working within His creation until the completion of new creation …So we do not become religious, but stay quite earthy, expressed plainly by the earth-tone colors. Our Triune God is on a mission and the direction of that mission is not away from creation, but towards us and all of creation until his kingdom comes and his will is done on earth as in heaven.