In the politics of Christianity, church splits are - unfortunately - fairly common. One group within the church wants to go in this direction, while another group wants to try that direction. Pretty soon it becomes apparent that there are really two churches, not one. And so the congregation splits.
Church mergers, on the other hand, are quite unusual. But that's exactly what's happening next week when Vineyard Boise will embrace Living Hope Christian Fellowship.
Living Hope is an independent church of about 80 people that meets in the Vineyard's former building on Northview Avenue. As the church has evolved, Pastor Randy Rodes began to recognize that its values were very similar to the Vineyard's.
"Randy is a Vineyard guy. He has our values," said Vineyard Boise pastor Tri Robinson, who has known Randy for eight years. "He and his people just realized they were Vineyard. And rather than changing their name and having a second Vineyard in Boise, they figured it was better for them to join with us."
Living Hope opened for worship in January 1994 as a Nazarene church and met in a school in West Boise. About three years ago, the church left the Nazarene denomination and became independent. As Randy became separated from the support network of other Nazarene pastors, he turned to Tri for friendship and encouragement.
"I think if there's something that characterizes Randy, it's his humility and obvious love for God," Tri said. "He's not into Randy, he's into the Kingdom."
Because of that, Tri expects this unusual transition to happen very smoothly.
"It's a unique idea, and the only reason I think it will work is because of who these people are," Tri said. "It's a pioneer thing to do. It's an experiment that we believe God's into."
Much thought and prayer has gone into the decision to unite. Living Hope had left the Nazarene church "out of a deep desire to follow what God was asking us to do," Randy said. But that did not necessarily mean going solo. Randy told the congregation that he would be looking for other churches to enter into an association with.
"I really believe in accountability, and that we shouldn't just be out there floating," Randy said.
Living Hope began to investigate the possibility of a relationship with the Vineyard as early as two years ago. But it wasn't until last May that the idea really started to take shape. A leadership team from Living Hope met with Tri, and together they discussed the possibility for Living Hope to someday become a Vineyard satellite church in Meridian (see below).
"We just felt like the Lord was in that," Randy said. Living Hope was essentially a Vineyard already. They used Vineyard worship music and even had adopted the Vineyard's Statement of Faith. Randy had been attending Vineyard conferences since 1993, and many members of his church had attended Vineyard Boise events and retreats.
"We've always been a 'come as you are' church," Randy said. "Basically, in my mind, you would hardly notice any difference between our service and yours."
Living Hope was scheduled to leave its Northview building this fall, and it made little sense for the church to worship in a temporary meeting place until the Meridian satellite project was ready to roll. The best plan was for Living Hope to join Vineyard Boise and for Randy to join the Vineyard's pastoral staff.
"Knowing that we're not going to exist in our separate identity for a period of time is a little hard," Randy admits. But in late July, when Randy asked those in his church who supported the merger to stand, about 98% of the people rose to their feet.
For Randy, it already feels like "we've found a home here. It's like we're just coming to where we belong," he said. "We thought we were going straight to Meridian, but first it's going to be us becoming a part of you guys."
To prepare for the transition, Living Hope's small group leaders have attended training sessions at Vineyard Boise, and many people have attended Vineyard 101 classes. Randy says his people are excited and supportive. "As we've prayed about it, God just seems to continue to confirm that, yes, this is his plan," he said.
"The bottom line is, I think we're going to see more gain for the kingdom of God than we would have otherwise, and I'm excited about that."
Meridian satellite church
The Meridian satellite project will someday send pastor Randy Rodes and a church planting team from Vineyard Boise to start a worship service in Meridian. Under the current plan, Randy would remain on staff at Vineyard Boise, and the Meridian ministry would
continue under Vineyard Boise's leadership structure.
"It's an open-ended goal to launch Meridian whenever God releases us to do it," said Vineyard Boise pastor Tri Robinson.
Some Living Hope people might stay at
the Boise campus while others will go to Meridian, he explained. And some
people who currently attend the Boise worship services may decide to join the Meridian project. Tri encouraged people who are seeking a pioneer-church experience to begin thinking and praying in that direction.
