Steve Alvarez, Philippines Partnership Coordinator
There are 29 Vineyard churches in the Philippines as of 2006. If you have an interest in the Philippines , please contact Steve Alvarez
Formal Name: Republic of the Philippines
Population: 91,077,287
Capital: Manila
Major Peoples: Tagalog 28.1%, Cebuano 13.1%, Ilocano 9%, Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%, Hiligaynon Ilonggo 7.5%, Bikol 6%, Waray 3.4%, other 25.3% (2000 census)
Religion: Roman Catholic 80.9%, Muslim 5%, Evangelical 2.8%, Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%, Aglipayan 2%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.6%, none 0.1% (2000 census)
Languages: Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English (official); eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan
A History of Vineyard Missions. Since 2002, Vineyard Missions USA has served as the missions arm of the Vineyard, A Community of Churches . Each of the more than 630 churches which belong to the Vineyard community is an independent local congregation and has full autonomy, with responsibility for its own decisions, including its missional efforts. Vineyard Missions serves these churches by interacting with interested individuals and organizations internationally, organizing various volunteer groups (e.g., the missions task force and country partnerships), and reporting back to the churches on the development of church planting efforts internationally. It also provides capacity building in cross cultural skills, leadership development and for the care of missionaries supported by the individual churches of the community.
The Vineyard Gentic Code. Local church based missions is part of the genetic code of the Vineyard. John Wimber, its founder, always said that equipping of the Saints is crucial and that “Everyone gets to play!” – meaning simply that in the church every member has something to offer. At a Vineyard pastor's conference in September, 1992, Wimber taught on 10 areas of ministry that were essential to any Vineyard church, which he called the "Vineyard Genetic Code." This Code includes common denominators that identify us as a family. Among these is a commitment to missions and church planting at home and the world abroad.
A Partnership Model. The Vineyard uses U.S. based partnerships to further missions. A partnership is a group of churches that voluntarily come together and choose a particular target area to focus in. No church is expected to go it alone! Together, along with the people living in the target areas, they develop a strategic plan and carry out the vision. Partnerships make cross-cultural and trans-local missions available to churches of all sizes. In partnership, the total burden does not fall on one church and the work in the targeted area does not fluctuate with the life of a single church. In addition, new opportunities for fellowship and friendships are available among the partners. As the African proverb says, “If you want to go fast - go alone. If you want to go far - go together.”
