Our Core Structure (what we are building)

Leadership 

We are a Pastor-led church, whose head is Jesus Christ. 
We believe that the five fold ministries referred to in Ephesians 4 is important for us at this time.

"And (Jesus) Himself gave some TO BE apostles, some prophets, some evangelists and some pators and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."   (Ephesians 4: 11-16)

We are seeking to have the gifts of these ministries represented in our Core Leadership team.  That doesn't necessarily mean having an apostle, a prophet, etc, but ensuring that these giftings and anointings are represented within the group, so that the saints can be equipped for works of service and the body built up into unity, maturity and wholeness.

So, we have a Core Leadership team whose focus is on spending time with God together, in the confidence that He will guide and empower us to lead from His heart.

Our desire is breakthrough.  Our focus is upward and outward. We are prepared to pay the price, make the sacrifice and battle to see the Kingdom come - and we get to do it together!

We also meet as a Key Leadership team that is made up of the Ministry Area Leaders (MALs), Little Church leaders, worship leaders and a number of others with experience and gifting that we value, as well as a team who take care of the day to day running of the church and the pastoral care.

We believe in every-member ministry, where everyone has a part to play in seeing God's Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.   We want to see each person released into all they were created to be and do and find their place in the body of Christ, the family of the church.  We value diversity - seeking to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus, not each other.

Berwick Vineyard Church is affiliated with Vineyard Churches Australia (VCA).  The Leaders of this church consider themselves accountable to God and each other, and thereafter to the National Director of VCA.

Small Groups

At BVC, we call our smaller, mid week home groups, Little Churches. These groups provide an intimate setting where we learn and mature together and provide personal care and prayer support for one another.

Some groups meet weekly and others are on a fortnightly basis.  The various groups meet at different locations, days and times.  Each group has its own unique style but all are led by leaders who have been recognised to have a pastoral heart and are eager to encourage others in maturing their faith.

Discipleship  

Discipleship is a life long journey into maturity, Christ-likeness and purity.

2 Cor 3: 17-18 speaks of being transformed form glory to glory.  This involves the paradox of becoming fully who God destined and created us to be and do and dying to self in order to live fully for Christ.

We believe that we have an inheritance to claim and walk into, which Christ and our Christian forerunners have earned for us.  Some are general for all believers and some are specifically for us, here and now.

We want MORE of God and to give Him more of us.  We don't want to miss out on anything that comes from Him and we seek to rid ourselves of anything in our lives that gets in the way.

We know that Jesus' work has been fully accomplished through His death and resurrection and we are learning about all that that means for us.

Fellowship

For us true fellowship involves...

Partnership - working together for God's Kingdom

Participation - we have to join in; we get to join in

Communication and connection - we were made for intimacy; to know and be known

Benevolence - kindness, generosity and contributing (everyone has something to bring)