Directory of Contemporary Worship Musicians - Way of Life Literature

In the mid-1970s, Wimber became affiliated with Fullereological Seminary and Fuller professor C. Peter Wagner, apragmatic church growth guru. In analyzing church plantingmodels, Wagner was more impressed by “success” than withdoctrinal purity. If a methodology “works” it allegedly hasvalue, regardless of whether or not it is scriptural. Wagnerwas also influenced by Wimber’s charismatic mysticism andhis “power evangelism” philosophy (that miracles arenecessary for the fulfillment of the Great Commission).Wimber applied this same type of pragmatism to thepractical side of Christian life and ministry. ough heclaimed to care deeply about theology, in practice he focusedmore on experience and feeling than on doctrine.e Vineyard Churches originally came out of the CalvaryChapel movement led by Chuck Smith. Kenn Gullikesen,pastor of the Los Angeles Calvary Chapel, emphasized theexercise of “tongues,” prophecy, and healing more than Smithso he changed the name of his church to Vineyard in 1982.John Wimber, pastor of a nearby Calvary Chapel, mergedwith Gullikesen and aer the latter’s departure Wimberbecame the leader of the new Vineyard association. Wimberfounded the Anaheim Vineyard, which became theheadquarters of the movement and eventually grew to 6,000members. Much of the association’s rapid growth came fromthe transfer of membership from other churches. Of the 850Vineyard churches, some 35% came over in their totalityfrom another denomination or group (e.g., at least 30 CalvaryChapels became Vineyard churches) and a large percentage ofthe membership of new Vineyard churches comes fromexisting churches.Wimber’s Mystical PhilosophyTrue to his Quaker roots, Wimber was not satisfied with alife of faith; he wanted to “feel God.” He wanted to see andfeel his Christianity. He said, “God uses our experiences toshow us more fully what He teaches us in scripture, many400