Isaiah 54: 2-3  (The Message)  "Clear lots of ground for your tents!  Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep. You're going to need lots of elbow room for your growing family."

Seven Years Ago (1998)
One vibrant, life-giving, Christ-centered small group.
Meeting in Boller’s home on SE side.
Touching 10 lives with God’s in-breaking Kingdom.

Today (2005)
One vibrant, life-giving, Christ-centered church community.
Facility of 10,000 sq ft on SW side.
Touching 200+ lives with God’s in-breaking Kingdom.

In December, 1997, Marty Boller sat down with Brian Brinkert at the Burger King on Mt. Vernon Road SE in Cedar Rapids and spelled out an expansive vision for planting a new church community here in Linn County, Iowa. One month later, in January, 1998, five couples (including the Bollers & the Brinkerts) gathered in Boller's home for the beginnings of what is now Father's House Vineyard Church. In January, 2002, Marty & Sandy Boller challenged those presently attending Father's House Vineyard (at that time meeting in The World Theatre in downtown Cedar Rapids) to a three-year discipleship goal (January, 2005) to equip an army of 100 fully devoted disciples of Jesus Christ who are committed to becoming passionate worshippers of God and faithful encouragers of others. Today, Father's House Vineyard Church is located in a 10,000 sq ft. facility in SW Cedar Rapids, effectively influencing 200+ people! We are so thrilled to see what God has accomplished in & through our humble beginnings since 1998. God is Good! Now it's time to again expand the vision of what God wants to accomplish through this ministry. 

Church Planting in the greater Cedar Rapids/Marion area. Matthew 9: 36-38  When Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field." With nearly 200,000 people living within 25 miles of Father's House Vineyard Church, how can we ignore Jesus' call to go make disciples of the estimated 60% or more of the Linn County population who are not regular church attenders? It's in that spirit, that we call ourselves to a church planting effort here in the greater Cedar Rapids/Marion area that will extend the Kingdom of God throughout Linn County, Iowa.

Powerful ten-fold Kingdom expansion in Linn County...
200,000 people live in Linn County.
Today: reaching .1% (200) with the Good News of the Kingdom.
Tomorrow: reaching 1% (2,000) with the Good News of the Kingdom.

According to national church planting statistics, VineyardUSA suggests that one Vineyard church can adequately service a market base of up to 50,000 people. With markets that exceed 50,000, we suggest a second Vineyard church be planted for every group of 50,000. For example, here in Linn County (Cedar Rapids/Marion), we foresee 4 Vineyards being planted to reach the nearly 200,000 people in the county...one church for each quadrant of the greater Cedar Rapids/Marion area.

Seven Years From Now (2012)
One vibrant, life-giving, Christ-centered church community.
Expanded facility of 25,000 sq ft on SW side.
Touching 300-500 lives with God’s in-breaking Kingdom.
Plus...
Three additional vibrant, life-giving, Christ-centered church communities.
Three Facilities of 25,000 sq ft each located in NE, NW & SE sides.
Each church touching 300-500 lives with God’s in-breaking Kingdom.

As we enter 2005, our goal now is to become a vibrant church community of approximately 500 members, ministering out of an expanded facility of 25,000 sq. feet and building an anointed and equipped leadership team that can expand throughout Linn County, building a network of four vibrant Vineyard churches each ministering to 500+ people. We believe this goal of 10-fold growth (from 200 people to 2,000 people) over the next seven years is an achievable and worthy one for our current community of believers, yet expansive enough that it can only be accomplished through the work of the Holy Spirit working in our midst.

To achieve our dream, we immediately call our church community to an intentional effort of recruiting, training & deploying church leadership that can sustain four vibrant church communities here in Linn County. This process begins through prayer and discernment. Who in our current church setting are potential church planters? Who in our midst are potential pastors, worship leaders and ministry team leaders who can be sent out to start one of our 4 Vineyards throughout Linn County?

1. Give yourself freely over to ‘The Commission’. Matthew 28: 18-20. This is the 'Great Commission', not the 'Great Suggestion'...God is into QUALITY & QUANTITY!

2. Buy into ‘The Risk’. Luke 9: 1-6. If we set a course of reducing RISK, we RISK reducing our course with God. Open up your calendar (time), your life (energy), your wallet (resources).

3. Ask God, ‘What part do I play?’ Genesis 1:27-28. 'Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!' Expectant hearts & open minds.

Feeling under-prepared? Don't worry. VineyardUSA offers a top-notch training program that includes both quality education and "hands-on" ministry training. Remember as well, that a successful church plant takes more than just one individual to oversee the effort. Just because you might not feel called or ready to head up a church plant, doesn't mean that God isn't calling YOU to be involved with our church planting efforts here in Linn County!

If you want more information, contact us! We want to hear your heart! Let's dialogue and see what the Father is doing in YOUR life. It could be that you are called to be a part of our dream to see 4 healthy Vineyards in Linn County, Iowa by 2012.