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This How We Live Together

DESERT VINEYARD CHURCH IN LANCASTER,CA

For 50 years, Desert Vineyard has been a community of people in Lancaster, California who are learning what it means to follow Jesus without pretending.

We're your neighbors. We work at the same places you do. Our kids go to the same schools. We know what it's like to live in the Antelope Valley; the struggles, the beauty, the isolation, the community. And we believe God isn't done with this valley. 
Or with you.

We don't have perfect people here. We have people who've been hurt by church, people rebuilding their faith, people discovering Jesus for the first time, and people who've walked with Him for decades. What we share is this: we're done hiding, and we're ready to see what God does when we show up as we are.

You'll find pastors, staff, and a whole community who remember what it's like to wonder if you belong. We're not here to judge. We're here to walk your journey with you.

OUR CODE

You've probably walked into places where you weren't sure what mattered or how to fit in. A Church Code removes that guesswork.

Our Code is how we translate what we believe about Jesus into how we actually live. 

It's not a list of rules. 

It's a shared way of being that makes it easy for anyone, whether you've been here for years or walked in for the first time, to know what we're about and where you belong.

Think of it as our collective commitment: 
This is who we are becoming together.

Brokenness Belongs

You'll Find Healing When You Stop Pretending

You don't have to hide your struggles here. Your wounds don't disqualify you. They're exactly where Jesus meets you. We create space where you can tell the truth about your pain, your doubts, and your mess.

Because growth doesn't happen when we're performing. It happens when we're known and loved anyway. Brokenness is not a barrier, it is the beginning.

Surprised By Jesus

You'll Encounter Jesus Ready or Not

You don't have to have your doubts resolved or your faith figured out. Jesus meets skeptics, seekers, and strugglers right where they are, often in ways you'd never expect.

We don't try to manufacture spiritual moments. We just stay awake to the ways God shows up: in worship, in conversation, in the middle of grief, in a stranger's kindness. He interrupts our assumptions with grace.

Do The Stuff

You'll Discover You Were Made for This

Your gifts aren't random. You're called to pray, serve, and join God's mission. We'll equip you, empower you, and trust the Holy Spirit to work through you.

You don't need a title or a platform. You don't need to be a pastor or have it all figured out. You just need to show up and say yes. Because when ordinary people step out in faith, extraordinary things happen.

Reach To Restore

You'll Become the Kind of Person Who Restores What's Broken

Together we will stretch beyond comfort and moves toward the margins in love. Your compassion will grow as you honor the image of God in every person.

Jesus didn't stay comfortable. He crossed barriers, touched the untouchable, and gave dignity to the forgotten. He still does. And He invites you to follow Him there: into hard places, toward hurting people, with sacrificial love.

Multiply What Matters

You'll Invest Your Life in What Lasts

Your story, your time, your gifts. They all matter for God's Kingdom. We'll help you pour into others so what God does in you multiplies beyond you.

Jesus didn't just gather followers. He invested in a few, empowered them, and sent them to change the world. That's still the mission. And you're not just a recipient of it. You're a carrier.

Our staff and pastoral team, led by Pastor Nathan McWherter who was installed by our Board of Directors and ordained by Vineyard USA in September 2023.

Our valued staff members each serve in specific areas of ministry that relate to their gifts and calling from the Lord, whether meeting more spiritual or more practical needs, within our church and community.

Some Distinctive's of the Vineyard Movement

EVERYONE GETS TO PLAY
We believe that anyone can do the work of the Kingdom. We don’t have elite or superstar leaders; we are all commissioned–men, women, and children of every background.

REMEMBER THE POOR
We lean toward the lost, the poor, the outcast, and the outsider with the compassion of Jesus. In some way, we are all in need.

NATURALLY SUPERNATURAL
We purpose to avoid hype or emotional manipulation. Going about our lives naturally, we pray for healing and listen for God’s voice in all circumstances.

THE ALREADY AND NOT YET
In the Vineyard, we pray for people and sometimes they are healed, and sometimes they are not. Our theology and practice of the Kingdom of God makes it so we can acknowledge both miracles and suffering. We already have God with us in the Holy Spirit, but our world is not yet fully redeemed.

COME HOLY SPIRIT
This is our central prayer liturgy. We are continually dependent on the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We pray, “come” even as we acknowledge that God is already here.

Core Beliefs and Values PDF

JESUS
When you come you’re going to hear a lot about Jesus, we point everything back to him. Jesus said,
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
(Matthew 11:27)

GENUINENESS
Above all, we seek to be genuine in our faith, our relationships, and in our response to God. We have a low tolerance for religious services or systems that can become exclusive with performative or empty ritual. Instead, we want genuine relationship with God and each other.

DIVERSITY
Diversity is not something that we tolerate–it’s something we celebrate. We’re grateful that God has gathered many different ages, backgrounds, and cultures in our church! We believe the day is coming when “every tribe, tongue, and nation” will be gathered before the throne of God. (Revelation 7:9)

RELATIONSHIP
We see relationship as the primary vehicle for all of God’s blessings and purposes in our lives. We want to know one another and live life together in authentic community. We want to relate with one another with kindness, friendliness, compassion in action, and love. We care about you!

PROCESS
We recognize that we are all in process toward becoming all that God created us to be, and that none of us have arrived. Therefore, rather than passing judgement, we extend grace to one another and allow each other to be in process.

GENEROSITY
Each person should decide in their own heart what to give, because God is generous and we want to be like Him. Regular financial giving is a way to honor God, support the local church, and grow in faith. We give freely and joyfully, led by the Spirit, practicing generosity from hearts filled with gratitude rather than obligation.