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Educational tool only. All groups exist on a spectrum of control. Individual experiences vary. Based on publicly available reports, ex-member accounts, court records, and expert analyses — not medical or legal advice.

CLCI Hub
Christian

Vineyard Churches (mainstream)

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Confidence: HighLast reviewed 29 May 2026United StatesWikipedia

Mainstream charismatic-evangelical network founded by John Wimber (1982). Substantial influence on global charismatic worship.

CLCI radar

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Low Control

BITE breakdown

Behavior Control3/10
Information Control2/10
Thought Control3/10
Emotional Control3/10
Modifiers (+0)

0 — mainstream charismatic-evangelical network; low-control reference.

Profile facts

Founded
1982
Members
220,941 in US (2010) (per Wikipedia infobox, retrieved 2026)
Active in
USA, Global

In context

Vineyard grew from Wimber's 1982 leadership of a Calvary Chapel congregation. Distinctive 'power evangelism' and emphasis on the gifts of the Spirit. Mainstream low-control evangelical network.

Recovery resources

See the full curated list at /resources.

Evidence by BITE axis

Information Control
  • low-control reference

Timeline

  1. 1982
    Vineyard founded by John Wimber
  2. 1997
    Wimber dies
  3. 2018
    Vineyard USA is estimated to have approximately 200,000 members in 600 churches

Evidence matrix

Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.

Sources

  • John Wimber publications search ↗
  • Dynamics and Stability in Globally Expanding Charismatic Religions: The Case of the Vineyard Movement in Germany, Austria, andSwitzerland — https://doi.org/10.46586%2Fer.8.2019.8353 open ↗

We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.

Change history

Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.

  1. 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
  2. 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.

Relevant hubs

Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.

Found something wrong on this profile?

We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.

Disclaimer. This profile is an educational summary based on publicly available reports. Many members of this group do not experience the patterns described. Individual congregations and chapters vary widely. If you or someone you know needs support, contact a licensed therapist or the International Cultic Studies Association.