The Vineyard church originated in the United States in 1974 when Kenn and Joanie Gulliksen moved to Los Angeles to start a new church. They gave it the name Vineyard after people shared several scriptures about vines and vineyards in their early meetings.

From the start, it was a church with a difference ­ meeting in a variety of places such as gymnasiums, on the beach and in homes, and attracting a wide variety of people with a desire to know, experience and share their faith in God.

Growth was rapid and before long several other couples went out to plant Vineyard churches in California, with priorities of fostering worship, relationships, healing, training and giving.

In 1982, John Wimber and several other pastors led their existing churches into the Vineyard movement because their visions coincided. Before long John Wimber became the leader of the movement. Since John¹s death in 1997 the leadership has been taken on by National Directors in each country. Peter and Kathy Downes are the current national directors for Australia.

The Vineyard movement has become a place where solid Biblical foundations and the evangelical goal to win the lost are joined with the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. Vineyard has been dubbed as the movement that has taken "the radical middle ground".

The Vineyard movement continues to plant churches around the world, and holds renewal and training conferences in a number of countries. Today Vineyard churches exist in many countries, including South Africa, United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Finland, USA, Hong Kong and others.