Vineyard USA May Disassociate from Duluth Congregation

Duluth congregation called for removal of national leadership.

Vineyard USA has threatened to disassociate with the Duluth Vineyard congregation if certain matters between the two are not resolved by Aug. 15, the Christian Post reported.

Duluth Vineyard Interim Pastor John Kliewer / Video screenshot

In a letter dated April 23, Super Regional Leader of Vineyard USA John Elmer expressed his concern with a “breakdown of trust and communication” between the national group and the local congregation.

The letter cites an inquiry in leadership conduct that is being conducted by Duluth Vineyard. According to an update on the Duluth Vineyard website, an independent investigation of interim pastor John Kliewer was conducted after the national group raised concerns that his actions were “unilateral, authoritarian, controlling, unreasonable, intimidating, and seething/burning with anger.”

The church said Kliewer took a leave of absence during the investigation in order to “ensure transparency.” The investigation cleared Kliewer of the misconduct allegations, but did acknowledge that he might benefit from “thoughtful discussions and coaching.”

Kliewer plans to take an extended leave because of the toll his fight against “the old culture of favoring perpetrators, covering up the truth, and silencing both victims and their advocates” has had on him, the church announcement said.

In February, Kliewer publicly criticized Vineyard USA for its handling of accusations against former Duluth Vineyard leaders Michael and Brenda Gatlin, who resigned in 2023 amidst accusations that they had known about the alleged sexual abuse and leadership misconduct by their son, a former pastoral assistant at the church, but chose not to act.

“In my recent personal experience, VUSA worked to preserve the power of Michael and Brenda,” Kliewer said. “For example, at the start (December 2022/January 2023) we were told by Vineyard USA that (a) we would need Michael and Brenda’s leadership to get through this and (b), although maybe Michael and Brenda shouldn’t have the ultimate say, they should be given input into who conducts the third-party investigation.”

Kliewer created a list of 20 actions he believes Vineyard USA must take to address abuse, including public and private apologies, establishing clear consequences for covering up abuse, and structural reforms to the Vineyard USA governance.

A January 27 letter by Duluth Vineyard in Ann Arbor, Mich., declared the church board “unanimously voted to immediately suspend all financial support to Vineyard USA through the 3% contribution required by the trademark agreement.”

The letter goes on to demand the resignation of the Vineyard USA national director, disbanding of the current board of directors, and implementation of GRACE and Guidepost recommendations. The Duluth church voted to support those same demands in February.

Vineyard USA’s letter also criticized the Duluth congregation for publicly disseminating “confidential information” from a March 6^th meeting between the congregation and national leaders.

“Regardless, we remain committed to rigorous self-examination and improvement, particularly in our response to abuse, allegations of misconduct, victim reporting, and victim care. We are grateful for the hard work you have done in response to the abuses you have experienced. We have learned from your efforts, and we hope to integrate some of the solutions you have proposed in our ongoing strategies and reforms,” the Vineyard USA letter closes.

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