This year we have made a small change to the way we submit dates.

Based on feedback, we have provided dedicated space for regions to hold events and then given the calendar a more defined rhythm. So the diary will now look like this:

A new look

First Third of the Year (Jan – Apr): Focus on Senior Leaders

Focus on learning communities, investment in church leadership, and senior leaders.
This culminates with the Vineyard Leaders Gathering in April.

Second Third of the Year (May – Aug): Focus on Ministries and Networks

The focus in this third is on Network events that invest in ministry staff, pastoral staff, and volunteer teams. This also includes ministry-specific programs like Soul Spa, Worship Gathering, or Multiply Summit, and culminates with Dreaming the Impossible.

Final Third of the Year (Sep – Dec): Focus on Regions

This third provides a flexible period for regional gatherings (including Equip & Ignite if appropriate).
Any region can use any weekend in the block indicated for their regional events, as the only other events happening are other regional events. Where we might want to steer (or help land dates) is where we have a visiting speaker who could be strategically helpful in multiple regions. This term culminates with The Cause to Live For.

A more focussed annual cycle

The diary, from 2025 will start with investing in senior leadership and trans-local leaders, leading into the Vineyard Leadership Gathering having journeyed with senior leaders.

VLG provides a celebration moment and a springboard to catalyse local ministries and church planting. So the second term focuses on ministries, pastoral staff and key volunteers, with events tailored to their ongoing training, equipping, and health.

After DTI and the summer, we conclude our annual cycle by having greater flexibility for gathering in regions and meeting the localised need for gathering together.

This intentionally places a Tier A event in each term but gives more focus to how this works in our cycle.

Caveats

• There’s an exception to every rule, if we’re too rigid we restrict movement.
• Ireland has the freedom to innovate their diary, but the same boundaries exist around VLG, Learning Communities and ALG. They will receive the same support from Comms.
• DTI runs its own diary, which is carefully tailored to lead into the summer festival with momentum and to avoid diary clashes.
• Vineyard Leadership College follows the academic year and needs flexibility to plan its diary to suit the rhythm of the academic year, without double-booking the national diary.
• Vineyard Worship are planning regional retreats and these can fit into either third.
• This cycle mostly applies to public-facing events.
• Closed-door events tend to follow termly patterns, eg. VLT, Trustees.
• Any system, including this, needs space for anomalies if we want to see growth.
• We’re aware that in a growing movement, any diary system will not be fully satisfactory to each individual, but we’re confident that this evolution is a helpful step forward for the movement.

How will this look?

With this improved system, we can more clearly define sections of the diary, with space blocked out around the Vineyard Leaders’ Gathering, Dreaming the Impossible and The Cause to Live For.

Evolution not revolution

We believe that this new system is an evolution of the diary rather than a revolution, and reflects much of what is already naturally happening, but by clearly laying out the themes and yearly rhythm we hope it helps you plan for 2025.

With this in mind, would you be kind enough to give thought to your 2025 dates and submit your dates by Monday 19th February 2024. At this point we will sign-off dates and begin creating the 2025 diary.

Dates can be submitted after this date but, in the event of a clash, the priority will be given to the dates that were submitted within the deadline and that are already confirmed in the national diary.

NB. Please do not confirm venues, sign contracts, invite speakers or pay deposits until your 2025 date is confirmed.

Thank you for your help and feedback as we prepare a system that works for us all and serves the movement well. If you have any questions please email [email protected]. Thank you.