Carol Wimber-Wong was promoted to glory, following her passing on 3rd of January 2025. This tribute is written by our National Directors, John and Debby Wright and was published by Premiere Christianity on Friday 31st January.

Carol Wimber-Wong was one of the founding members of the Vineyard, which under the leadership of her late husband, John, grew from a small group to a thriving movement of churches in dozens of countries around the world. John went to be with the Lord in 1997, and she is survived by her second husband Ken Wong. Carol peacefully passed away on the 3rd of January 2025.

Debby and I count it a huge privilege to have known Carol throughout the last 4 decades, during which she has had a profoundly encouraging impact on our lives.

In our mid 20s, Carol and her late husband John generously enabled our spending almost 8 months at Vineyard Anaheim, as one of a handful of couples training to plant Vineyard churches in the U.K., and we have been hugely blessed on the many occasions we have spent time with her over the years.

She had an extraordinarily deep love for Jesus, demonstrated in so many ways, not least her deep engagement in intimate worship whether alone or with God’s gathered people.

She was passionate about the person and work of the Holy Spirit, unswerving in her commitment to following His lead, even sometimes at great cost. For over 50 years she contended for the ministry of the Holy Spirit, leaning consistently into the expectation of the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God in healings and miracles. 

Carol was also incredibly down to earth. She had a great sense of humour and her beautiful chuckle punctuated most conversations.

One of her passions was ministering to the poor and vulnerable, treating everyone with love and dignity. Well into her advanced years her commitment to regularly serving on the Vineyard outreach team providing groceries and provisions and praying for those in need, was extraordinary.

Carol demonstrated a rare level of grace towards people who others might have rejected. Even when people didn’t live up to expectations she continued to think the best and lean towards reconciliation and restoration.

She was passionate that ‘everyone gets to play’, championing others and encouraging them to excel. Though John was extraordinarily strong operating in spiritual gifts such as word of knowledge, Carol would exhort him to hold back and make space for others to minister and grow in their gifting.

While she was very content to be in the background, Carol was a person of conviction, and on occasions when she had a strongly held opinion she was not afraid to voice it. Prayerful and discerning, her insights had a huge influence in shaping the Vineyard movement. John would sometimes say that the Lord had woken him in the night and spoken to him about something. He had, but the reality was often that the Lord had spoken to him through Carol!  Though she was a reluctant public speaker, she loved the word of God and any who spent time with her were deeply enriched by her wisdom and perspective. 

While the Vineyard was her home, Carol had a rare love for the whole church, and a deep respect for its varied expressions. 

Among the numerous qualities we could mention, Carol exemplified dignity, grace, strength, insight, kindness, hope, and love. Joyful even in tough seasons, she was altogether an absolutely delightful woman of God.

She gladly took her place in serving the Lord in the work of extending His Kingdom, and exhorted everyone she could to do likewise. In one of her last prophetic exhortations (captured in the Vineyard ‘Legacy’ interview on Youtube in which she tells the story of the Vineyard: Legacy // The Story of the Vineyard with Carol Wimber and Penny & Bob Fulton) she encouraged Christians across the whole Body of Christ to take their place. She exhorted everyone who would listen to ‘get what it is that God has called you to do and do it with all your heart .. because no-one else has been designed to do it like you will do it .. each one of us is unique, designed for our place.’

Carol’s contribution to the Body of Christ has been incalculable, and history will remember her warmly.

Along with so many others, we will miss her deeply.

John & Debby Wright

National Directors, Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland.