leading by serving
Our Leadership
John Aureli
Founding & Senior Pastor
John oversees 14 different impact teams that operate in our church. He is overseen by an amazing board.
Arleta Aureli
Director of Connection and Integration
Arleta oversees our welcome teams, women’s groups, and spiritual formation.
Berkely Webster
Director of Kids’ Ministry
Berkely oversees children’s discipleship, outreach at Rogers Academy, and Administration for the church.
Randall Pannell
Teaching Pastor
Randall serves as a regular Sunday teacher, mentors other men, and serves on our board.
know more about us
Mission Vineyard Church – FAQ
Please reach out if you have more questions:
We believe “everyone gets to play”—every person has gifts, calling, and something valuable to contribute to the body of Christ. We’d love to help you find where you fit!
Ways to Serve:
- Impact Teams – Community engagement, military families, college outreach, benevolence
- Sunday morning – Kids ministry, worship team, setup/teardown (we’re a portable church!), hospitality
- Small group leadership – Host or co-lead a group
- Behind the scenes – Tech, communications, administration
Not Sure Where You Fit? Visit gps.missionvineyard.org to explore your unique gifts and discover your vision for how you want to contribute to the body of Christ.
Next Steps:
Talk with a pastor or staff member after a Sunday service
Email info@missionvineyard.org
Whether you have five minutes or five hours to give, there’s a place for you to steward your unique gifts in our community.
The gospel—the good news—is that God loves you and invites you into relationship with Him through Jesus. It’s the story of how God rescues, restores, and welcomes us home. Whether you’re exploring faith for the first time or have been following Jesus for years, the good news never gets old.
Want to learn how to share this good news with others? Check out The Big Story: A Gospel Summary.
We believe the Bible is the written Word of God and therefore the foundation for everything we believe and do. Our teaching aims to cover all of Scripture—not just the comfortable parts—because we believe it’s through learning and putting the Bible into practice that we mature as followers of Jesus.
You’ll find our teaching is biblically grounded, practically applied, and Spirit-led. We take the text seriously, explore its historical and cultural context, and then ask the critical question: What does this mean for us today? We want Scripture to shape how we live, not just what we know.
Beyond Sunday teaching, we equip people to engage Scripture themselves through approaches like:
- Lectio Divina – An ancient practice of prayerful Scripture reading
- Discovery Bible Study – A simple method for exploring God’s Word in community
- RightNowMedia – Free access to thousands of Bible study videos and resources for our church family
We’re glad you’re interested in making Mission Vineyard your church home! We call membership “church partnership” because it’s about commitment—to Jesus, to this community, and to our mission together.
The Partnership Journey:
Our approach to partnership follows a natural discipleship pathway:
- Say “Yes” to Jesus as Lord and King Becoming a baptized follower of Jesus is the first step in joining the global church. This “yes” also invites the Holy Spirit to fill you, equipping you with spiritual gifts, developing spiritual character (fruit), and giving you mission and purpose.
- Participate in the Body of Christ Engage by serving on a team, connecting in a small group, and being loved in community.
- Invite Others Being filled with the Holy Spirit and following Jesus often naturally leads to sharing Him with others. As you welcome Jesus into your whole life as Lord and King, He transforms you, and those changes impact your friends, co-workers, and family.
- Encourage the Church As our priorities align with those of Jesus, we invest our time, energy, and finances in the local church. Sharing your transformation story, leading a group or team, and giving sacrificially—using the tithe as an example—are ways your life can encourage the church to continue making disciples.
Becoming a Church Partner:
Partnership means you’re not just attending—you’re belonging, contributing, and helping shape the future of our church. Church partners are held to standards that call them to be examples of what it means to follow Jesus, embracing vulnerability and acknowledging that we are all on a journey to become more like Him.
Ready to Explore Partnership?
Contact info@missionvineyard.org or speak with one of our pastors after a service to learn about our partnership process.
Discipleship is the journey of becoming more like Jesus—not just learning about Him, but actually following Him in everyday life. At Mission Vineyard, discipleship happens primarily through:
- Sunday gatherings where we worship and learn together
- Small groups where authentic relationships and growth happen
- Practical training on prayer, spiritual gifts, evangelism, and more
- Life-on-life mentoring as we apprentice one another
Discipleship isn’t a program; it’s a lifestyle of welcoming Jesus into all of life.
We believe in servant leadership—leaders who steward the dignity and growth of each unique individual. Our approach to leadership is about multiplication, not accumulation. Leaders raise up apprentices who are released into their own leadership with healthy steps. Our required leadership book is “In the Name of Jesus” by Henri Nouwen.
Interested in growing as a leader? We offer training in leadership, small group leadership, and how to live a missional life.
info@missionvineyard.org
Email us for the next training dates and times.
We provide multiple pathways for spiritual growth:
Free Resources for Everyone:
- RightNowMedia – Free to Mission Vineyard guests; thousands of video studies
- Lectio Divina – Ancient practice of prayerful Bible reading
- Discovery Bible Study – Simple method for exploring Scripture in community
Vineyard Resources:
- Biblical Faithfulness – What it means to live with a biblical foundation
- Building a Multigenerational Church – How we honor every generation
Training Opportunities:
- Five-step prayer model
- Spiritual gifts and identity
- Evangelism training
- Missional Living
Join a small group to grow alongside others.
We believe the church should be an expression of the Kingdom of God—people from every nation, tribe, people, and language reconciled and united in Christ (Revelation 7:9). We’re committed to racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity, and we’re called to be “salt and light” by defending the weak, providing for those in need, and working for justice.
We look forward to being a church that enjoys the interdependent blessing of unity in diversity—young and old, rich and poor, racially diverse. If we don’t value the unique differences of who we are and where we come from, we’ll miss out on parts of the Kingdom that God reveals to diverse populations
Alpha is a space to explore faith, ask questions, and have honest conversations about life and God. We run Alpha courses for adults and Alpha Youth for high schoolers throughout the year.
Each Alpha session includes:
- A meal together (because everything’s better with food)
- A short talk on a different aspect of the Christian faith
- Open discussion where no question is off limits
Alpha is one of the best ways to explore what it means to follow Jesus—whether you’re skeptical, curious, or just getting started. It’s also a great refresher for longtime believers. The Alpha course covers topics like:
Is there more to life than this?
- Who is Jesus?
- Why did Jesus die?
- How can I have faith?
- Why and how do I pray?
- How does God guide us?
- Who is the Holy Spirit?
- And more…
Interested? Email info@missionvineyard.org to find out when the next Alpha course is starting, or visit alphausa.org to learn more.
Yes! We believe everyone has a place here, and we have Impact Teams specifically focused on serving:
College Students – We have active college outreach connecting students with community, faith exploration, and opportunities to serve. Our St. Philip’s Impact Team partners with InterVarsity to engage faculty and students at St. Philip’s College. We also actively support InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Trinity University through financial aid, prayer, special events, and gift bags for new students.
Military Families – San Antonio is a military city, and we’re committed to supporting service members and their families with understanding, practical help, and spiritual care. We have an active small group on Ft. Sam Houston connecting military families with community and faith.
Refugees and Immigrants – We serve refugee communities through partnerships and direct support, reflecting our commitment to being culturally diverse and socially engaged. Our Spanish-speaking campus, Viña San Antonio, is one expression of this heart for cross-cultural ministry.
Want to get involved or learn more? Connect with us after a service or email info@missionvineyard.org.
Church planting is in our DNA. We’ve planted 5 Texas churches over 14 years, and we believe God will lead us to develop a local family of 18 churches by 2035. We also partner with church planters in Argentina and have planted 4 churches that hold Vineyard values but develop distinct cultural expressions.
We practice multiplication, not accumulation—sending and planting rather than just growing bigger.