our story
In December 2012, Matt and Jacinda Lilly invited a bunch of friends to their home to hear about a church that God had planted in their hearts. We were responding to God’s invitation to start gathering a community of people that would seek Jesus, follow him together and join Him in His kingdom activity on the Coast.
In February of 2013 the Lilly’s and a small team of other families were sent out from Shore Vineyard (our church home) to plant Coast Vineyard Church. We started meeting on Sunday afternoons with 3 other families in their lounge, with the kids playing in the backyard. We quickly gathered others with a similar heart. We were all excited about the vision of what God wanted to build, and that we got to participate in what He was doing.
It wasn't long until we outgrew the Lilly’s home, and then two other lounges - so within 6 months we started weekly Sunday services at Stanmore Bay School. We continued to grow rapidly which meant another venue change in 2019. We now meet on Sundays at the Orewa Arts and Events Centre at Orewa College and have over 600 people who call Coast Vineyard home.
It’s been a fun journey so far as we're seeing God weave together a community made up of all kinds of people: people who are new to the area - Kiwis and those with other accents; those who are finding faith for the first time or returning to church after lengthy periods away from it. God has been gathering people who have a heart for our community and who are looking for a down-to-earth approach to living out their faith in a real way. A lot has changed since we started, but our core remains the same: to love God and love people.
Our story continues as we seek God for his plans for us and our part serving our part of the city. If you would like to find out more, or want to be a part of our unfolding story, then we’d love to invite you to one of our Welcome Lunches where we share more of our story and how you can be part of what God is doing on the Coast. For details, visit our Next Steps page.
what is our church like?
We are a church where:
we are inspired to pursue “life at its fullest” – the life Jesus calls us into. (John 10:10)
we consistently make room for everyone to experience life-changing encounters with God.
we value and develop both the inward and the outward journey of our faith together.
we see life coming to dry and dead places; where joy, freedom, hope and healing are experienced; where we can learn to live fearless and free in the care of God. (Ezekiel 34:28)
everyone can discover their God-intended calling, using their unique personality, experience and passion to serve God, resulting in service that is life-giving, and joyful. Everyone gets to play.
everyone can learn how God wants to work through them supernaturally.
we do things well but are still “real” and relaxed in the midst of everything we do.
we take our God seriously but don’t take ourselves too seriously. We love to have fun!
it’s easy to bring friends along. Our church services are accessible, empowering and transformational for anyone – regardless of their faith background or opinions of church.
we value and develop friendships as we do life and ministry together.
Come and see. This may be the church you have been hoping for!
what is the vineyard?
Coast Vineyard Church is part of the Vineyard Churches Aotearoa NZ movement. Find out more about the wider Vineyard story, vision and values here.