Good question. First, some background. The elders of Mercy Hill Church believe God’s Word teaches that men and women are equally created in God’s image and equally gifted for ministry. Therefore we are passionately committed to seeing women pursue every role God’s Word calls them to take.
At the same time, we believe God’s Word teaches that men bear primary responsibility for leadership in the home and church. Specifically, when it comes to church, God’s Word teaches that only men should be senior pastors and elders.
This is not because men are superior and women inferior. Frankly, we are not sure why God has set things up this way. But the Bible is clear on this question, and we are committed to following God’s Word.
We started off as a Vineyard church, affiliated with the Association of Vineyard Churches, and were called the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of San Jose.
But in the Fall of 2006 the National Board of the Vineyard Association made a significant policy change concerning men’s and women’s roles in church government. Up to that point the National Board let each individual church follow their own understanding on men’s and women’s roles, and the Vineyard movement as a whole did not take a position.
But in the Fall of 2006 they decided that "the leadership of the Vineyard movement will encourage, train, and empower women at all levels of leadership both local and trans-local. The movement as a whole welcomes the participation of women in leadership in all areas of ministry."
They acknowledged that individual pastors disagreed with this new policy. But at the same time, they said that from that point on the Vineyard movement as a whole will encourage women to become senior pastors.
This decision of the National Board meant that we could no longer be part of the Vineyard, because we could not in good conscience affirm this new direction. And so we regretfully disassociated from the Vineyard movement and became Mercy Hill Church.
