Elemental Group Report
Vineyard Columbus 2026 - Last Update: May 15, 2026
Report Overview
In January 2026, following the resignations of four campus pastors and our senior pastors, our Senior Leadership Team engaged The Elemental Group, an external consulting firm recommended by Vineyard USA to conduct an independent assessment and recommendations regarding our organizational culture and health, governance processes, campus model viability, leadership decisions and necessary relational reconciliation, based off their understanding of the factors contributing to those resignations.
Over the past few months (January – April), The Elemental Group has conducted 31 interviews with our former Senior Pastors and Campus Pastors, our Founding Pastor, current Senior Leadership Team members, our current Interim Campus Pastors, current and former members of our Church Council, current and former staff, and others.
In its summary, The Elemental Group shared “the church has experienced a “deep rupture” caused by a “perfect storm” of leadership transition, financial instability, and structural failures” and that they view our Senior Pastor succession as a “critical failure”.
We are grateful for the clarity and honesty of this assessment. We take its findings seriously and believe it is an important step toward healing and rebuilding.
Below are the five recommendations provided in The Elemental Group’s assessment and how our Senior Leadership Team (SLT) is responding.
01. Interim Leadership
VC has already secured an interim pastor, which is a critical step for stabilizing the church and providing “trauma-informed leadership” before a permanent search begins.
SLT Response
On April 19, 2026, Vineyard Columbus installed Rick Callahan as Interim Senior Pastor. We believe we have identified an Interim Senior Pastor that met our desired qualifications, including:
- Is from outside of Vineyard Columbus – bringing fresh perspective for long-term health
- Has experience within the Vineyard movement
- Seasoned in wisdom and leadership with multi-site church experience
- Spiritually and emotionally healthy and available for the transitional season Vineyard Columbus is in
- Experienced and skilled in creating space for learning, assessment and discernment
- Trained and fully understands the purpose and temporary nature of an Interim Senior Pastor role for a church in transition
- Can lead the church into a process of identifying a new full-time Senior Pastor
02. Restructure Governance
The church bylaws should be rewritten to create an expertise based independent board that is not selected by the senior pastor.
SLT Response
We agree that our governance structure must change. In the coming months, we will begin a formal process to review and evaluate our governing documents, including bylaws and related policies, in conversation with Vineyard USA and our Interim Senior Pastor, to discern updates that would move toward alignment with Vineyard USA requirements. This work will focus on strengthening accountability, establishing independent oversight and ensuring healthier decision-making structures for the future. We recognize that past governance limitations contributed to the challenges we’ve experienced, and we are committed to meaningful change in this area.
03. Campus Autonomy
The Elemental Group recommends transitioning existing campuses into independent church plants to return to VC’s church-planting roots and resolve systemic model friction.
SLT Response
We are seriously considering transitioning our campuses into independent churches, but no final decision has been made. Right now, each campus will continue weekly gatherings, ministry activity and local mission as one church with multiple expressions.
When we look at our history as a church with campuses (since 2009), we recognize that we have not had a sustained or clearly defined model for our campuses to flourish in. As a leadership team, we resonate with The Elemental Group’s recommendation and believe the Lord may be inviting us to return to our church planting roots – a value long held within this church and within the Vineyard movement – to be a church that plants churches, and if we launch campuses, we do so with the intention of eventually releasing them to plant and flourish independently.
This is something we have leaned into prayer and discernment about over the past few months with our leadership team, campus pastors, representatives from each campus, and others. We sense a possible direction, but we also recognize there is significant work to do—spiritually, relationally, and practically—to determine if and how this could happen well. As it says in Habakkuk 2:2, “write the vision, make it plain so the messenger may run with it.” It seems that we are in the season of “making the vision plain.” This is the stage where we name what we sense, while also acknowledging that there are still unknowns—particularly around financial and legal implications, as well as the practical realities of releasing campuses.
Our Church Council has approved a Transition Committee, made up of internal and external individuals with necessary experience and expertise, to assess and determine the “how”, if this is the direction we pursue. We are continuing to ensure alignment with our mission and vision, and inviting the Spirit to lead us as we move forward with patience, perseverance, and passion.
As we continue in this process, we have agreed to hold four key postures, and we want to invite you to join us in:
- A Posture of Learning: We have not made a final decision. We are open to adjusting our direction as we continue to discern.
- A Posture of Prayer: We cannot rely on feelings, facts and figures alone. While they are helpful, we need to continually seek the Lord’s voice and wisdom.
- A Posture of Unity: We are committed to staying connected. This is not about becoming “every campus for themselves,” but about remaining in step with one another—loving, honoring, and blessing each other through this process.
- A Posture of Clarity in Communication and Process: We are committed to communicating clearly and in a timely way, and to following a process that helps us move forward well.
A key part of the role of our Interim Senior Pastor will be to ensure consistent communication and direction about this process, and he’ll be continuing to visit with our campuses and their leadership teams to maintain connection, answer questions, and pray.
04. Expand the Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
The SLT should be judiciously expanded to include leaders with defined gifts, ensuring all ministries are represented.
SLT Response
Following the resignations of our Campus Pastors and Senior Pastors, our Senior Leadership Team has since been comprised of three members – Mailin Young, Head of Staff; Joshua Miller, Associate Pastor of Westerville Campus; and Shawn Steward, Executive Director of People & Operations. In April, we expanded the SLT with the addition of Rick Callahan as our Interim Senior Pastor. One of Rick’s key responsibilities is to assist in the restructuring of our SLT, and we are currently working with him to follow Elemental’s recommendation to identify leaders with defined gifts who will also help us ensure all ministries are appropriately represented, both in the near-term and as we discern the future of our campus model.
05. Managed Reconciliation
Maintain the request for Rich Nathan to remain away from church operations for one year to allow the church and staff to reduce over‑identification with former senior pastors.
- Issue a formal apology to Rich Nathan for the “tone” of the communication regarding his exit.
- Provide the Nathans with a nine-month counselor or coach to help them manage their transition.
SLT Response
We have heard from Rich and Marlene that both the content and tone of our letter asking them to step away for a season did not reflect the pastoral care, humility, and honor we aspire to as leaders. We recognize that this request, as they communicated, was experienced as undeserved and unwarranted, and we are grieved by the impact this had.
As a collective Senior Leadership Team and Church Council, we sincerely apologize to Rich and Marlene for the hurt resulting from both the decision itself and the way it was communicated. Individual members of our Senior Leadership Team have shared this apology with Rich and Marlene in individual meetings and with others present, and we also share it publicly out of accountability and in recognition of the communication’s broader impact on our church community. We also acknowledge that our leadership decisions and governance structures contributed to the breakdown described in this report, and we take responsibility for the ways this impacted staff, leaders, and church.
Regarding the recommendation to provide a nine-month counselor or coach, we communicated to Rich and Marlene in November 2025 and again in March 2026 that we will provide 12 months of financial support for a coach or counselor to come alongside them during this season of transition. We made the same offer to Eric and Julia Pickerill as they transitioned out of their roles as Senior Pastors earlier this year, along with the mutual agreement that, as part of that transition, they would remain away from church operations.
Vineyard USA is working with a qualified third-party peacemaking organization to facilitate a professional peacemaking and reconciliation process and is working toward the full participation of all parties identified as necessary to pursue restoration and healing. Vineyard USA has communicated that while the process will take time and require humility from all involved, the intention is for all parties to engage faithfully and move toward repair.
A Note from Our Senior Leadership Team
The Elemental Group provided both a full report and an Executive Summary. To protect those who participated and to help minimize further division while still providing access where helpful, distribution of the full report is limited. However, the Executive Summary is available upon request, and we are committed to communicating the key findings and actions transparently. If you would like to review the Executive Summary or have questions, please use the links below.
Church, as we’ve shared in other spaces, we recognize the past year has been full of significant change and disruption for you, as committed members of our church, and many others connected to this community. Many of you have experienced confusion, grief, frustration, or loss. We do not take that lightly.
As a leadership team, we acknowledge this assessment as an important step in leading us toward health, while also acknowledging the continued work ahead of us as we implement recommended changes, discern our campus model, pursue reconciliation – and continue the daily work and mission we are convinced God has called us to. We are grateful for your patience, care, and continued commitment. We pray for you regularly and remain encouraged knowing many of you are praying for us! This is Jesus’s church, and we are committed to seeking Him in each next step.
Please continue to visit www.vineyardcolumbus.org/transition for regular updates on governance changes, the campus discernment process and reconciliation efforts. We remain committed to keeping you informed.
Grace and Peace,
Senior Leadership Team (Rick, Mailin, Joshua, Shawn)
Disclaimer
The report was prepared by The Elemental Group at the request of Vineyard Columbus to provide an organizational and cultural assessment based on interviews, documents, and other qualitative inputs. The report is intended to support reflection, learning, and organizational decision‑making. It is not an investigative finding, adjudication, or formal determination of fact.
The Elemental Group does not provide legal, employment, financial, regulatory, medical, or mental health services. Nothing in this report should be interpreted as legal advice, a legal opinion, a finding of liability or fault, or a determination regarding compliance with law, policy, or professional standards. Vineyard Columbus is encouraged to consult qualified legal counsel and other appropriately licensed professionals regarding any legal, employment, financial, or clinical matters that may be implicated by issues discussed in this report.
This report may use psychological, emotional, or health‑related terms (including, but not limited to, anxiety, trauma, moral injury, exhaustion, or woundedness). Such terms are used in a non‑clinical, descriptive manner to reflect the language used by interview participants and commonly referenced organizational change frameworks. They do not constitute medical or psychological diagnoses, clinical assessments, or therapeutic recommendations. The Elemental Group is not licensed or trained to diagnose, treat, or prescribe for physical or mental health conditions.
The observations, themes, and characterizations presented in this report are based on aggregated, confidential interview data and supplemental materials and reflect perceptions, experiences, and viewpoints shared by participants during the assessment process. These perspectives have not been independently verified and should not be understood as findings of fact, determinations of intent, or conclusions regarding individual conduct. Inclusion of particular viewpoints does not imply endorsement by The Elemental Group.
References to individuals, leadership roles, or organizational structures are made for the purpose of examining organizational systems and dynamics. This report is not intended to assign blame, resolve disputes, correct the historical record, or serve as evidence in legal, employment, disciplinary, or pastoral proceedings.
Because this report may be shared with individuals who were not part of its original audience, readers are encouraged to consider the context in which it was prepared, including its limited scope and purpose, and to avoid drawing conclusions beyond those explicitly stated.