Leadership Transitions FAQs
Vineyard Columbus 2026 - Last Update: March 16, 2026
Letter from the Senior Leadership Team
Dear Vineyard Columbus,
At our recent congregational meeting, we shared about the significant challenges we faced in 2025, including a financial crisis and the resignation of four campus pastors. We also invited you to submit questions through a dedicated portal so we could continue addressing your concerns.
We have carefully reviewed those submissions—along with questions raised at our campuses. Below, we respond to several of the most frequently asked questions.
Before we do, as leaders, we believe part of serving well is owning where we fell short. We want to acknowledge the confusion, grief and loss of trust many have experienced. We are sorry for the ways our communication has lacked clarity. Our effort to handle sensitive personnel matters carefully contributed to uncertainty and speculation, and we recognize the impact that has had.
Churches are not immune to personal and professional conflict, and when faith, work, and long-standing relationships intersect, those conflicts can become more complex. While we cannot share personal or HR-related details, we are committed to transparency where appropriate.
Let us be clear at the outset: there has been no moral failure, no financial misconduct, and no misuse of funds. While we have experienced significant failures of communication, systems and leadership, along with unresolved conflict and unsuccessful attempts at peacemaking, our leaders have expressed continued commitment to reconciliation.
We love you and remain committed to serving this church with integrity and humility.
01. What was the financial crisis in 2025 and how was it discovered?
In mid-March 2025, during informal discussions with the Comptroller, the Head of Staff identified concerns regarding several assumptions underlying the Church’s workforce plan and operating budget. The personnel plan being developed was based on a projected budget of $16.5M, excluding capital expenditures, compared with actual revenues of approximately $14M (including $11.8M in tithes and offerings). Historically, Vineyard Columbus has used surplus cash to support the Church’s mission year over year, however, limitations in cash forecasting contributed to a spending pattern that increased cash usage and an accelerated reduction in the Church’s surplus.
The Comptroller was not clear if this information had been shared with the Senior LeadershipTeam, despite its relevance to ongoing decision-making and planning. As a result, spending continued to rise faster than income, contributing to longer-term financial pressure.
02. What were the key financial realities that created the crisis?
Several factors were identified:
- COVID-era reserves and surplus savings were spent down and no longer able to be relied upon for budgeting covering annual expenditures.
- The church had been operating with a long-standing personnel-to-operating ratio which accounted for 55% of total church expenditures. Once the expense percentages were based on income, not total expenses, the same personnel structure translated to an unsustainable 68% percent of unrestricted income (money that is not earmarked for a specific purpose) going to personnel.
- Decreases in funding streams, including grants, tuitions, registrations, and counseling center fees affected overall income.
- In April 2025, we determined unrestricted cash balances were declining at an estimated rate of approximately $125K per month, which indicated potential future impacts on reserve thresholds and a need for corrective actions.
- Between 2023 and 2025, roughly $3M of unrestricted cash reserves were used to support mission, ministry, and capital expenditures, spending beyond annual tithes and offerings received.
03. What immediate actions were taken once this was known?
Following the identification of these financial realities, senior leadership and Church Council initiated several actions:
- Reset the budget to align with projected income rather than total planned expenditures, reflecting a shift in the Church’s post-Covid budgeting approach.
- Church Council and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) were informed and the three-year workforce plan under development was paused.
- Carried out a reduction in force of 30 full-time and 20 part-time positions (approximately 36 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions) - most of whom were in Shared Services.
- 19 full-time and 11 part-time vacant positions were not filled.
- Spending reductions were implemented, including the sale of the Retreat Center, closure of the Bookstore, a decision to defer relocation of the food pantry after the lease for its existing space ended in fall 2025, and planned closure of the Vineyard Early Childhood Center and the afterschool and summer programs following the summer of 2025.
- Commenced an immediate close and reconciliation of financial records.
- Conducted an internal review of cash balances and activities, which found no evidence of financial misconduct.
- Requested the Executive Pastor’s resignation. He submitted his resignation shortly thereafter.
- Hosted congregational meetings to give updates and posted Financial FAQs for transparency.
04. What impact did this have on staff and ministries?
Budget adjustments aligned with revised income projections required significant personnel reductions that were implemented inJune 2025, allowing severance for impacted employees through the end of the fiscal year.
Additional steps included pay reductions for senior leaders, adjustments to ministry structures, and operational changes intended to align expenses with available resources.
05. What further changes were made to our financial processes and systems?
Several structural adjustments were initiated:
- Formation of a Finance Subcommittee of Church Council.
- Hired an interim Director of Finance and created a plan for ongoing financial leadership expertise.
- Adjusted missions funding from 18% to 10% of tithes and offerings, to maintain both generosity and sustainability. (See #2 within our Global Missions Support FAQs page for more info.)
- Defined clear operating and personnel budgets for each campus, missions, and the Vineyard Community Center.
- Combined our Viña Grandview and Viña Westerville congregations as one unified campus – Viña Columbus, to optimize resources for ministry and care of our Latino brothers and sisters.
- Allocated lease costs across all campuses and set a 20% allocation for campuses except for the Westerville campus, which is 26%, for shared services and staff.
- Clarified staffing principles, including campus-based FTE-to-attendance ratios, to achieve sustainable personnel/operating ratios.
- Developed a monthly cash flow planning model to monitor cash levels and forecast future cash balances based on variable levels of giving.
06. Was financial misconduct identified?
An internal financial review covering September 2024 through February 2025, the span of time since the last audit, did not identify evidence of financial misconduct.
07. Why did the Senior Pastors, Executive Pastor, and four Campus Pastors resign?
Senior Pastors: They offered their resignations to the Church Council in March 2025. In their own words, they took “ultimate responsibility” and “offered to submit [their] resignations to the [Church Council].” They admittedly did not engage deeply enough in detailed operational expenditures or day-to-day financial oversight, did not develop sufficient understanding of complex financial systems and cash flow, and did not enforce strong accountability systems. They have described these as gaps in their leadership and recognize they should have sought counsel sooner to evaluate budgets and plans.
Council recommended that the more appropriate response was for Eric and Julia to remain in their roles, take responsibility and accountability for leadership decisions they made that contributed to the financial crisis, and lead the church through necessary reforms and painful corrective actions.
During this time, our Founding Pastor began sharing critiques with Eric and Julia regarding leadership decisions they had made during their tenure as Senior Pastors, including how they handled the decision to ask the Executive Pastor for his resignation. These ongoing conversations created strain within the church.
Over time and with multiple unsuccessful attempts to reconcile, Eric and Julia began to feel that the relational and structural challenges created by these events made continued leadership untenable for them as Senior Pastors.
On January 11, 2026, Eric and Julia communicated to the church their decision to step down from their roles and end their employment with the church to make room for the healing, repair and leadership needed to carry this church into its future.
Vineyard USA has been engaged and committed to support reconciliation efforts directly and through involving professional organizations specializing in peacemaking.
Executive Pastor: As noted above, he submitted his resignation shortly after being asked. Ultimately, it was determined the Executive Pastor's experience and expertise did not align with the cash forecasting and planning expertise required for this role.
Four Campus Pastors: As shared in the year-end congregational meeting on December 14, 2025, several campus pastors had experienced ongoing strain related to the demands of the multi-site structure and had expressed concerns about decision-making related to the campus model. The campus-model challenge had been an on-going conversation for over ten years. Additional factors included unrealized expectations, a desire for greater local autonomy, and disappointment that significant structural changes were not likely in the near term.
At the same time, these resignations occurred during a season of heightened organizational stress that included unresolved conflict between the senior pastors and founding pastor and increased confusion following Church Council engagement with campus pastors. Church Council requested campus pastors propose a possible way forward. Subsequently, an alternate model for how a multi-site church could function was drafted by several campus pastors and was ultimately rejected by both the Senior Pastors and Church Council as inconsistent with the church’s shared vision and financial realities.
Because of the unusual timing and clustering of these resignations, we have engaged The Elemental Group to conduct an independent assessment. Their work includes interviewing multiple leaders and examining organizational culture, governance processes, and leadership decisions to better understand the factors that contributed to these simultaneous events.
08. Has Rich Nathan been “banned” from Vineyard Columbus?
No. Rich had completed the third of three pastoral residency cohorts within The Story Continues campaign under a five-year formal agreement that started in January of 2021 and ended in December of 2025. His employment with Vineyard Columbus ended on December 31, 2025. Rich, and his wife Marlene, have been asked to refrain for a time from teaching, preaching, leading, mentoring, and volunteering at Vineyard Columbus, and they have been encouraged to worship in other church communities during this season.
This was not an act of discipline, excommunication, or exclusion, and is not permanent. The request for Rich to temporarily step away for one year was recommended by the Church Council as both an advisory and pastoral decision and acted upon by the Senior Leadership Team.
The request was focused on the well-being of the church during a complex transition. The intention is to provide space for health, clarity, and for future reconciliation. We know this is especially painful for many who love our Founding Pastor and his wife deeply, and we hold that grief with care as we continue to pursue the restoration and reconciliation efforts that Vineyard USA is supporting us in.
09. How did differing narratives come to be?
We recognize that many people have experienced these decisions differently, shaped by their roles and personal impact. We believe this has led to relational conflict, broken trust, and anxiety in the system resulting in competing narratives.
Senior leadership recognizes that our limiting and being cautious with public communication, while intending to avoid scapegoating, unfortunately has contributed to confusion and different narratives among staff and congregants.
10. What is the status of The Market project?
At this time, there are no plans to stop The Market project. However, the timeline is being evaluated as preliminary work continues to gather additional information about the project's feasibility and costs, while also exercising wisdom as we take into account the significant season of transition the church is currently experiencing.
Read more about the vision and anticipated benefits of The Market, along with other FAQs.
11. How do you, as a member of Vineyard Columbus, move forward considering the many narratives and disappointments that you may have heard or experienced?
There are many narratives and rumors regarding our present situation, which is understandable given the relationships and complexities of the last few months. The Senior Leadership Team encourages everyone to recognize that there are always different points of view, and that we respect the dignity and confidentiality of each of the people affected by this crisis.
This is why each of us must be discerning and cautious about the things that we hear, and the things that we share with others. Instead of pursuing the many rumors and narratives that can cause more confusion or division, the better course is to refrain from speculation and press into the Spirit in prayer for peace, unity, reconciliation, healing, and restoration, which is what we encourage our community to do.
12. What is the path forward for Vineyard Columbus?
The Senior Leadership Team, in partnership with Interim Campus Pastors, is working toward rebuilding trust, strengthening systems of financial accountability, and aligning staffing, structures, and ministries with a sustainable budget and the church’s long-term vision. The Senior Leadership Team and Church Council recognize the need for external help and have engaged Vineyard USA to assist with two efforts - Track A: Reconciliation, and Track B: Church Stabilization.
The Elemental Group will help with assessing our structures and systems, while Vineyard USA helps identify an Interim Senior Pastor. Stability in this next season will then allow us to create a healthy process to faithfully discern a new Senior Pastor.
Our hope and prayer is that honest reflection on these failures will forge and strengthen Vineyard Columbus to continue in its vision and mission with grace and integrity in the years to come.
Please continue to visit our Senior Pastor Transition page for information.