The Vineyard is a worldwide movement of churches, rooted in charismatic renewal and historic evangelicalism. Instead of the mainstream charismatic label, however, the movement has preferred the term Empowered Evangelicals (a term coined by Rich Nathan and Ken Wilson in their book of the same name), to reflect their roots in traditional evangelicalism, as opposed to classical pentecostalism. Those wanting to know more about the history of the Vineyard Movement will enjoy reading The Quest for the Radical Middle, by Bill Jackson.

John Wimber is considered the founder of the movement, although the first Vineyard churches already existed before his Calvary Chapel church in Yorba Linda, CA, joined the movement in 1982. The first Vineyard Church started when Kenn Gulliksen brought together two Bible studies, both meeting at the houses of singer/songwriters Larry Norman and Chuck Girard. These Bible studies, and others like them, were attended by many popular actors/actresses and musicians including Bob Dylan.

The Vineyard Movement suffered a visible leadership vacuum after Wimber's death on November 16, 1997. Each country now has its own national leadership, and John and Ele Mumford are the national UK directors of Vineyard Churches. Worldwide the Association of Vineyard Churches currently includes over 1,500 churches around the world, and this number continues to grow due to a strong priority placed on church-planting.

The Vineyard operates its own 2-year leadership training program called Vineyard Leadership Institute.  VLI is housed on the campus of the Vineyard Church of Columbus, Ohio, but is also offered in many Vineyard and some non-Vineyard churches through a video and correspondence course curriculum. Vineyard clergy are not required to have been trained through VLI.

The Vineyard Bible Institute, a distance-learning Bible studies programme, is based out of a Vineyard church in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Vineyard also operates a publishing house, Vineyard International Publishing.