Joseph Olson ------------- Julie Olson
Julie Olson, Pastor of Administration
Julie decided to spend her life following Christ in 1986, with a dramatic transfer from a crazy life of partying and promiscuity to the beginning of an amazing journey of renewal and repair of her soul.
She earned a BA in Psychology from Albertson College of Idaho, and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Christian Education from Talbot Seminary, and 4 months after graduating married Joseph in 1990.
Julie is an ordained pastor in the Vineyard and has been in church leadership for many years, starting with Junior High ministry, and intercessory prayer ministry, then small group leading, administrative responsibilities, helping start 3 new churches (in very different cultures and contexts – Kansas City, MO; Luzern, Switzerland; Torrance, CA), mentoring, teaching, and giving pastoral oversight.
Julie’s heart beats for helping people meet Christ and begin the beautiful journey of learning who God is and how much patience, grace and power he has to transform, love, heal and give purpose to our lives.
Joseph Olson, Senior Pastor
The most important event of Joseph’s life was coming to know Jesus Christ in 1987 through Sanctuary Ministries, a church reaching out to the 80’s rockers of which he was a part. He then proceeded to grow up in God through the ministry of the Vineyard Church.
He has been a leader his entire life and began leading his first Bible study several months after he decided to spend his life serving God. Over the years he has experienced intimacy with God through worship, the power of the Holy Spirit to heal, learned the Bible, and experienced years of being in leadership in many capacities.
Joseph spent 2 years studying the Bible and Christian Leadership at Grace Training Center in Kansas City, MO. After which he attended DeVry Institute of Technology and earned a BS in Telecommunications Management. During his time in KC, he gained hands on experience starting a new church with a very gifted pastor and soon to be close friend and mentor, Fred Herron. He spent 7 years helping Fred to plant Vineyard Church, Kansas City in various roles including: youth ministry; eldership; worship leading; leading and multiplying small groups; and making the necessary moves and decisions required to grow the church through what has come to be known as “church growth barriers” (leading people as they moved through the difficult growing pains, changes and flexibility required to grow from a small to a large congregation).
In 1998 Joseph moved to Luzern, Switzerland to help start Vineyard Luzern (3 couples total at the beginning). Many more incredible learning experiences were added to his growing influence and capacity as a leader. He learned people skills, the experience of being “a foreigner”, how to mentor more purposefully and how to navigate expectations and communication.
God called Joseph to return to his “home town” in Torrance, CA and start a Vineyard, this time as the senior pastor. He spent the first year of the 21st century preparing, dreaming, questioning, answering and setting the compass for Vineyard X-Treme (VX). He spent another year praying and sitting in cafés, bookstores and coffee houses sharing with young people about the vision of VX.
VX met in 4 venues prior to moving into its home, Awakenings Coffee House, in December, 2005. Joseph is now living his dream of reaching 20-35 year olds of many nations, tribes and tongues, helping people come to know Christ and discover their reason for being on this earth.
If you ever have the privilege of spending time with him you will find that Joseph is a man full of vision and passion, and lives to fulfill “the great commission” found in the Bible, Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciple of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
